We can’t have life without death. Obvious, I know! From one point of view, we would consider this a great curse (which it is – Gen 3:19), but, from another point of view, it is a great mercy; the fact that we die confronts us with our sin (Ro 6:23), which is because we have departed from the God of grace and His good law, which gives us no other option but to return to the God of grace seeking salvation and eternal life. So, you see, death leads to life.
This truth is concentrated in the Man, Jesus Christ.
We are all lost because we seek to rely on ourselves (our own abilities, goodness and cunning), and go our own way rather than God’s. We also do this as Christians; we do the “right Christian things”, yet our hearts can resist God’s grace, and be cold and unloving towards Him (and, therefore, unloving towards others also). Yet, in great love for us, not wanting us to be lost, Jesus Christ:
- Stood in our place, and took from us our sins and carried them as though they were His,
- Accepted the death due for our sin on His cross, which cancelled the sin, and therefore cancelled death too, and then
- He was raised from the dead to eternal life by the power of God
Death leads to life again… for Jesus Christ… but because He did this as our Lord, Saviour and Redeemer, He also did it for us; He did it so that, through faith and repentance, we can share in all the benefits of His death and resurrection – i.e., full forgiveness of our sins, blessing with all the gifts of His grace now, and resurrection from the dead to eternal life in the new heaven and earth.
His death leads to our life; therefore, our deaths will also lead to life!
Blessed Good Friday & Easter Day, Jonathan