A Note from Dee Henderson

[Dee Henderson]

Sometimes we over complicate Christianity. I wanted to write you a brief reminder of the good news and to ask you a favor.

 

Adam and Eve had a perfect life in Eden.

 

Adam sinned. Bad news. The penalty of sin was death.

 

Jesus, the Son of God, came. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Good news.

 

We have returned to life as it was before. Sin is gone by God’s grace. So is the penalty of death. God has restored us. We have been perfected forever by the sacrificial offering of the body of Jesus Christ.

 

That’s Christianity.           

( see John 1:29; Romans 5:8-10 & 8:1-2; Hebrews 10:10,14; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 )

 

The favor I would like to ask you? Please don’t die. We have been set free of both sin and death by the sacrifice of Jesus. God has given us life as a free gift. Sometimes we forget that.

 

How we have life now is elegant. Jesus says of himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6b RSV) As Christians, we have Jesus abiding in us. We now have life abiding in us. Jesus has done his part. Our part is easy. We take communion and celebrate Jesus. We remember Jesus sacrificed his body on the cross to set us free from sin and death.

 

Jesus speaks of communion this way:

“I [Jesus] am the bread of life. … He who eats my flesh [the bread] and drinks my blood [the juice] abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me and I [Jesus] live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.” (John 6:48, 56-57 RSV)

 

Life is a good gift from God. I wanted to write to remind you to enjoy it this year and every year!

 

Thank you.

Dee Henderson

 

Some helpful scriptures:

[Jesus said,] “whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26b RSV)

 

[Jesus said,] “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28b RSV)

 

He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:10b-13 RSV) ( Eternal means always, means now. For example, God is eternal. Have is also a present tense word. Life is not a future gift. We have life now and always as a gift. )

 

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you. (Romans 8:11 RSV)

 

those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness [will] reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.  (Romans 5:17b RSV)

 

KJV–King James Version      RSV–Revised Standard Version

 

Dee Henderson                         www.deehenderson.com                                  March 2019