Hope in the face of death

We believe that Jesus died (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Now, the chief point of that statement is that the chief cause of our fear of death is God’s judgment on our sin and the eternal death that we must certainly experience. We must be punished for our sins in eternity—except that Christ has died. He died for our sins. He has borne our punishment in our place, if we have believed in him. Paul wrote in Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death. That is simply what it is. But then he adds the gospel source of hope: But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

And here is what the Bible teaches about the very Lord who is going to come back to judge the living and the dead—with the books open so that every deed of every man or woman, every thought of the mind, every desire of the heart will be brought forth. Let me just say this right now: How would you feel if, just today, we took every thought of yours and it was transcribed and given to me and I read it before the church? I personally would not feel good about that. Well, the day is coming when the Lord Jesus, in his perfect holiness and in the display of his glory as the Son of Man judging the humanity who have refused him, that is owned by God, is going to do that very thing. And yet, for the believers, when they see the hands of the Judge laid down, they will notice—Hey, there are nail marks on those hands. And they are the emblems of the death that Jesus died for me. And though that book is filled with my transgressions, and the evidence against me is comprehensive and overwhelming, yet they have all been paid for. We believe that Jesus died.  Here is what Paul is saying: If you can know that Jesus died for your sins, then you open up your Bible to precious verses like Psalm 116:15—and you may have it written on your tomb: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. We believe that Jesus died. What a hope there is for all who face the judgment of God for sin.¹

Richard D. Phillips