Notice in the Bible passage above how the apostle calls "death" an "enemy." By contrast, I clipped an article from a magazine a few months ago. It said: "Once college students flocked to courses on social and political concerns; today, courses on death and dying are among the most popular." The article goes on to tell how a "new doctrine" is emerging about death, "emphasizing that death is a natural part of life. We should not fear death (the new doctrine says), but accept it as the last 'passage,' the natural culmination of our lives. Some even urge that we welcome death as a friend...." Interesting approach. But a sad one and a wrong one. The Bible hardly speaks about death as a friend. It speaks of it as unnatural — as the consequence of sin. "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return" God told Adam after he sinned (Genesis 3:19). "...By the one man's offense death reigned..." (Romans 5:17) and "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), writes Paul.
The answer to death is not to euphemize it. Our American funeral customs bend over backwards to give death a pretty face with cosmetics, gleaming caskets, and bouquets of flowers. Yet the finality, the ugliness, of death remains. What then is the answer? The Christian religion teaches that this ugly thing called death has been defeated, destroyed, abolished! The testimony of the empty tomb is visible and concrete evidence that "our Savior Jesus Christ . . . has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10).
Because Jesus' grave is empty, death is but a "sleep" for us. As Jesus conquered death, so shall we! Convinced by Spirit-given faith of His victory, we are enabled to say with Job: ". . .After my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God" (Job 19:27).
— From the Lutheran Spokesman |
