Today,
I have the pleasure of sharing with you this simple black and white
picture. Oh, the memories that accompany this scene! Driving in
winter in the Northeastern states of our country can be very
challenging indeed. I especially remember driving from Johnstown New
York to Buffalo one snowy day in the deepest part of winter. The snow
was coming down so fast and furious that a “white out” made
driving extremely dangerous because the visibility ahead was almost
non-existent. It is very, very stressful to drive under those
conditions and even using the darkest pair of sunglasses I owned
didn’t help much.
Its
the not knowing what’s ahead that is bothersome to the extreme. As
I think about all this, I remembered a passage from the New
Testament, which says…
1
Thessalonians 4 ( World English Bible
)
13
But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers,
concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve
like the rest, who have no hope.
14
For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen
asleep in Jesus.
15
For this we tell you by the word
of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the
Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.
16
For the Lord himself will descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,
17
then we who are alive, who are
left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.
18
Therefore comfort one another
with these words.
Growing
up on a farm in upstate New York in the 1950’s, I had no idea what
life would be like six or more decades later. Even the transition to
a new century seemed far, far away. However, time does pass and I
have been blessed with many years since I was a boy.
More
than this, I have hope – hope in what the future holds for me. Hope
not predicated on my feelings, but rather on what Jesus has done for
me. I cannot see the future, but I know that someday I will be with
him and somehow everything will be wonderful beyond anything that I
can imagine.
Take
another look at the picture at the top of the post. Notice that the
road ahead is normal, then the road becomes blackness and finally
overwhelming light. The difference between the blackness and the
totality of the white become indistinguishable as both prevent one
from using their vision to determine what is up ahead. Relax, we have
comfort in Jesus, so that our faith becomes our sight; and the future
ahead will be wonderful indeed!
From a purely physical earthly perspective, death is dreadful. The
idea of not being able to take our next breath is terrifying. The
thought of our beating heart stopping permanently is frightening. The
mental images of dying in a car wreck, a house fire, a terrorist attack,
or in some other tragic manner are unnerving, to say the least. Indeed,
from a purely naturalistic perspective, there is no bigger downer than death.
Earthly-thinking humans fear death because they do not want to go out
of existence forever. All one knows is being alive, existent, and
self-aware. Humans know and crave continual mindfulness while fearing
mindless nonexistence. People generally do not want their conscious
state to cease permanently. They do not want to be separated forevermore
from those whom they love. They do not want to forever cease doing the
many things that bring them pleasure and happiness. They do not want to
give up what they have in this (perceived) one and only life.
The atheistic (naturalistic) view of death is “the end.” At the end
of physical life is “nothingness.” The very best that humanity has to
look forward to is complete nonexistence. People have no choice in the
matter. Since, according to atheists, the physical realm and physical
life are all that exist, death is the total termination of a human
being.
Killing…and Criticism of the God of the Bible
Atheists and agnostics often question how anyone can claim to believe
in a God Who is said to have ended the lives of humans—of millions or
perhaps even billions of human lives throughout history. How could a
kind Creator “destroy man…from the face of the earth” in the days of
Noah (Genesis 6:7)? How could a gracious God rain “brimstone and fire on
Sodom and Gomorrah” (Genesis 19:24), “turning the cities…into ashes” (2
Peter 2:6), and destroying all the people (Luke 17:29)? How could a
loving Lord kill both parents and their children during these events and
many others (e.g., Joshua 9-11)?1
Some time ago, I spoke with a nice gentleman in the waiting room of a
doctor’s office. I quickly found out that he was an atheist. When I
asked why he was an atheist, he immediately said: “Because God is a
murderer.” This gentleman simply could not harmonize (1) a “kind
Creator” with (2) a “killer.”
Does Atheism Not Justify the Killing of Humans?
One is compelled first to ask the atheist upon what basis he deems
the killing of a human being as wrong or evil? If we all came from
nothing, are going to be nothing, and nothing is objectively
of more value than anything else, then choosing to stop a human heart
from beating is no more “wrong” than smashing a clump of clay, burning a
tree, or frying a chicken. As leading unbelievers have admitted,
atheism logically implies, “Everything is permitted,”2including murder. After all, according to naturalistic evolution, “We are animals.”3 Allegedly, “You are an animal, and share a common heritage with earthworms….”4 Thus, according to atheist Jo Marchant, “We should act like the animals we are.”5 And, among other things, animals regularly kill animals (often even their own kind) as well as human beings.
Do atheists not frequently justify the murder of unborn humans who
are fully developed physically? Renowned atheist Peter Singer indicated
in 2000 that it would not even be wrong to kill a disabled child who had already been born. He wrote: “[K]illing a disabled infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Very often it is not wrong at all.”6
Thirteen years later, the Journal of Medical Ethics published an article by secular bioethicists Dr. Alberto Giubilini7 and Dr. Francesca Minerva8 in which they argued “that what we call ‘after-birth abortion’ (killing a newborn) should be permissible in all the cases where abortion is, including cases where the newborn is not disabled.”9 Taking atheism to its logical conclusion, they continued, declaring:
The alleged right of individuals
(such as fetuses and newborns) to develop their potentiality, which
someone defends, is over-ridden by the interests of actual people
(parents, family, society) to pursue their own well-being…. Actual
people’s well-being could be threatened by the new (even if healthy)
childrequiring energy, money and care which the family might happen to
be in short supply of….10
Giubilini and Minerva concluded, saying:
If criteria such as the costs
(social, psychological, economic) for the potential parents are good
enough reasons for having an abortion even when the fetus is
healthy…then the same reasons which justify abortion should also justify the killing of the potential person when it is at the stage of a newborn….
[W]e do not put forward any claim
about the moment at which after-birth abortion would no longer be
permissible, and we do not think that in fact more than a few days would
be necessary for doctors to detect any abnormality in the child. In
cases where the after-birth abortion were requested for non-medical
reasons, we do not suggest any threshold, as it depends
on the neurological development of newborns, which is something
neurologists and psychologists would be able to assess.
[W]e do not claim that after-birth
abortions are good alternatives to abortion…. However, if a disease has
not been detected during the pregnancy, if something went wrong during
the delivery, or if economical, social or psychological circumstances
change such that taking care of the offspring becomes an unbearable
burden on someone, then people should be given the chance of not being forced to do something they cannot afford.11
Yes, some leading atheists have been bold enough to take their
earthly, naturalistic, evolutionary ideas to their logical conclusion
(at least theoretically), arguing for the killing of healthy, innocent newborns, even when others would love to adopt the children.12
Thus, some of the world’s leading atheists have justified murdering human beings, even when doing so means the taking of the only life
that child will have (according to naturalistic atheism). So how
exactly can atheists objectively and non-hypocritically condemn God for
taking the lives of various human beings?
