FREEDOM FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH
It
is true we all must die physically, sooner or later. Yet the promise to us who
have trusted in Christ is that we will be raised and clothed in a new body.
Paul tells us, “it is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44). Before Christ's
resurrection, death implied an end to life but after his resurrection a new
hope is given. Therefore, Paul writes with confidence in 1 Cor 15:55, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where O death is your victory? Where O grave is your sting?” This is the
new perspective that we can see from Paul’s message.
As
a young man, my friends and I used to catch scorpions. These were big, ugly
6-inch scorpions and we would cut off the scorpion stings. After that, the scorpion
was released and we would let it run over our bodies and heads. It was still a
scary sight because sometimes, the scorpion would raise its claws or its tail
as though ready to sting. While it seemed like a fearsome sight, we knew the
truth. The scorpion stings were gone and so there was no need to fear the
venomous sting any more.That
is exactly what Paul is telling us. The sting of death and the grave is gone.
The Terminator has been terminated. That is what Jesus’ resurrection points to
us. To every Christian, death is but a gateway leading into a fuller and more
beautiful life with God. There will be no sorrow but joy because God is with us
forever. We may grieve because of the separation with our loved ones but the
separation is temporary. It is like sleeping in different rooms. You will wake
up one morning and there is your loved one together with you.
Does
this mean we Christians need not weep when our loved one dies? When someone
dies we feel sorrow and lost. We miss them terribly and may even feel regret
for things not said or said. We will feel all sorts of emotions and thoughts
and it is not wrong or un-natural to admit and own these feelings. However, our
grief also encompasses the hope of the Gospel, the hope of the bodily
resurrection. That is why Paul reminds us in 1 Thess 4:13, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant
about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no
hope.” Amidst our feelings and thoughts as we experience the separation
of a loved one through death, let us remember the Gospel and our resurrected
Lord. Let us remember what that means for our own resurrection and for the
loved ones we mourn. Finally, let us be confident and assured that a day is
coming when death will be utterly overthrown - the sting forever removed. For
this reason, at the Christian funerals over which I officiate as pastor, I will
always point to the eternal hope we have in Christ and remind those left by the
dead to remember that this is only temporary. There will be a permanent
reconciliation at the resurrection of all of us.
“But thanks be
to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” I Cor 15:57.
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