It was as though He alone were endowed with life and all about Him were putrefying corpses. An intolerable stench and gruesome sights certify to the degradation of mankind. Indeed, the world to which He came was a vast cemetery and a slow funeral procession in which all were marching to a ghastly tomb. We do our best to hide this shame. We deny death and deck it with flowers. We refuse to bow our heads or humble our hearts, even when death ends in actual disintegration and corruption.

A.E.Knoch

This is an apt description of an existence alienated from the life of GOD. "A vast cemetery and a slow funeral procession in which all were marching to a ghastly tomb." All is death in the world to which He came, both a living death as well as an eternal death. But there is a way to "escape the corruption that is in the world". There is a door through which one can enter to escape death’s grip and enter into life!

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul stated that "The last enemy is being abolished: death" (1 CORINTHIANS 15:26 Concordant Literal New Testament). Of course his context is the resurrection, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 CORINTHIANS 15:22). But how did death come, how did all die in Adam and how can Paul write that death is even now being abolished?

ROMANS 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Death entered into the world by sin! This is not a death that comes from old age or some untimely accident. This death is from the sin of our first parents. They chose their own desires over HIS and were cast out from the presence of the tree of life. Death, in its least common denominator simply means "separation from GOD". The end of ones physical life is the ultimate separation from GOD, but the consequence of sin also results in a separation from GOD. According to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians, that death is now being abolished!

Paul repeats this revelation that death is being abolished in his epistle to Timothy. This time he makes an important distinction from his letter to the Corinthians. Now the Holy Spirit places it in a little bit different context then that of resurrection. Here Paul is careful to separate "life" from "immortality," suggesting to us that there is a difference. Life is our relationship with GOD, while immortality is our presence with HIM after resurrection.

Our Lord has abolished death and brought life. How? "Through the gospel." He did it through words. Words of truth that were spoken, written, implanted and believed.

The Holy Spirit encourages us to receive with meekness the engrafted (implanted) word, which is able to save our souls (JAMES 1:21). It is not Church attendance, or tithing, or even much prayer that is able to save our souls. It is only the word of Truth! That word is made up of words that are implanted within the hearts of those who choose to believe.

This is precisely what Yeshua (Jesus) taught his disciples in a parable found in the Gospels where he spoke of a sower who went out to sow his seed. Some seed fell along the wayside; other seed fell upon a rock while others fell among thorns. A few however fell on good ground and "sprang up", and bare much fruit. Later, when His disciples asked Him of the parable, He plainly revealed to them "The seed is the word of God". The seed that is sown is the word of GOD. It is only the word of GOD, which is sown in our hearts that enables us to hear, believe and bare fruit.

Another interesting correlation here is that in the Greek, the word translated "engrafted" in JAMES 1:21 is emphutos which is a derivative of the word phuo, which is translated "sprang up" in Yeshua’s parable in Luke’s Gospel. Just as the good seed fell upon good ground and "sprang up" and produced much fruit, so GOD’s words, implanted in the hearts of those who receive them with meekness, spring up within them.

To be denied those words of truth is to be denied life itself. Whether it is the wayside or stony ground or even being choked by thorns, without GOD’s words we are dead. Yeshua Himself affirmed this in the fourth Gospel, saying, "the words that I speak unto you…they are life". His words give us life, they make us alive.

Is this not exactly what Paul wrote the Colossians about, when he said, "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened [made alive] together with him"? How were they made alive? Not by a magic wand being waved over them, but rather by words of truth!

They were dead! Not literally in the ground, but in sins, separated from GOD. But then they were quickened together with Him. No longer were they separated from GOD due to sins, but now they are made alive through the gospel! This is the life our Savior brought, having already abolished death. He reconciled men and women back to GOD by making known the way into life by His words.

So also did Paul write the Ephesians.

HE "hath quickened us together with Christ". Again, "quickened together" means, "made alive together". If we were made alive, then we must not have been alive. No! We were dead in trespasses and sins. Not dead in the ground, but dead as to having a relationship with our Creator. As John wrote, "In him [it, the word] was life; and the life was the light of men". GOD’s word is truth, and therefore it is the life that is the light of men.