The Biblical View of Life and Death
Does a defendant have a right to a fair trial? Does he get a chance
to take the stand and testify on his own behalf? If the God of the Bible
is going to be criticized for His taking of human life at times
throughout history, then it is only fair to allow the Bible to explain
God’s actions (to the extent that it does). Instead of hastily
condemning the Creator as an unjust, unloving murderer, an
honest-hearted, fair-minded person would give God a sufficient hearing.
Did You Create Yourself?
Where did you come from? Did you come into existence of your own will
and power? Where did the first humans come from? How did the Universe
and everything in it come into being?
Whereas atheistic evolution contends we are ultimately the result of
one big cosmic accident, the Bible says just the opposite. The
all-knowing, all-powerful, eternal God intentionally “made the heavens
and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,” including human beings
(Exodus 20:11; Genesis 1:26-27). Out of nothing, He created everything.
Out of non-life, He made life. “[A]ll things were created by Him and
for Him” (Colossians 1:16, NIV). “All things came into being by Him, and
apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John
1:3, NASB). “[I]n Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17, NASB).
Even now, He is “upholding all things by the word of His power”
(Hebrews 1:3). “[H]e Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and
everything. And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on
all the face of the earth” (Acts 17:25-26, ESV).
A biblical view of God, life, and death cannot possibly be grasped
without first understanding that God created everything, and thus Heowns everything.
God rhetorically asked the patriarch Job, “Who has been first to
give to Me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the entire heaven
is Mine” (Job 41:11, NASB). “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens
belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it” (Deuteronomy 10:14). “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). “It is He Who has made us, and not we ourselves.13 We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3).
Adam and Eve did not give themselves life, nor did we bring ourselves into being. “It is He
Who made us” (Psalm 100:3, NIV). Thus, “We are His people” by creation.
By His own doing, God created and owns the Universe and “those who
dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1), including you and me. Though perhaps not
the deepest nor the most meaningful way to make sense of life and death,
the fact is, the Creator can do with the lives of His creation whatever
He so chooses (in harmony with His Divine will).14
When Jesus prophesied of the God-glorifying way in which the apostle
Peter would die (John 21:18-19), impetuous Peter wanted to know how the
apostle John would die: “But Lord, what about this man?” (21:21). How
did the Creator and the One Who has “[a]ll authority…in heaven and on
earth” respond to His dear friend Peter (Matthew 28:18)? Jesus said: “If
it is My will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow
me!” (John 21:22, RSV). In response to his immense suffering, Job
reasoned: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return
there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name
of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Interestingly, in 2016 Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of America’s most
well-known agnostic evolutionary astrophysicists, made some telling
admissions at the American Museum of Natural History about the nature of
the Universe. According to Dr. Tyson, “the likelihood of the universe
being a simulation ‘may be very high.’”15 News organizations reported that Tyson indicated “it’s not too hard to imagine that some other creature out there is far smarter than us.”16 Perhaps we’re just “some sort of alien simulation.”17
Tyson went so far as to say, “[I]t is easy for me to imagine that
everything in our lives is just the creation of some other entity for
their entertainment. I’m saying, the day we learn that it is true, I
will be the only one in the room saying, I’m not surprised.”18
Though he contends that he’s never seen evidence of the existence of
God, Dr. Tyson has no problem admitting that he would not be surprised
if god-like aliens made our Universe for their pleasure. Question: if such were the case (theoretically speaking), would the aliens not own their creation and have the right to do with it as they please?19
Truly, human life and death only begin to make sense upon first coming to the conclusion that (1) God exists,20 and (2) He created us. What’s more, by creation, He owns us and has the authority and right to remove us from the Earth, just as He had the right to put us here to begin with.
This is not to say that God caused all or even most deaths throughout
history. But make no mistake about it, if God, in His all-knowing, holy,
just, and loving ways, chose to remove you or me from this Earth, He
has every right to do so (without Him being morally defective).
Did You Create Your Soul?
We cannot begin to understand the depth of the life-and-death
question until we come to the acknowledgment that we are more than mere
matter. We are not measly “meat machines.” We are not simply chemicals
bouncing around in circles. Those who are critical of the Creator’s
handling of human life and death must recognize that the physical death
of our body is not the end.
God formed Adam’s body “from the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7,
NIV) and Eve’s body from Adam’s side (Genesis 2:21). Since then,
humankind multiplied21
according to God’s created Law of Biogenesis. Just as vegetation and
animals have reproduced “according to their kind” since Creation
(Genesis 1:11-12,21,24-25), Adam and Eve and all of their descendants
have multiplied after their kind. More important, every time a human
being is “formed…in the womb” (Jeremiah 1:5) according to the Creator’s
laws of biology and sexual reproduction, God also “forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). God is “the Father of spirits” (Hebrews 12:9). Indeed, when we die, “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God Who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7, ESV).
From the beginning to the end of the Bible, readers are informed and repeatedly reminded that we are actually immortal souls
who inhabit physical bodies on a physical Earth for a relatively short
period of time. At death, the spirit separates from the body. When
Rachel died, Genesis 35:18 says, “her soul was departing”; it separated
from her lifeless body. After the death of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus
commanded her to “arise,” after which “her spirit returned,
and she arose immediately” (Luke 8:54,55). Implied in this statement is
the fact that her spirit had departed from her body at death. As James
wrote: “[T]he body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26). Where did
the spirits of Rachel and Jairus’ daughter go? To the realm of departed
spirits, known as sheol in the Old Testament and hades
in the New Testament (cf. Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27; Luke 16:23). At the
crucifixion, Jesus told the penitent thief on the cross, “[T]oday you
will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The reason Jesus could
truthfully make this statement is that, while Christ’s dead body was
placed in a tomb for three days, His spirit went to the part of the
hadean realm known as paradise (Acts 2:27; Luke 23:43), along with the
spirit of the thief on the cross.22
According to Scripture, man neither created his body nor his soul.
Both logically belong to God by creation. He brought human bodies and
souls into existence, and when we die, all souls return to God
(ultimately) for judgment (Ecclesiastes 12:7,14). Thus, Jesus taught:
“My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that
have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should
fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell;
yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5).
