We have referred to the Law of Sin that lives in our members as a demonic spiritual virus, whose chief characteristic is radical self-centeredness. The result of this law of sin, which entered into fallen man at the Garden, and is passed on to every human being since then, is self-destruction. My wife has been a Christian counselor for many decades, has always said, “If you are self consumed, you self-destruct.” The finished work of Christ, which includes His death on the Cross and His Resurrection, was God’s plan to rescue fallen mankind from this evil virus, and to heal us of the destruction it has caused us. I often hear people quoting 1 John 3:8, “… The Son of God has appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil,” in the context of physical healing, or demonic oppression, and of course it does include that, but if you go back and read the verses surrounding verse 8 you will discover that John is primarily talking about the power of sin. Sin is the work of the devil that Jesus came to destroy, (of course, He also heals the horrible symptoms and consequences of the presence of evil, which affects our bodies and our souls) because it is the presence of this virus called Sin, that is the cause ultimately of all human brokenness. I passionately believe it is God’s will to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually, but I’m also convinced that when the Scriptures say, “by His wounds you were healed,” it is at least first and foremost speaking of being healed of the power of sin. Look at 1 Peter 2:24 – 25,
“and He Himself carried away our sins and His body on the Cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
Having said all that I want you to take a fresh look at 2 Corinthians 5:14 – 15; “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him, who died and rose again for their sake.”
Jesus died for the whole world, and he says the whole world died in him, in light of that, but only those who have received what he has achieved for them, are alive in Christ. Verse 15 makes it very clear that Jesus died and rose again for our sake, so that in union with His resurrection, we might become new creations, who being set free from the evil virus of sin, and the horrible symptoms of radical self centeredness, and the impending self-destruction, are able now to live for Him and not for ourselves; and as the context makes clear, new creations in Christ live for others, because the new creation in union with the risen life of Christ is compelled by His love.
Why did Jesus die, and rise from the grave? For your sake, and my sake!!! It was the ultimate, magnificently genius rescue of sin diseased fallen humanity. The interesting thing, that this whole section of 2 Corinthians 5 declares, is that the whole human race has been rescued, but so many refuse to receive what God achieved in the finished work of Christ. What a tragedy. For those of us who are alive in Christ and are experiencing what Christ accomplished, our assignment is to go forth into the world and let them know that they have been rescued, and the cure for the virus is theirs also, but it has to be appropriated by faith. By grace we are saved. God did it all. He accomplished mankind’s rescue in Christ, but the grace gift of spiritual and moral healing can only be applied through faith. If they won’t believe, then they will never receive, what He has already achieved, all for their sake.