It is simply "words" that give us life. "In the beginning…GOD spoke." What did HE speak? Words! HE spoke this world into being, to be afterward governed by words. It is words that are implanted in ones heart. Those words are the treasure, which is either stolen by the thief or found buried by the seeker of truth. If believed, those implanted words then make one alive. "The thief cometh not but for to steal…I [Yeshua] am come that they might have life." Indeed, and "If ye continue in my word…ye shall be made free". But words of another can deceive and enslave. Words not of the Prophet, but of the false prophet. Words are the Way, only if they are true words.

It is that word of GOD that gives life. Those words that HE has given are unto us light in a dark world of death. In his Gospel, Matthew quotes a prophecy of ISAIAH concerning the beginning of Yeshua's ministry,

MATTHEW 4:16,17  The people sitting in darkness perceived a great light, and to those sitting in the province and shadow of death light arises for them. From that time Jesus began to preach…

Without the light of GOD’s word all is death and darkness. Because Yeshua is that Word in the flesh, He is "the way, the truth and the life". This is why, if our understanding is darkened the light is eclipsed and having no truth we are alienated from the life of GOD. We are dead to life if we have not the light of the word of GOD. It follows then that because Yeshua is the Word, He therefore is the door from which one leaves death to enter life. Death is not the door into life; the Word is the door!

We are told that it is a narrow way that leadeth unto life and only a few find it. That door is GOD’s word, spoken by a still small voice and implanted within the hearts of the believers of truth.

It is most amazing that after having spoken this astounding revelation about the gate unto destruction being wide and the one unto life only a few finding, our Lord immediately warns them of "false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing". Yeshua is warning those seeking life that some "will come to you" holding up this marvelous Book and speaking of its greatness, yet "inwardly they are ravening wolves". "Beware!" He wouldn’t sound that ominous warning if the wolf had not already devoured some of the sheep. Beware again! The wolf is not disguised as a monster. No, he is disguised as a prophet, one who appears to be speaking for GOD.

This word that GOD has magnified above HIS name, HE has promised to implant in the heart of every believer who receives it with meekness. Just as surely as Lazarus was called with a loud voice to "come forth" from his tomb, so we have been called to come forth from ours. Let us also be loosed from our grave clothes so as to put on the "whole armour of GOD". Let us come out, as lovers of truth, and be separate from the lovers of this world. Let them have their world but let us enter into HIS.

Yeshua repeatedly encouraged His followers to leave this world and enter into the kingdom of GOD. In HIS world are heavenly treasures, crowns and rewards. In their world there is only death. No matter how you color it, no matter how you dress it up and deck it with flowers, underneath and within, it is all still death.

LUKE 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

"Let the dead bury their dead!" Those who are not "keeping His word", not "continuing in His word", not "seeking first the kingdom of GOD" are dead! And they are all marching to death as one great horde. "Let the dead bury the dead!" Each day they do it. They may speak of entering heaven’s gates, of "crossing over" or "coming back", but for many of them, life ended before it ever began.

The kingdom of GOD is where life is. Death rules their kingdom while life rules HIS. We are to leave behind that kingdom of death and enter into HIS kingdom of life. This is the "newness of life" Paul encouraged the believers at Rome to walk in.

This is astounding! Just as GOD awakened our Lord from among the dead, so we also, being now awakened from among the living dead, should walk in newness of life. We should conduct our lives in the same newness that one would if he had been raised from among the dead and called forth from the tomb.

To walk in newness of life means just that. It’s a new life! Not a changed life, not an improved life but a new life. And we are to "conduct ourselves" accordingly. We who were dead are now made alive! But when one is first born he is only a child. The child must grow and become mature to realize all that is his.

Those who have entered the narrow gate into life have been born again, from above. That same word which was implanted and believed, now is the meat which gives strength to the weak and wisdom to the simple.

One might be tempted to panic as he grows old and sees his life slip away as sands through an hourglass. No need. Only death is slipping away. We can enter life now!

ROMANS 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.