“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Cor 15.22
”The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Gen 2.16-17
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11.25-26
You’ve heard this quote before, “If there is one thing that’s certain it’s death and taxes.” Death is a certainly. It happens to all of us eventually. At one point, our body will stop functioning either through natural causes or by accidental means. As our world faces the scare of a new disease, the coronavirus, some have died through this and millions more are terrified that it might come to them.
But death, according to Scripture, not only is certain but is nothing to be feared. Death for the Christian is but the entrance into eternal life. As crazy as it sounds, death is not the final chapter. With Jesus, the final chapter entails everlasting life with him in heaven.
Today we are talking about death. It’s one of the ABC’s of the Lenten journey. Death is mentioned in the Ash Wednesday practice of the imposition (placing of) the ashes on the forehead of pilgrims. The pastor or priest says, “From ashes you have come and from ashes you will return.” Happy news! But seriously, this is what will happen. We were formed from the dust, and our physical bodies will return to it. But, our souls will live with God forever if we believe in Jesus as the Christ.
Although death is not the end, it is a reminder of our mortality and of the passion of Jesus upon the cross. Romans 6.10 tells us, “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.” This too is our formula as we walk with God — we die to sin but we live for God. Jesus did the same thing as he walked on this earth, living for God, but dying for our sin upon the cross.
This Lenten season, consider your own mortality. Understand that death will happen. But live for God. Trust in Jesus. Find hope in his arms and allow him to rescue you from the pain of sin and death so that you might not only have life on this earth, but also life everlasting.
“O Lord God, you are good. I praise your name. I am but a fleeting speck of life in this galaxy that you created. My 80 plus years will be a flash of light passing so quickly. The contributions will fade, but my love for you, and my soul entrusted to you — will live for ever. Come now, Holy Spirit, fill me with your grace and mercy. I love you Jesus and put my whole trust in your love. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen
