On Account of Our New Life

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus (John 12: 9-11).

Among the Jews that followed Christ were the chief priests who hoped to discredit, humiliate, arrest, or kill Him. They followed Christ to Bethany where John notes that they also sought out Lazarus. Did they seek the formerly dead man to confirm the miracle of his resurrection? Were they looking for faith-bolstering proof of the divinity of Christ? Lazarus was now Jesus' star witness. He had been dead for four days and now he was alive. He was hanging out with Jesus just like a faithful, grateful disciple should. Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit reveals nothing in the scriptures about Lazarus beyond his relationship with Mary and Martha and his friendship with Jesus. Lazarus never said or did anything the Holy Spirit deemed worthy of recording. But Lazarus had become one of the greatest witnesses for Christ… “On account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus”. He was so sought after by the Jews that their religious leaders conspired to kill him along with Jesus… “The chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well”. Many believed and others sought to take his life not because of what Lazarus said or did for Jesus. He was an effective witness and his life was on the line because of what Jesus did for Lazarus. Every born again disciple has a life-changing testimony that will attract the interest or the wrath of others. If we are willing to live for Christ and let Him use our resurrected lives to share His gospel with our dying world, like Lazarus, many will believe in Him on account of our new life.

What should the life of a world-impacting disciple look like? If we hope to show the world that Christ lives in us, there should be an obvious, attention-getting, thought provoking, and faith challenging difference in us. We were dead but now we live… “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses” (Colossians 2:13). We are living a life of increasing victory over sin and temptation… “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). We no longer fear death because we’re bound for eternity… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). We were once lost but now we’re found and living in fellowship with Christ and with other disciples… “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).  We were just going through the motions of life, but now we live to bring glory to God and to share the good news about Christ with others… “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

We may not bring much in the way of natural talent, beauty, or genius to Christ. But when we believe in Him, Jesus Christ immerses us into His life, making us a brand new creation, with a brand new life full of ministry and mission, and the world cannot help but notice the difference in us… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). We were once dead and buried deep within the tomb of our sins until God’s grace called us to… “Come out” (John 11:43). We have been raised to a whole new life and the Lord has commanded… “Unbind him, and let him go” (John 11:44). We have been transformed into undeniable witnesses and unanswerable arguments for the claims of Jesus Christ.

As we grow up into Christ and our resurrected lives reflect Christ to others, many will believe in Him…

On Account of Our New Life.