Death is never easy. In fact, it can be devastating. As a Christian, I believe that God never intended for death to be such a part of life. In the very beginning when He created man, he stated plainly “it is not good for man to be alone.” And yet when we look around what we see, almost 100% of the time is that death wins. Hands down, no matter how hard or fast we swing, no matter how many pills we pop, how many surgeries, no matter how many lifts and tucks, death always wins. Death wins and we find ourselves separate from those whom we love and care for. Why?
Why have we never mastered our greatest enemy? We look at terrorism as an evil, menacing threat that we should stop at nothing to prevent. We wage war, we sacrifice our children, all in the name of a freedom that we seek to protect when if you think about it we are never truly free. We’re never truly free from the one thing that truly enslaves us, the one thing that has conquered all men from as far back as we can remember…death. Why have we never been able to conquer this evil?
Again, as a Christian I believe that the God prescribed death to all of mankind as the ultimate penalty for our disobedience. He made very clear what His will was and we willingly chose to disobey. He gave us ample freedom, ample provision in every way in addition to perfect communion with Him and instead we chose disobedience and its penalty…death. Death, separation. Separation from all that is good. Separation first from the giver of life, God, himself. Separation from communion and fellowship with him. Our relationship with him is no longer perfect, we no longer enjoy long peaceful walks with God, instead people try to have nothing to do with God and usually not because they truly think that all that we see in its complexities and grandeur came about by chance, but rather because they know deep inside that He is and they choose not to submit to His authority as Creator. We are separate from one another. Relationships are severed in death. People are indiscriminately ripped from those whom they love. Health doesn’t matter. Age doesn’t matter. Socioeconomic status doesn’t matter. Sexual preference or religious adherence doesn’t matter. Death comes to all. And as they say, “misery loves company.” Thus the effects of the fear of death, the fear of leaving this life overshadows our hearts throughout our stay on earth, we all fight and strive against one another to best one another, to take advantage of one another, to get “all that we can get out of life” while we still live. And that is our lot.
Death will forever stand as a memorial to mankind of what happens when one chooses to shake his fist in defiance against the One who created him. One that will forever remind us of our sin, our shortcomings, our weakness, even our inability to stand before a Holy God who beckons our submission to His will.
So what can we do? Nothing. We can do nothing. We are utterly helpless against death. We are only able to sit by idly as our loved ones, friends, co-workers and eventually ourselves are made subject to death. Mankind will never…mark my words…never be able to overcome this most formidable enemy…on his own.
We can do nothing…but the good news is that we don’t have to, because Jesus Christ has done it all. “According to His mercy, we have been born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” That is God’s solution. God’s solution is not that we would be able to conquer death, but that Jesus Christ would conquer death for us.
He has come, He has lived and He has died a death (a horrible death) that is substitutionary in that Jesus died, not as a penalty for His own sin (He didn’t have any) but as a penalty for our sins. And because He didn’t die for His own sins, once the judgment of death was measured out upon Him for our sins, death could no longer hold Him; thus He was raised from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is God’s solution for our problem of death.
Separations come…this life is full of them. Death, as it would appear, is the final separation. Separation of the soul and body, separation of one loved one from another. Separation from this life to the next. And yet Jesus, the resurrected One, the One who has power over death gives eternal life to those who obey His word. Those who trust Him as Lord are given His eternal, indestructible, Holy, resurrected life; with the hope that even the physical death that befalls all of mankind, will not hold him. We, who believe, have hope because Jesus is alive!
Death is a painful, often devastating event. And yet death is not the end. And it need not be the end for anyone. We who do believe are obligated both for the Jew and the Greek, the circumcised and uncircumcised, slave or free, to offer this free gift of God to everyone. And that so that they may too be rescued from the fear of death, rescued from its power; and truly and finally liberated into the freedom that Christ Himself enjoys, to enjoy God and live before Him forever!
Would you have His joy today? Would you have His peace? Would you be set free from the bondage of the fear of death? Would you be set free from the power that death holds over both the weakest and strongest of men? Turn to Jesus. No one who comes to Him will be disappointed. All who believe in Him will have His eternal life as a free gift from Him.
As for me and my house, we will trust the Lord. I don’t believe that I am yet done what He would have for me to do in this life. I am not yet tired of this journey. But whenever He should call me home, I will go bounding forth as a schoolboy who has just been released to go home.
