(279) Jan 16/2017 – A Great Difference – Grace

Monday Meditation
January 16, 2017
From the desk of A.J. Higgins

A Great Difference

“That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man”
Hebrews 2:9

Hebrews 2 is a chapter which thrills every child of God. It details the great prospect when the Second Man will one day hold the scepter of universal dominion. He will bring many sons to glory to share with Him in that day of resplendent radiant beauty.

God intended man to reign; dominion was given to Adam (Heb 5:8). God crowned Adam with glory and honor. All creation was subject to him. He was lord of all. But Satan, ever opposed to God, brought about the fall and what he thought was the destruction of God’s purpose. Was it envy over Adam’s dominion? Anger at God for not giving him dominion over the creation?

Whatever the motive, Satan’s malice and cunning brought about the fall. He knew the holiness and government of God, having experienced it in his own rebellion. He knew what the consequences of Adam’s disobedience would be. As a result of the fall, death came into the world and each of us, aside from the Lord’s coming, will die because of the government of God.

But another Man has come – One Who voluntarily took part of blood and flesh (v 14), that through death He might frustrate the scheme of Satan and, as a Man, reign for God. Here is One Who would secure and bring to fulfillment all of God’s purposes for man. But to accomplish this, He must take Satan’s very instrument, death, experience death, and conquer death. Like David employing Goliath’s sword, He took Satan’s weapon and used it to nullify Satan’s apparent victory. But He must taste death.

His death differs from ours, however, in that we die under the government of God; He tasted death by the grace of God. While God’s government against sin was seen in His death, it was, nevertheless, by grace that He entered into death.

He tasted death: this is not to suggest, in any way, that He sampled it or knew part of it. It reveals that He endured death in all its dread and awfulness. He experienced death. What we seek to avoid, prevent, and postpone, He, by grace, willingly entered into. Verse 14 reveals that His purpose in taking a body was with a view to death. Grace marked His incarnation (2Cor 8:9; Phil 2:5-8), His movements here (John 1:14), and His death.

As you move through the week, think each day of the grace of God and all that it has accomplished and all that it has brought to us.

Consider:

“Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and “He by the grace of God should taste death …” Think of just how amazing grace really is!

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