29 Jun Jesus’ Sets You Free from Slavery to Death
Truly, truly, I [Jesus] say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
– John 8:51-53
Sin causes death. Everyone sins. So, everyone must die.
Death is the one thing that rules over each of us. We cannot defeat it or avoid it. Death comes for us all, and death defeats us all. Even the best people, like Abraham, die.
What happens to us on the other side of death is likely the greatest human question.
Before He died, the Lord Jesus promised that he would defeat death and prove Himself to be greater than anyone who had ever lived, including the human father of our faith (Abraham), and the prophets who wrote the Bible. Jesus promised that not only would He defeat death, but that if we believed in Him would we defeat death with Him.
Not only did Jesus die, He came back from death to give us confidence that He alone can be trusted upon death. Therefore, the worst thing is not to die, but rather to die without knowing Jesus. The Apostle Paul said that for the believer, death is “gain” because we gain healing, eternal life, joy, peace, and a complete relationship with God and one another forever.
Some years ago, a woman I knew had her mother pass away. Both were believers, but they had a strained and complicated relationship. When I met with the daughter, I asked her how she was doing and expected her to express remorse that their relationship did not end on better terms. She surprised me in saying, “I am not thinking much about the past and how things could have been better between us. I am thinking much about the future and how the next time I see her we will both be perfect and have a perfect relationship forever thanks to Jesus!” Her perspective taught me a lot and encouraged me a lot.
Do you know Jesus? Are you confident that you will be with Jesus forever after death?