Are You the Perfect Judge?
Whereas humanity is quite limited in knowledge and is flawed with sin by choice,23
including being susceptible to such things as dishonesty,
self-deception, greed, and injustice, the Creator is supremely good
(Mark 10:18), all-loving (1 John 4:8), perfectly holy (Leviticus
11:44-45), and 100% just. “His work is perfect; for all His ways are
justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is
He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). The psalmist declared of God: “Righteousness and
justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before
Your face” (Psalm 89:14). “God shows no partiality nor takes a bribe”
(Deuteronomy 10:17; cf. Acts 10:34-35). There never has been and never
will be a Judge as good as God. He knows everything, sees everything,
and judges everyone perfectly—in complete harmony with His holy, loving,
and just nature.
The atheist says that God is a murderer. How could a good and loving God kill millions or billions of people?
But the atheist says that God is a murderer. How could a good and
loving God kill millions or billions of people? First, killing evildoers
is not necessarily antithetical to love. Loving, merciful police
officers, who are constantly saving the lives of the innocent, have the
authority (from God and governments—Romans 13:1-4) to kill a wicked
person who is murdering others. (Do atheists not want terrorists killed
when doing such would stop the killing of others, including their loved
ones?) Kind, just judges have the authority to sentence depraved child
rapists to death. Loving-kindness and corporal or capital punishment are
not antithetical.
Prior to conquering Canaan, God commanded the Israelites, saying,
You shall not hate your brother in
your heart…. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against
the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself…. And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not
mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one
born among you, and you shall love him as yourself (Leviticus
19:17-18,33-34; cf. Romans 13:9).
The faithful Jew was expected, as are Christians, to “not resist an
evil person” (Matthew 5:39) but rather “go the extra mile” (Matthew
5:41) and “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39). “Love,” after all, “is
the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10; cf. Matthew 22:36-40).
Interestingly, however, the Israelite was commanded to punish (even
kill) lawbreakers, including (and especially) fellow Israelites. Just
five chapters after commanding the individual Israelite to “not take
vengeance,” but “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18), God
twice said that murderers would receive the death penalty (Leviticus
24:21,17).
Second, unlike the foolish, impulsive, quick-tempered reactions of
humanity (Proverbs 14:29), the Lord is “slow to anger and great in
mercy” (Psalm 145:8). He is “longsuffering…, not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Immediately following a reminder to the Christians in Rome that the Old
Testament was “written for our learning, that we through the patience
and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope,” the apostle Paul
referred to God as “the God of patience” (Romans 15:4-5). Throughout the
Old Testament, the Bible writers portrayed God as longsuffering.
Though in Noah’s day, “the wickedness of man was great in the
earth” and “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually” (Genesis 6:5), “the Divine longsuffering waited” (1 Peter
3:20). (It seems as though God delayed flooding Earth for 120 years as
His Spirit’s message of righteousness was preached to a wicked
world—Genesis 6:3; 2 Peter 2:5.)
In the days of Abraham, God ultimately decided to spare the
iniquitous city of Sodom, not if 50 righteous people were found living
therein, but only 10 righteous individuals (Genesis 18:16-33).
And what about prior to God’s destruction of the Canaanite
nations? Did God quickly decide to cast them out of the land? Did He
respond to the peoples’ wickedness like an impulsive, reckless madman?
Or was He, as the Bible repeatedly states and exemplifies,
longsuffering? Indeed, God waited. He waited more than four centuries to
bring judgment upon the inhabitants of Canaan. Although the Amorites
were already a sinful people in Abraham’s day, God delayed in giving the
descendants of the patriarch the Promised Land. He would wait until the
Israelites had been in Egypt for hundreds of years because at the time
that God spoke with Abraham, “the iniquity of the Amorites” was “not yet
complete” (Genesis 15:16).24
In Abraham’s day, the inhabitants of Canaan were not so degenerate that
God would bring judgment upon them. However, by the time of Joshua
(more than 400 years later), the Canaanites’ iniquity was full, and God
used the army of Israel to destroy them.
Yes, God is longsuffering, but His longsuffering is not
an “eternal” suffering. His patience with impenitent sinners eventually
ends. It ended for a wicked world in the days of Noah. It ended for
Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Abraham. And it ultimately ended for
the inhabitants of Canaan, whom God justly destroyed.
But What About All of the Innocent Whom God Has Killed?
The children in the Flood, in Sodom and Gomorrah, or in the land of
Canaan were not guilty of their parents’ sins (cf. Ezekiel 18:20); they
were sinless, innocent, precious human beings (cf. Matthew 18:3-5).25 So how could God justly take the lives of children, any children, who “have no knowledge of good and evil” (Deuteronomy 1:39)?
First, as we noted earlier, God owns all life and has the right to
remove us from the Earth (for the righteous purposes that He has), just
as He had the right to put us here to begin with. At times in history,
God took the physical lives of wicked human beings out of righteous
judgment. At other times (as in the case of children), lives were taken
for merciful reasons.
But how could the killing of innocent children by the Creator ever be
loving and merciful? Surely it would be when such an ending of physical
life among terribly wicked human beings immediately results in the
innocent being ushered into paradise (cf. Luke 16:22a; 23:43).26
No one ever says, “God was mean” for cutting short Enoch’s righteous
earthy life, taking him away from his family and friends, and ushering
him into a blessed afterlife (Genesis 5:21-24; Hebrews 11:5). No one
condemns the Creator for taking Elijah “up by a whirlwind into heaven”
(2 Kings 2:11) rather than dying of natural causes and being “buried at a
good old age,” as was Abraham (Genesis 15:15; 25:8). Admittedly, the
ascensions of Enoch and Elijah were not immediately preceded by deaths
in a flood or fire, but were the ultimate effects not the same? Enoch,
Elijah, as well the innocent in Sodom, etc., were on Earth one
moment…and in paradise the next. It surely brought God no joy to see the
innocent suffer momentarily alongside their wicked counterparts whom He
judged, but to borrow the words of the apostle Paul: “[T]he sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). By the grace of God, “[O]ur
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The ending of human
life as we know it neither makes God a bloodthirsty murderer nor is it
something that humanity has to dread.
