Wanted Dead or Alive

I know it’s a stretch, but if you would allow me, I want to share how the Bible, in some ways, reminds me of the old, western reward posters—WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE—a metaphor as it were.  Let me explain.

I know the wording, Wanted Dead or Alive denotes bringing in a criminal breathing or not.  A bounty hunter or agent will then receive their just reward that was stated on the poster.    

God loves people.  To bring it closer to home, God loves you and me with a sacrificial love, so much that He died on a cross for the redemption of humanity.   

Jesus was unjustly crucified atop the hill called Golgotha, which means, Place of a Skull.  He willingly gave His life for the sins of every man, woman, boy, and girl that needed a Savior.  This means everyone to this day and all tomorrows.  (Matthew 27:33)

This hill was outside the gates of Jerusalem where criminals were executed for their crimes.  But Jesus was perfect in every way and did not deserve to die a cruel death.

We read in the Bible that God desires for every person on earth to become alive through the new birth.  This happens when a person asks forgiveness of their sins and accepts Jesus as their personal Savior. 

This born-again experience is essential because Adam and Eve separated themselves from God in the Garden of Eden when they sinned.  At that moment they became dead in the eyes of the Lord. 

God did not walk away from Adam and Eve; they chose death over life when they disobeyed Him and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God commanded them not to eat.  Because of their disobedience, sin entered the world.  Every person that is born has an adamic nature in them and needs a Savior to live again.

(Genesis 2:16,17) “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;’ ” (17) “ ‘but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ ”

The Bible is the narrative of true events recorded by holy men of old, as God breathed upon each one.  The inerrant Word of God was written on scrolls, now captured between two covers called the Bible.  In it we find how to become alive rather than remaining dead in sin.

Everyone should ask themselves, “Am I dead or alive?”  This question is not to determine the state of one’s health, but the condition of the soul.  Is it full of dead-mans-bones, figuratively speaking, or is it alive and well in Christ Jesus?

God wants every dead person that is walking down the wide road to destruction to be saved.  He also wants those that are alive in Him to stay true to His statutes through every trial and tribulation, as they journey down the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.

God gave us the Bible as a lamp to our feet and a light to our pathway to emphasize the importance of finding our way back to Him in a dark and nightmarish world of sin through reading His Word and meditating on it day and night. 

Wandering souls, dead in their trespasses, and Christians that are alive because of Jesus, need to get alone with God and ask for His perfect will in their lives.  We need to see the pitfalls that the devil puts in everyone’s pathway.  The Bible gives us the ability to see clearly where our next step will take us. 

(1 Peter 5:8,9) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (9) “Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

Jesus wants those that are tired of running from God, because of their inherited death sentence, to be transformed into a new creation.  The Lord promises that it will be a wonderful transition from being dead to being alive in Him. 

The Lord also wants to encourage Christians, who are stumbling and perhaps fading in faith, to become grounded once again.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  In Him we live.

(Matthew 11:28) “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

I was certainly a dead man walking before the Holy Spirit sent agents my way that were acting on God’s behalf to share the Good News that Jesus would give me an abundant life if I surrendered to Him. 

I am glad these Christians saw the reward poster, WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE before my number was called and I was weighed in the balance and found wanting after passing from this life. 

I am sure these agents will receive their just reward in heaven.  They were faithful servants of the Lord, witnessing for Him.  I am glad I passed from death unto life before meeting my Maker face to face.  I now have a hope of eternal life when God calls me home.

Written by,

Papa Boyd