In Christ, we have a confident expectation that we have a life leading to life, not death. In Christ, there is no fear of death, because it has been swallowed up in the victory of Christ’s death-conquering death (1 Cor. 15:54).
The older I get, the more I experience the deaths of loved ones. The closer I grow to God, the more precious I see the death of His saints (Ps. 116:15). One definite truth of life is that no one is getting out alive. One day will be my last day. One day will be yours.
It’s estimated that there are 1.8 deaths per second or 155,520 deaths a day, worldwide. This reality of physical life magnifies the sharp contrast between those of us in Christ and those in the world. Paul spells out the Christian perspective, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Rom. 14:7-9).
As we hear of those approaching death’s door, it’s easy to feel helpless to do anything, outside of praying for them. But the helplessness felt by believers has a limit – a limit that goes beyond the comprehension of the world. We can’t control death, but we can let God take control. Unbelievers’ helplessness and fear are a result of a reality devoid of the promises of God that are anchored in the resurrection of Christ.
God never intended us to face life alone. He never intended for us to figure things out on our own. God wants to shower us with His love, wisdom, power, and peace. He wants to take control. And that really is the issue – control. Are you under the control of God or under the control of the world? The direction of your focus and fear will answer this question. Is your fear and focus worldly? Or is your fear and focus unto the Lord? To reiterate the sentiment of Paul, if you live, are you living to the Lord? And if you die, are you dying to the Lord?
If God has taken control of your life, you will NEVER experience death… not for one second. Sure, your spirit will be separated from your body one day. But your spirit will instantaneously enter into eternal life, leaving the death of the physical body behind. In Christ, we have a confident expectation that we have a life leading to life, not death. Paul explains this in 2 Cor. 2:14-16: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life.”
In Christ, there is no fear of death, because it has been swallowed up in the victory of Christ’s death-conquering death (1 Cor. 15:54).
-Cary Gillis D.Min.
November 11, 2020Life Leading to Life