Consider one other comparison. The New Testament repeatedly reveals
that Jesus will return at some point in the future (Matthew 24:36-25:46;
Acts 1:11). Jesus “will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians
4:16). When He does return, the normal earthly existence that every human being on the planet has at that time, will immediately cease. The (perhaps) billions of people on the Earth at that moment may not die a normal death, but in a sense, they might as well have. Their temporal, mortal bodies will be changed into bodies fit for eternity. Our current “flesh and blood” will neither inherit heaven nor hell.27
Thus, in reality, God taking the lives of innocent human beings in
periods of earthly judgment upon the wicked throughout history
(transporting the innocent into paradise) is no more inappropriate than
God discontinuing the “normal” earthly lives of billions of people upon
the return of Jesus.28
The fact is, the ending of human life as we know it neither makes God a
bloodthirsty murderer nor is it something that humanity has to dread. In truth, God actually wants everyone to be able to look forward to it.
You Do Not Have to Be Scared to Die
Instinctively, all living creatures, including humans, seem to want
to live. Antelopes do not walk up to lions in hopes of being eaten.
Seals do not waddle up to hungry polar bears on purpose. Animals and
humans seek to escape death, not seek it out. People
(including Christians) often exert much mental and physical effort to
keep from drowning, being run over by a car, getting shot, or catching
some deadly disease. Even the apostle Paul eluded “deaths often” (2
Corinthians 11:23-27). The Creator seems to have hardwired into His
creation a desire to preserve our physical lives. It is natural (and
involuntary) simply to breathe. If someone tries to suffocate us,
survival instincts kick in as we “fight for life.”
In His infinite love and wisdom, God has made it so that no one has to be scared of mankind’s most dreaded foe: death.
Having a desire to live, and even to live a long
life (Genesis 15:15; 25:8; Ephesians 6:2-3), is certainly not unnatural
or sinful. However, in His infinite love and wisdom, God has made it so
that no one has to be scared of mankind’s most dreaded
foe: death. We may instinctively not want to die, but intellectually and
emotionally, no one has to be scared to die (Hebrews
2:14-15). In fact, such hopeful confidence in a peaceful, painless, and
spectacular life after death is the message of the Gospel.
“[A]ll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
And, since God is 100% pure, holy, and just, and cannot fellowship sin,29
“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)—an eternal separation from
God and all that is good (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The Good News is that
“the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23).
Jesus, the “lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19), was
the perfectly pure sacrifice Who took the punishment of our sin upon
Himself and died in our place. “God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John
3:16-17).
The apostle Paul began 1 Corinthians 15 by reminding the Christians
in Corinth that “the Gospel” is summarized in these words: “Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures…was buried, and…He rose again
the third day” (15:1-4). Paul concluded this same chapter by asking, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?…
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ” (15:55,57). Jesus’ victorious resurrection from the dead has
made death’s sting impotent. Death is only momentary, not eternal. By
the grace of God, something much better lies ahead for all who trust in
Jesus.
Through Jesus’ perfect life, painful crucifixion, and triumphant resurrection, God defeated the devil30 and turned death upside down. While most people are “scared to death” of death, God says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). While billions of people are paralyzed by the fear of dying, Paul says, “to die is [actually] gain” (Philippians 1:21). Why? Because for the Christian, “to depart and be with Christ…is far better” than anything this world has to offer (Philippians 1:23).
An eternal afterlife with the Lord certainly beats all the earthly
stress, suffering, and sorrow. But, it also beats the best day you have
ever had. Much better than any rest, relaxation, or recreation; much
better than any wedding day, birthday, or holiday is the day that a
born-again child of God leaves this physical realm to go be with God
(John 3:3,5). Paul rejoiced that “we are always confident knowing that
while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord…. We are
confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be
present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6,8).
Conclusion
Atheism says there is nothing to look forward to after this physical
life. Agnosticism says life beyond the grave is unknowable. Skepticism
scoffs at anyone who claims any understanding of life after death. Yet,
Jesus said, “[Y]ou shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free…. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall
never die”31 (John 8:32; 11:25-26).
Yes, the way of Jesus Christ is to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that
is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). This hope (an expectation of resurrection
and eternal life) is based on real, rightly-believed reasons,32
which logically lead to an eruption of positive feelings and emotions
about the “inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not
fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4,
NIV). Until that time, Christians can and should joyfully meditate on,
look forward to, and “eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to
His glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21; cf. 2 Peter 3:10-13).
How can a person make sense of life and death? How can we
realistically not fear it but actually look forward to it? (1) Know God.
(2) Know His Word. (3) Know Jesus. And by God’s grace, (4) faithfully
and fervently “seek those things which are above, where Christ is,
sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ
in God. When Christ Who is our life appears, then you also will appear
with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).33
Endnotes
1 In his New York Times best-selling book The God Delusion
(2006), Dr. Richard Dawkins (arguably the most famous atheist in the
world today), called God an “infanticidal, genocidal…capriciously
malevolent bully,” p. 248.
2 Jean-Paul Sartre (1989), “Existentialism is Humanism,” in Existentialism from Dostoyevsky to Sartre,
ed. Walter Kaufman, trans. Philip Mairet (Ogden, UT: Meridian
Publishing Company),
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.htm,
emp. added.
3 Jo Marchant (2008), “We Should Act Like the Animals We Are,” New Scientist, 200[2678]:44, October 18-24.
4 George B. Johnson (1994), Biology: Visualizing Life (New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston), p. 453.
6 Peter Singer (2000), Writings on an Ethical Life (New York: Harper Collins), p. 193, emp. added.
7
Dr. Giubilini is a “Senior Research fellow on the Oxford Martin
Programme on Collective Responsibility for Infectious Disease”
(https://www.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-alberto-giubilini).
8
Dr. Francesca Minerva is currently a research fellow at the University
of Milan. Much of her work is in the area of applied ethics. She is also
the co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Controversial Ideas. For more information, see www.francescaminerva.com.
9 Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva (2013), “After-Birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?” Journal of Medical Ethics, 39[5]:261, https://jme.bmj.com/content/medethics/39/5/261.full.pdf, emp. added; https://jme.bmj.com/content/39/5/261.
12
Giubilini and Minerva wrote: “What we are suggesting is that, if
interests of actual people should prevail, then after-birth abortion
should be considered a permissible option for women who would be damaged
by giving up their newborns for adoption” (39[5]:263).
14
That is, God’s perfect attributes of honesty, love, holiness, justice,
etc. have never been and will never be compromised in His interaction
with and treatment of His human creation.
15 Kevin Loria (2016), “Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks There’s a ‘Very High’ Chance the Universe is just a Simulation,” Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-thinks-the-universe-might-be-a-simulation-2016-12.
