Anyone who has lost of loved one understands the pain and loss that accompanies death. The Apostle Paul, a man whose life was frequently in jeopardy due to his fearless proclamation of the gospel, penned these comforting words for us to ponder.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV)
Sin is the mortal sting that causes death.
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56–57 (NASB95)
Adam’s sin led to his death as God promised and Satan denied (Genesis 2:17). It also led to the death of all his posterity, thanks to the laws of inheritance and reaping and sowing. But our Lord Jesus undid that horrible outcome by absorbing our guilt and the consequences of our sin, at least for those who put their faith and allegiance in him.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22 (NASB95)
Some of us suffer from a deeply seated fear of death that robs us of joy and holds us in bondage.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews gives us the welcome news that Jesus confronted this problem head on to liberate all of us who have been held captive by this fear.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV)
Christ took our sin upon Himself. He actually became sin and received the attached judgment of death, so that we could become righteousness before God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
As a result, we who believe have been blessed in many ways, including being given eternal life in the Spirit. Now, as Jesus taught, even though we die physically, we shall live spiritually. In fact, in reality we shall never die because He is the Resurrection and will someday raise our physical bodies back to life.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (ESV)
Jesus is now the Lord of Life as well as Lord over death. He has the keys of hell and death. Our lives and physical death are now exclusively under His authority. What then is physical death for the believer?
How we view death will greatly influence whether we fear it or not.
Death no longer should be viewed as a final separation or end, but as a homecoming and a beginning. The Bible tells us that God regards the death of His saints as a precious thing. (Psalm 116:15) The Hebrew word here means “precious, splendid, rare, or weighty.”
For God, physical death is his opportunity to welcome us into a new realm and dimension of life in which we can more fully enjoy Him and He, us.
Look at what Paul wrote.
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 (ESV)
Paul actually looked forward to his own demise because he had already been given a glimpse of what awaited him in the heavenly realms. If we could see as clearly as Paul did, we would never fear death.
May God open our eyes to the true nature of physical death – a doorway to life eternal in the very presence of God.
Jesus could not wait to get back to His Father. We really have little idea yet of how good our homecoming will be!
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)
If you are facing death, now is the time to meditate on Christ’s victory over death on our behalf. Now is the time to allow God’s peace that passes understanding in invade your life. We can listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd speaking to us the same words he spoke to Martha.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 (ESV)
Do we believe this? The things we are facing or will face eventually are designed to provide a setting for the Spirit of God to reveal to us personally that Jesus is our Life which never ends and is absolutely fulfilling – eternal, resurrection life.
So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:7-10 (ESV)
A confrontation with death, then, is actually an invitation from God to know the Lord Jesus Christ as the Resurrection and the Life. The light shines most brightly in the worst darkness.
This chapter is taken from my book, Seeing God’s Smile When Life Is Difficult, which can be ordered from Amazon. This book is designed to help people through severe trials, but is helpful to all who wish to live by overcoming faith.
