“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” (John 11:25-26 NLT)
Death is a promise God made to Adam and Eve in the Garden and hasn’t changed to this day. Every human being who has lived or ever will live, except those specifically chosen by God to avoid death, will die a physical death. However, because of the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and the payment made there on our behalf, when we place our faith and trust in Jesus and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives, we are then given the promise of eternal life. Does that mean we’ll never die? Yes, and no. Yes, it means our spirits will never die, but no, our physical bodies will die unless the Lord returns before that happens.
That’s all well and good, but what does it mean? In practical terms what difference should that make in my life? That news should be transformational! It should literally change everything about us – how we think, live, love, work, play, pray, worship, and every other avenue of our lives.
When we’re born again of the Spirit of God, we become a new creation in Christ Jesus, subject to His authority, and obedient to His directives. On some levels that may sound hard and oppressive, almost like the military, but in fact it is liberating and joy filled. Why? Because every breath is a gift from the Lord and when the weight of what Jesus has done for us in freeing us from an eternity of separation from our heavenly Father finally hits us, there’s literally nothing He could ask of us that would compare to what He’s already done for us.
As God’s child my attitude is He owns me, I’m His, and He can do with and for me anything He chooses. On many levels, as hard as it is to think of it in these terms, we’re the Lord’s “slaves.” But when you factor in what that means we gain insight into why anyone and everyone should want to be the Lord’s “slave.” The fact is, we’re His favored child. God the Father views each of us as He does His own Son.
We’re cherished as an invaluable treasure. We’re adopted as God’s own child subject to the same royal inheritance as Christ Jesus Himself – an eternal home in heaven! We were “purchased” by the priceless blood of our Savior, redeemed from hopelessness, lostness, and an eternity of aloneness to be included as a valued member of the Family of God, the Church universal comprised of every born-again child of God.
How do I know these things? Because I know Jesus and Jesus guaranteed them in His Holy Word, the Bible. His words are true, infallible, and guaranteed by His own blood shed on the Cross and His resurrected body that walked out of His grave on the third day. Let’s close with Ray Majoran’s powerful prayer:
“Root our lives deeply in the resurrection of Jesus so that our hope rests firmly in what You have already accomplished through Him. Shape our thoughts, our words, and our actions so they reflect the new life You have given us in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). And as we look toward the day when You will raise Your people to new life, remind us of Your promises, knowing that the Spirit within us is the guarantee of the life to come (Romans 8:23).”
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 