Lord’s Day, Vol. 8 No. 12
Why Death?
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Death came upon man and his posterity when Adam and Eve, the first couple God created, disobeyed the known will of God to partake the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As a consequence of that sin committed against their Creator God, Genesis 3:17-19 tells us death came upon mankind – 17And unto Adam he (the LORD God) said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Gen. 3:17-19 KJV)
Sorrow and sweat in his days on earth till death finally comes and he is buried and returns to the dust from which God created him.
The word “wages” is literally a military-technical term for what is appointed to soldiers to buy food ration (money), allowance, pay; more generally (subsistence) pay, wages, expense money. The Apostle Paul uses the word in a figurative sense of the compensation for serving sin – reward, end result. [Friberg Lexicon]
When death strikes, there is great sorrow and mourning. We understand this with the departure of a loved one in death. A very painful time! But for the Christian, the wages for sin has been paid in full on our behalf by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Therefore, for the Christian, the Bible comforts us with the truth that the departed loved one who died in the Lord is but “asleep”. One day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns, he will awake with a new resurrection body. In the meantime, the souls of dead in Christ is safe in heaven, enjoying the bliss of eternal life – 13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (1 Thess. 4:13-14 KJV)
The Christian is taught the truth of the coming resurrection of the dead in Christ and the rapture of the church when Jesus Christ returns.
15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (go before) them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:15-18 KJV)
Death is sadly certain for all men – ten out of ten will die, none can escape the call of death when it comes. But the Apostle Paul’s immortal words provided the way out of death’s conundrum, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This is the message of hope for all mankind. Especially faced with the death-sentence of the COVID-19 virus that seemed to have the ability to infect anyone on earth in a life-threatening way. A fearsome pestilence! Yet, for the people of God, we must take this time to share the good news of the gospel to a frightened world.
Are the people of God not afraid of the virus? Certainly, Christians must exercise faith and not fear, pray and not panic, take precaution and not be presumptuous.
The people of God must take this time to share the good news of God’s gift to those who do not have eternal life, facing the prospect of the eternal judgement of God in hellfire.
I believe the Lord has allowed this pestilence to plague the entire world for the good purpose of awakening the world to return to their Creator God whom they have rejected. This alienation from their Creator God grieves the heart of the Father in heaven and He allows this alarming proliferation of the virus so that men may be awakened to their frailty and the brevity of life and be willing to receive the remedy for sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All who are bound by the shackles of sin, fearful of death, downcast and overwhelmed with cares, let them not be affrighted. There is hope with God. We are to put faith first. We take God at His Word. We will receive God’s comfort. Jesus Christ paid for our sins on the cross and three days later rose victorious from the dead in the resurrection for our justification. Because Jesus lives, we live, because Jesus rose from the grave, so will we.
Christians sorrow with the hope that they will see their loved ones again in the Lord. This is our blessed hope. That’s faith! Jesus says to you, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26)
Having believed, we have the mandate to tell. Will you be a good ambassador for the Lord during these desperate times to do some good sharing the gospel of peace? May the Lord bless your labour of love. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee