Monday, March 26, 2018

 

Who’s not afraid of dying? To some degree we are all afraid of death. The truth is that death is intimidating for every human being and if not death itself at least the way a person dies can be extremely terrifying. And the reason that we fear death and even hate it so much is because it was instituted by God as punishment for sin.

 

And while this is true, that death has been instituted by God as the punishment for sin, our tendency is to think that death is simply part of the circle of life. We’re born, we grow up, we have children and then we die. However, the circle of life was not God’s original design for us. Like I said before, death is not the result of being born, death is the consequence of sin. In fact, before sin entered the world everything was perfect and there was no death. Death is not a consequence of life, death is a consequence of sin.

 

When Jesus walked the earth he would go around telling people “Son your sins are forgiven” and this greatly irritated the teachers of the law because they knew that only God was able to forgive sins. They thought, what good is it for you to tell people “son your sins are forgiven” if at the end they would have to face death like everyone else. The teachers of the law were convinced that Jesus could not forgive sins because it would mean that He’d be able to remove the punishment for sin … death. They understood that only God was able to forgive sins, because only God, who instituted death as the punishment for sin would be able to remove the punishment.

 

What they did not know is that the resurrection of Jesus would forever transform the relationship between sin and death. When Jesus rose from the dead on the third day he proved once and for all that he had power to forgive sins, because he proved that he had the power to remove the punishment for sin, death.

 

1 Corinthians 15; 54-57 NIV

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. See? If you deposit your faith in Jesus you are no longer in danger of death and even if you feel fear for her know that through the event of the resurrection have eternal life. Death no longer has anything to do with you or me.

 

Heavenly Father this is truly wonderful! Thanks to the resurrection of Jesus Christ all of us who love him and put our faith in him are free from the relationship between sin and death. Now I can live assured that even though I may experience physical death, my spirit will live forever beside you.