DEATH: WHERE IS YOUR STING?

A few years ago, a very close friend asked me whether I truly believed that Jesus was the Son of God.  

Now, the question itself was not odd.  But, it was oddly timed.  We were not talking about spirituality or theology at the time the question was posed.  Rather, we were actually discussing career plans and the minutia of the day.

When my friend posed his query, I looked at him intently for a moment.  I wondered, seriously, if this was a test of some kind.  And then, after a beat, I answered as succinctly as I could.  

“Yes, I do believe Jesus is the Son of God.”   

I also believe that Jesus is a perfect example of what man can do when he commits himself to learning about God and following His precepts. 

Imagine the possibilities if we would get in sync with God and the Holy Spirit.  If we worked to become like Jesus, we would become super spirit filled heroes. We would be transformed from frail humans to miracle working paragons of faith.  We would be able to face death without fear.  We would be full of knowledge of God.  We would even die and be resurrected again.

Today, is Easter Sunday, the day in which we celebrate the resurrection of the Son of the Living God.  It is the day when the finality of death was forever erased.  

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

    Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.  1 Corinthians 55: 51-58 

When Jesus died, He became the ultimate sacrifice.  This sacrifice was needed to atone for the sins of the world.  It is because of His death that we can even approach the Holy God with our petitions and requests.  

Remember, the God in the Old Testament is the same God in the New Testament.  This means that God’s nature has not changed.  In the Old Testament, no one was allowed to approach near unto the place where God dwelt without being clean and making a blood sacrifice (an animal).  Today, thanks to Jesus, blood sacrifices are no longer required.  Now, we can approach God whenever we desire to do so - even when we have made a mistake.  Jesus’ sacrifice makes this possible! 

I am ever grateful to Jesus for His selfless act.  

Yes, Jesus is real.  He is the Son of God.  He is the Holy Lamb of God.  

Happy Easter, darlings.