17 Michael Lazar (2016), “Could the Universe Be a Simulation? Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks It Might,” Huffington Post, May 1, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-lazar/could-the-universe-be-a-s_b_9816034.html.
22
For more discussion on what happens when we die, see Dave Miller
(2002), “One Second After Death,”
https://apologeticspress.org/one-second-after-death-1188/.
23
Everyone who has reached the level of mental maturity (sometimes
referred to as “the age of accountability”) so that he or she
understands what sin is (cf. 1 John 3:4; 5:17) has sinned (Romans
3:10,23; 1 John 1:8).
24
“The Amorites were so numerous and powerful a tribe in Canaan that they
are sometimes named for the whole of the ancient inhabitants, as they
are here.” [Robert Jamieson, et al. (1997), Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Bible Commentary (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).]
25
See Kyle Butt (2002), “Do Babies Go to Hell When They Die?” Apologetics
Press,
https://apologeticspress.org/do-babies-go-to-hell-when-they-die-1201/.
26
Children living among very wicked people are exposed to depraved
behavior which they almost always begin to emulate. For God to remove
children from such an iniquitous environment is quite compassionate.
27
“[F]lesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,” so faithful
followers of God “shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:50,52). They will “be
caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians
4:17). On the other hand, all those who rejected Jesus as their Creator,
Savior, and King—those who refused to submit to Him in this life—will
be sentenced by Jesus to “everlasting punishment…prepared for the devil
and his angels” (Matthew 25:46,41). Those individuals will have some
kind of form that will feel the pain of eternal punishment in a place of
“fire that shall never be quenched” (Mark 9:43).
28 What’s more, death itself, for everyone at any time, in a sense
is “God ending their lives.” We may call the death of a 100-year-old
person a “natural death,” but it is God Who designed death and allows it
to happen (apart from the Tree of Life). Thus, death is merely a
“timing” and “manner” issue, and not an “if” question.
31
That is, “Though he die a temporal death, he shall not continue under
its power for ever; but shall have a resurrection to life eternal” [Adam
Clarke (1996), Adam Clarke’s Commentary (Electronic Database: Biblesoft)].
Christians glorify God. We praise God because of who He
is, and what He has done.
We glorify God because He is great and powerful.
“For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised” (Psalm
96:4). “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing
and praise Your power” (Psalm 21:13).
“Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the
congregation; and David said: ‘Blessed are You, LORD God of
Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the
greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the
majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is
the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all’” (2
Chronicles 29:10, 11). “Now therefore, our God, we thank You
and praise Your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 29:13).
“All nations whom You have made shall come and worship
before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. For You are
great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. Teach me
Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to
fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my
heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore”
(Psalm 86:9-12).
“I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your
name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You, and I will
praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and
greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable”
(Psalm 145:1-3). “All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, and
Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of
Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the
sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His
kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your
dominion endures throughout all generations”
(Psalm 145:10-13).
We glorify God because He is righteous.
“And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of
Your praise all the day long” (Psalm 35:28). “I will praise the
LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the
name of the LORD Most High” (Psalm 7:17).
We glorify God because He is faithful and true.
“O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise
Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels
of old are faithfulness and truth” (Isaiah 25:1).
We glorify God because of His mercy.
“Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever” (2
Chronicles 20:21). “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the
LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (Psalm
106:1). “Oh, praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all
you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and
the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm
117:1, 2).
“Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the
LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and
not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His
pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His
courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For
the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth
endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:1-5).
“You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I
will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For
His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 118:28, 29).
We glorify God because He is our Savior.
“The LORD is my strength and song, and He has become
my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him” (Exodus
15:2). “The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be
exalted, the Rock of my salvation!” (2 Samuel 22:47). “Sing to
the LORD, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation
from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His
wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to
be praised” (1 Chronicles 16:23-25). “The LORD lives! Blessed
be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted” (Psalm
18:46).
Praise the Lord!
Let us glorify God for He is great and powerful. He is
righteous, faithful and true. He saves us because he is merciful.
Amen.
Jesus sent Paul to the people and to the nations: “to open
their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are
sanctified by faith” in Christ (Acts 26:18).
Who is Satan? What is the extent and nature of his power?
Who has conquered Satan, and how can people turn from the
power of Satan to God?
Who is Satan?
In Revelation we are told: “And war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon
and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place
found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was
cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who
deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).
Our knowledge of the heavenly realm is limited to what
God has revealed. We are told that Satan led a rebellion against
God. Pride was his downfall. An elder is not to be a novice, “lest
being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation
as the devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).
It is the ultimate arrogance to suppose that a rebellion
against God could succeed. Yet, billions today follow Satan's
example. They live in rebellion to God.
What is the extent of Satan's power?
According to John, “The whole world lies under the sway of
the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Thus, Satan has much power.
Many do not believe that he exits. Others think that only
those who commit terrible atrocities are under the power of
Satan. But John says that the whole world is in the wicked one!
What is the nature of Satan's power?
The devil uses deception to rule the world. Jesus said that
the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth
in him. When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a
liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 RSV).
Satan is called “the tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). He
cannot force people to sin, but he tempts them by false claims
that rebellion against God would bring greater pleasure, less
pain or some advantage. Satan tempted Eve by telling her that
she would be like God if she disobeyed God and ate of the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5).
Satan appeals to people's desires. “Let no one say when
he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and
enticed” (James 1:13, 14).
When people decide to sin, they voluntarily join Satan's
rebellion and extend his power. They also distance themselves
from the fellowship of God. “But your iniquities have separated
you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from
you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
Jesus came to conquer Satan.
“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:31, 32).
Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: “And when He has
come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of
righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no
more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged”
(John 16:8-11).
Jesus came to rescue us from the power of Satan.
“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and
blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through
death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that
is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14, 15).
Satan is a killer. Jesus said: “He was a murderer from the
beginning” (John 8:44). Satan brought death into the world by
deceiving Eve. He encouraged her to disobey God and told her
she would not die (Genesis 3:4). How could she be so foolish?
Yet, we all follow Eve's example, “for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin
is death” (Romans 6:23).
Jesus came to rescue us by depriving the devil of his
deadly power. He accomplished this by bearing the punishment
for our sins, He “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on
the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for
righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus says in Revelation: “I am
He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive
forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of
Death” (Revelation 1:18). Through His resurrection, Christ
conquered death. He has the keys to our grave. This is good
news! This is the gospel!
