Death Is the Fate of All Such
Our choices determine whether we live a life of obedience to God or a life of disobedience leading to death.
Ignatius of Antioch emphasizes the importance of choosing between life through obedience to God's precepts or death through disobedience. He distinguishes between the truly devout, stamped by God, and the ungodly, influenced by the devil. Ignatius highlights that human nature remains the same, but individuals align themselves either with God or the devil based on their choices, with believers reflecting God's image and unbelievers reflecting the devil's image.
Text
Seeing, then, all things have an end, and there is set before us life upon our observance [of God's precepts], but death as the result of disobedience, and every one, according to the choice he makes, shall go to his own place, let us flee from death, and make choice of life. For I remark, that two different characters are found among men-the one true coin, the other spurious. The truly devout man is the right kind of coin, stamped by God Himself. The ungodly man, again, is false coin, unlawful, spurious, counterfeit, wrought not by God, but by the devil.
I do not mean to say that there are two different human natures, but that there is one humanity, sometimes belonging to God, and sometimes to the devil.
If any one is truly religious, he is a man of God; but if he is irreligious, he is a man of the devil, made such, not by nature, but by his own choice. The unbelieving bear the image of the prince of wickedness. The believing possess the image of their Prince, God the Father, and Jesus Christ, through whom, if we are not in readiness to die for the truth into His passion, His life is not in us.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Consequences of Choice
- A. Life or Death
- B. Observance of God's Precepts
- C. Disobedience
- II. The Character of Men
- A. True Coin
- B. Spurious Coin
- III. The Source of Humanity
- A. Belonging to God
- B. Belonging to the Devil
- IV. The Image of Humanity
- A. Image of the Prince of Wickedness
- B. Image of God the Father
Key Quotes
“The truly devout man is the right kind of coin, stamped by God Himself.” — Ignatius of Antioch
“The unbelieving bear the image of the prince of wickedness.” — Ignatius of Antioch
“The believing possess the image of their Prince, God the Father, and Jesus Christ,” — Ignatius of Antioch
Application Points
- We must make a conscious choice to belong to God and live a life of obedience.
- Our actions and decisions reflect whether we are a man of God or a man of the devil.
- We must be ready to die for the truth and follow Jesus Christ's passion in order to possess His life.