No Fear in Death

Two skydivers. Both free-falling. Their speed is the same. They both seem to be free. Neither is entangled in chords or restrained by safety wires. They are as free as birds – or so it seems.

Ever since the Fall of Adam, our representative, into disobedience to God our Creator, death looms as the great outcome of sin. Scripture plainly states that the “The wages of sin is DEATH” (Rom.6:23). And this has in mind both a spiritual death and a physical death. Everyone faces death, BUT for those of us that are in Christ do not have to fear death…the second death (Rev. 2:11) or grieve like those that do.

Grieving comes in many forms. In 2020, it’s the loss of normalcy – school, jobs, hopes and expectations, of the familiar, loss of connections and our routine. And sadly, many are grieving the loss of loved ones to death itself.

We grieve and this is okay, this is good. Jesus wept and we should too.

But, in our sorrow we must not forget God’s great promises. Instead, we need to tighten our grip on the truth of Scripture and renew our hope in God’s future grace for us.

How does being “in Christ” delivers us from the fear of death and sets us free to live?

In Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers he writes, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”…and like Paul our ultimate goal is that Christ will be honored (that is, Jesus would be exalted and glorified), in our body whether we live or die. (Phil 1:20-21).

Hebrew 2:14-15 teaches us this by saying:

 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood…”

            The word “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah. These are also the children of God. In other words, this verse is communicating that God has the salvation of His children in mind when He sends Christ.

“…He Himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood] …”

            The Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, exists as the eternal Word before He took on flesh and became like humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God.

“…that through death…”

            The reason that Jesus was born was so that He could die. That has always been the plan. From the very beginning when God cursed Adam and Eve for believing the devilish lie instead of the truth, and right before He kicked them out of the garden, God whispered a promise saying…ONE DAY… I will send someone to deal once and for all with the snake. The snake will bruise this mans heal, but this Man will crush the snakes head.

As God, before flesh and blood, Jesus could not die for sinners, but united with humanity He could. His mission was to die, so He was born human. Why?

 “…he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”

            In dying, Christ took the sting of death. Christ did so by covering our sins with His blood. This means that the “Great Accuser,” Satan, has no grounds to make accusations against us before God. We are justified. Just-as-if-I-never sinned. And not only that but just-as-if-I-always obeyed. Only God can justify. Accusing us of our own sin is Satan’s ultimate weapon, and Jesus took it and rendered him powerless for those who believe.

“…and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

            So, those that are in Christ Jesus…that is all those who are relying on Jesus’ perfect life and death as their only hope are free from the fear of death. Free from the fear of condemnation. Our verdict is not guilty and perfectly righteous. Satan cannot overturn God’s decree.

Friends, there is one crucial difference between the two skydivers that I didn’t mention…only one of them has a parachute. Does this change the sense of freedom they enjoy? It sure does. Both are free to fall but only one is free to LIVE. The one is a slave to gravity, which will bring him death in the end. Without faith in Jesus Christ we all are slaves to the fear of death.

Praise God for His Salvation! Look to God’s promises, to His hope…our Lord Jesus Christ. Do not lose heart. Yes, our bodies are wasting away, but our inner self is being renewed day-by-day…as you are surrounded by grief and suffering in this life remember that it is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

We have no fear in death and therefore, we can LIVE!!