Recently I learned the location of the grave of my
maternal grandparents, Charles and Pearl Kincaid. I hope to
obtain a picture of the plaque on their grave.
They were dedicated Christians. Although I do not
remember them because I was small when they passed away,
they had a great impact on my life. Their influence led to my
parents becoming Christians.
When we walk through a graveyard, the stones are silent.
The inscriptions show the person's name, the date of his birth
and the date of his death.
In the fall, when the trees are wearing their most colorful
garments, we like to go for a brief holiday across the border in
the hills of Germany. While driving around admiring the beauty
of God's creation, we have at times stopped to visit a
graveyard. The cemeteries are beautiful, usually on the side of
a hill. In the fall, flowers are placed on the graves in
remembrance of family members who have passed on.
Walking from gravestone to gravestone, we sometimes
noticed that a child had lived only a few months, or that a
whole family had died on the same day, or that someone had
lived a full life of eighty or ninety years. Now they all are silent
in the grave, and one day soon we will be with them, unless the
Lord returns before we die. We never know which day will be
our last.
Death is the power of Satan. After Adam and Eve had to
leave Eden, everyone dies because everyone sins (Romans
5:12).
Yet, something within us objects to death. God has placed
eternity in man's heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). People we know and
love ought not to die! And God has provided a way that we can
live on with Him forever. Death and sin give Satan his power,
but Jesus has conquered sin and death and Satan.
How can someone turn from the power of Satan to God?
Salvation from the power of Satan is offered to all. After
His resurrection, Jesus told His followers: “Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and
is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned” (Mark 16:15, 16). “And the Spirit and the bride
say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him
who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of
life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
When someone does not desire, however, when his heart
is not right, Satan can prevent him from believing. Jesus
explained the parable of the sower: “The seed is the word of
God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the
devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest
they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:11, 12). ... “But the
ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard
the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit
with patience” (Luke 8:15).
Paul says: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to
those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has
blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them”
(2 Corinthians 4:3, 4).
But when we are willing, when we hear the word with good
and noble hearts, when we believe and are baptized, we are
saved by God: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness
and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in
whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14).
John heard praise in heaven for Christ's victory over
Satan: “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of
our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night,
has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of
the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not
love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:10, 11).
Paul explains: “And you He made alive, who were dead in
trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience”
(Ephesians 2:1, 2).
But Satan does not give up easily.
He tries to bring us back under his power. Paul was
concerned about the Corinthians: “But I fear, lest somehow, as
the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may
be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians
11:3). He had similar fears about the welfare of the
Thessalonians: “For this reason, when I could no longer endure
it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter
had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain”
(1Thessalonians 3:5).
Peter warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith”
(1 Peter 5:8, 9).
James gives this admonition: “Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
God has given us the weapons we need to resist the devil:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of
His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put
on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet
with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking
the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being
watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for
all the saints” (Ephesians 6:10-18).
What have we learned about Satan?
Mankind is in the clutches of the wicked one, who deceives
the whole world. His power is the destructive power of sin and
death.
Christ came to set us free from the power of Satan by
suffering the penalty for our sins so we can be forgiven. This
good news is preached to all.
He who believes and is baptized will be saved by God who
transfers him from the power of darkness into the kingdom of
His Son. Satan still assails us, but God gives us the weapons we
need to resist him and remain faithful.
In conclusion, a blessing from Romans 16:20 - “And the
God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Just hearing his name was enough to frighten Christians in the
first century. He was known far and wide as a tireless persecutor of
Christians. “He made havoc of the church, entering every house,
and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison”
(Acts 8:3).
In those days, who would have thought that Saul of Tarsus
would ever become a Christian, let alone become God’s chosen
vessel to proclaim the Christian message to the nations of his time
and, through his writings, to the nations of all times. But, by the
grace of God, he became the apostle Paul whose commission was
“to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
In his letter to the Romans Paul explains the gospel: why
grace is necessary, how it is provided, what it accomplishes, and
how it is obtained. Grace is necessary because everyone sins. Grace
is provided by justification. The intended result of grace is
sanctification. Grace is obtained by obedient faith.
[For the many references from Romans, only the chapter and
verses will be given.]
What is grace?
Grace is benevolent, unmerited favor. “The LORD is merciful
and gracious” (Psalm 103:8). God’s grace is shown by His bountiful
blessings, especially salvation in Christ. God bestows grace
according to His sovereign will: “I will have mercy on whomever I
will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will
have compassion” (9:15, Exodus 33:19).
What is the gospel?
“Gospel” means “good news.” The gospel is the good news of
salvation by grace through the substitutional sacrifice of Christ. The
gospel “which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy
Scriptures” (1:2) is God’s power for salvation (1:16). The gospel
was foretold in the Old Testament as a mystery and is “made
known to all nations” in the New Testament (16:25, 26).
Grace is necessary because everyone sins.
Sin is the violation of God’s laws. The whole world is
blameworthy before God (3:19). “All have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God” (3:23). “Whoever commits sin also commits
lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
Grace does not excuse sin. After powerfully affirming His
graciousness to Moses, God added, “by no means clearing the
guilty” (Exodus 34:6, 7). “The righteous judgment of God” (2:5) requires
that sin be punished by death (1:32). “The wages of sin is death”
(6:23).
Through Adam “sin entered the world, and death through sin,
and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (5:12).
Because of our sins, we deserve the death sentence. To
appreciate grace, we must understand how bad sin is. “For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men” (1:18). God’s wrath is mentioned twelve
times in Romans (1:18; 2:5, 8; 3:5; 4:15; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19; 13:4,
5). God is not unjust when He inflicts wrath (3:5).
Although everyone sins, people have different patterns of
behavior and different relationships with God, “who ’will render to
each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by
patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and
immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath” (2:6-8).
Since all are sinners, and death is the just penalty for sin, how
can God extend grace to some sinners and wrath to others, and still
be righteous?
Grace is provided by justification.
God can forgive the sins of believers without compromising His
righteousness if the penalty for their sins is borne by someone else.
But who is qualified to serve as a sacrifice for sin?
Animal sacrifices are not sufficient: “For it is not possible that
the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
No sinner is qualified because he must die for his own sins! Only a
sinless man could volunteer to suffer the penalty for the sins of
mankind.
Of the Messiah it was foretold: “By His knowledge My
righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their
iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11).
God sent His Son who “became flesh and dwelt among us”
(John 1:14) and “was in all points tempted as we are,yet without
sin” (Hebrews 4:15) so He could die for man’s sin. John testified:
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29). Because He was without sin, Jesus did not have to die,
but He allowed Himself to be crucified for the sins of humanity
(John 10:11, 17, 18). He “bore our sins in His own body on the
tree” (1 Peter 2:24).
God justifies believers through the atonement of Christ.
Justification is mentioned seventeen times in Romans (2:13;
3:4, 20, 24, 26, 28, 30; 4:2, 5, 25; 5:1, 9, 16, 18, 19; 8:30, 33).
“To justify” means to declare free of condemnation. We are justified
by the blood of Christ and His resurrection (5:9; 4:25). Someone
whom God has justified may not be condemned (8:30-34)!
Justification is “by faith” not by meritorious “deeds of the law”
(3:28, 30; 4:2, 5; 5:1). Justification is a “gift” (5:16).
Although we are “under grace” and “not under law”
for justification (6:14, 15), grace does not exempt one from
God’s laws. “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly
not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (3:31). Grace
encourages and helps believers to abide by God’s laws!
Justification is for those who keep “the righteous requirements
of the law” (2:26). “Doers of the law will be justified” (2:13). But
because the law is “weak through the flesh” “the righteous
requirement of the law” is fulfilled only by grace through Christ’s
sacrifice for those “who do not walk according to the flesh but
according to the Spirit” (8:3, 4).
People can be righteous only by the grace of God!
“The righteousness of God” is bestowed on those who believe
(3:22), who are “justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a
propitiation by His blood, through faith” (3:24, 25). This was to
demonstrate “His righteousness, that He might be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (3:26).
In justification, faith is accounted as righteousness.
“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness” (4:3, Genesis 15:6). This means that God credited
Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness even though he was not
completely righteous.
Abraham was faithful and obedient. “You found his heart
faithful before You” (Nehemiah 9:8). “Abraham obeyed My voice
and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws”
(Genesis 26:5).
Although Abraham was obedient, he was not justified because
of his obedience but because of his faith. Justification was
necessary, not because of the good he did, but because of his sin!
God credited his faith to him as righteousness.
When someone believes on Him who justifies the ungodly “his
faith is accounted for righteousness” (4:5). “David also describes
the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness
apart from works: ’Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom
the Lord shall not impute sin’” (4:6-8, Psalm 32:1, 2).
Abraham’s example indicates that righteousness will also “be
imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead” (4:22-24).
The intended result of grace is sanctification.
Paul’s letter is addressed to those who are “called to be saints”
(1:7). Throughout Romans he calls believers saints (8:27, 12:13;
15:25, 26, 31; 16:2, 15). A saint is someone who has been
sanctified (made holy) and is dedicated to God. Paul’s purpose in
writing was that his readers might be “sanctified by the Holy Spirit”
(15:15, 16). The branches on God’s tree are holy (11:16). The
sanctified ones present their “bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God” (12:1). They present their “members as slaves
to righteousness leading to sanctification” (6:19, 22 ESV).
The intended result of grace is “sanctification without which no
one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 NASB).
Sanctification involves obedience.
In the letter to the Romans disobedience is denounced seven
times (1:30; 2:8; 5:19; 6:12; 10:21; 11:30, 32). This refutes
those who would turn God’s grace into license (Jude 4) by claiming
that grace makes obedience unnecessary.
The gospel must be obeyed (10:16)! The preaching of the
gospel of grace is for “obedience to the faith among all nations”
(1:5; 16:26). “The faith” that must be obeyed is the “one faith”
(Ephesians 4:5) “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Paul defines the sanctified as those who have “obeyed from
the heart that form of doctrine” to which they were subjected
(6:17). Believers must avoid teachers who depart from the original
doctrine (16:17).
The sanctified must be slaves of “obedience leading to
righteousness” (6:16). Christ worked through Paul “to make the
Gentiles obedient” (15:18). Paul complimented the saints at Rome
for their obedience (16:19).
Grace is obtained by obedient faith.
Justification is “by faith” (3:28, 30; 5:1, 2; 9:32; 11:20). In
the gospel “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written, ’The just shall live by faith’” (1:17, Habakkuk 2:4).
This has a two-fold meaning. Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted in two other
passages. The life of the just is founded on his faith (he does not
“draw back” but “believes to the saving of the soul” - Hebrews
10:38, 39) and God gives him eternal life because of his faith (not
because of his imperfect “works of the law” - Galatians 3:10-12).
Thus, one must live by faith! Superficial, half-hearted faith is
not enough. The faith required to receive God’s grace is a true,
living, obedient faith that walks “in the steps of the faith” of
Abraham (4:12) who trusted God and obeyed His voice (Genesis
26:5; Hebrews 11:8).
We are “justified by faith” (5:1) but “not by faith only” (James
2:24). As “obedience to the faith” (1:5; 16:26) additional
prerequisites for salvation by grace are stated in Romans: “faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (10:17), “the
goodness of God leads you to repentance” (2:4), “with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation” (10:10), and one is “baptized
into Christ Jesus” (6:3).
Since we are “justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (3:24) and since we are
“baptized into Christ Jesus” (6:3) baptism is essential for salvation
by grace.
After being “buried with Him through baptism” we “walk in
newness of life” (6:4), continue “in doing good” (2:7), and present
our “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (12:1).
What have we learned about grace?
In Romans, Paul has testified to the gospel of the grace of
God, explaining why grace is necessary, how it is provided, what it
accomplishes, and how it is obtained. Grace is necessary because
everyone sins. Grace is provided by justification. The intended
result of grace is sanctification. Grace is obtained by obedient faith.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in
hope of the glory of God” (5:1, 2). Amen.
This exhortation is the theme of the letter of Jude,
which is addressed: “To those who are called,
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ”
(Jude 1).
Contend earnestly for the faith! Jude’s letter is a
spiritual call to arms, a call to defend the
original faith against the destructive influence of false teachers
in the church.
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you
concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write
to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which
was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
Jude’s exhortation is motivated by love.
Jude loves his brethren and is concerned about their eternal
salvation. He begins and ends his letter with a blessing: “Mercy,
peace, and love be multiplied to you” (Jude 2); “Now to Him
who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to
God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and forever” (Jude 24, 25).
Jude wants his fellow Christians to continue enjoying the
mercy, peace and love that are theirs in Christ. He wants them
to be kept from stumbling so they can stand in the presence of
God “with exceeding joy.”
Let us carefully consider Jude’s exhortation. “Beloved,
while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common
salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to
contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered
to the saints” (Jude 3).
What does Jude mean by “our common salvation”?
He addresses his letter to “the sanctified ones” (Jude 1),
those who have been saved from sin by Christ. Their salvation
is “common” or “mutual” because it is shared by all true
believers.
Mankind can be saved only through Jesus Christ: “Nor is
there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts
4:12).
The saved have a common salvation because all the saved
are added to the same church (Acts 2:47), the church of Christ,
which is His body (Ephesians 1:22, 23).
On the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) they all eat at the
Lord’s table (1 Corinthians 10:21) and partake of the loaf and
cup as a communion with the body and blood of Christ (1
Corinthians 10:16) by which they are saved. “For we, though
many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that
one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17).
What is the faith?
“The faith” is what is believed by the saved, which is “all
the truth” as revealed by the Holy Spirit through the apostles
(John 16:13) and believed by the church. It is “the faith of
Jesus” (Revelation 14:12), the convictions Jesus prescribes for
His followers.
This collection of truths believed by the church of Christ is
also called “the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19), “the word of
Christ” (Colossians 3:16) and “the doctrine of Christ” (2 John
9).
The Christian faith is “a common faith” (Titus 1:4). All true
disciples of Christ have the same faith, they believe the same
things. Their “common salvation” is based on their “common
faith,” practiced, not in isolation, but in a community of
believers, the church of Christ. Through their mutually held
faith they have fellowship with God and with each other (1 John
1:3).
Because of division at Corinth, Paul admonished: “Now I
plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians
1:10).
The spirit of our times would tell us that we may believe
whatever we want, that one religion is as good as another, that
we may join the denomination of our choice.
Once when I tried to strike up a conversation with a
denominational preacher by saying that it was sad that we were
divided, he objected. He thought it was good that people could
select a faith they liked from among many choices!
But Jude tells us to earnestly contend for the faith. In the
first century that faith was delivered to the saints once for all
and it has been preserved for us as the New Testament.
There is only one faith that is from God. “There is one
body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your
calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father
of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all”
(Ephesians 4:4-6).
The one God is not the author of the thousands of
conflicting “faiths” proclaimed and practiced in the guise of
Christianity. “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians
14:33). The “one God” is the author of the “one faith” that
includes “one baptism” and results in “one body” (one church).
Thus “the faith” consists of all the convictions Jesus has
prescribed for His followers. This “most holy faith” is their
foundation for edification and hope of eternal life: “But you,
beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying
in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude
20, 21).
Which faith was delivered once for all to the saints?
A lover of truth searching for the one faith is confronted by
a bewildering multiplicity of conflicting “faiths” claiming to be
Christian.
A few simple tests, however, can immediately eliminate
most of them. If a faith originated after the time of the
apostles, it cannot be the faith that was once for all delivered to
the saints. If a faith is based on alleged prophecies after the
time of the apostles, it cannot be the faith that was once for all
delivered to the saints. If a faith changes items of faith, it
cannot be the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
If a faith conforms itself to the spirit of the times, it cannot be
the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. If a faith
does not even try to be the original faith, it cannot be the faith
that was once for all delivered to the saints.
With regard to those who claim adherence to the original
faith, one must investigate whether their claim is correct. This
eliminates all whose faith obviously differs from the original
faith.
The faith that was once for all delivered to the saints has
been preserved in the New Testament (John 20:30, 31;
Romans 16:25, 26; 1 Corinthians 14:37; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2
Peter 2:19-21). That is where the one faith is found. Our task is
simply to learn that faith, accept it and put it into practice.
Why must we contend for the faith?
To contend for something means to proclaim it forcefully,
prove it logically and defend it from all opposition.
Jude gives this reason for his exhortation: “Contend
earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to
the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those
who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation,
ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into
licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ”
(Jude 3, 4 NASB).
Jude is gentle and mild as he exhorts his brethren, but in
his denunciation of false teachers, he uses extremely forceful
language. It reminds us of the scathing condemnation of the
Sadducees and Pharisees by Jesus and John the Baptist
(Matthew 3:7; 23:232-33). Jude condemns false teachers so
vehemently because he loves his brethren and wants them to
be saved.
Thus, we must contend for the faith because false teachers
are constantly trying to lead Christians astray. Jesus predicted
this: “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many”
(Matthew 24:11). Peter wrote: “There will be false teachers
among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies” (2
Peter 2:1).
Paul warned the elders at Ephesus: “For I know this, that
after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not
sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up,
speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after
themselves” (Acts 20:29, 30).
Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia who were being
influenced by false teachers: “I marvel that you are turning
away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to
a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some
who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But
even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
to you than what we have preached to you, let him be
accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone
preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received,
let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-9).
Paul wrote to the saints at Rome: “Now I urge you,
brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary
to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans
16:17).
“Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the
things we have heard, lest we drift away” (Hebrews 2:1). We
may not go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6).
Thus Jude exhorts us to contend earnestly to defend the
faith against false teachers.
To be saved we must adhere to the original faith.
“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine
of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of
Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9).
Christians must be “obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7), they
must “continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22), they must be
“strengthened in the faith” (Acts 16:5), they must be
“established in the faith” (Colossians 2:7), they must “stand
fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), they must be “sound in
the faith” (Titus 1:13), they must “keep the faith” (2 Timothy
4:7), they must “strive together for the faith of the gospel”
(Philippians 1:27).
Jude’s exhortation is urgently needed today.
Paul warned: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter
times some will depart from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1). “For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but
according to their own desires, because they have itching ears,
they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn
their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables”
(2 Timothy 4:3, 4). A better description of contemporary
Christendom is hard to find!
In the midst of such widespread apostasy, it is not easy to
remain true to the original faith.
In the first century there were Christians who fell away (1
Timothy 1:19; 6:21; 2 Timothy 3:8) and also in our time there
are Christians who fall away. In the first century there were
local congregations that went astray and today also there are
local congregations that drift away from the truth.
This can also happen to us if we are not constantly on
guard to avoid departures from the original faith. We must be
faithful followers of Christ and the church of Christ as
designated in the New Testament.
Let us take Jude’s exhortation to heart!
There is only one faith that saves, the original faith that
was preached in the first century and is preserved in the New
Testament. Let us therefore “contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Amen.
