Preach this to yourself: Death is defeated

(One of the most important exercises we as Christians can participate in is to preach the gospel to ourselves. Even as those who have been rescued by God, we can fail to understand fully -- or we can even neglect -- the message, the meaning and the manifold benefits of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. This series is intended to provide some reminders of what Christ has accomplished for His people by His saving work so we would think and live as intended in light of the gospel.)

"Death is stalking me."

This thought crossed my mind hours after my medical check-up nearly two weeks ago. That doesn’t mean I received devastating news about my health. I didn’t.

And this reality is nothing new. Death has been stalking me ever since I entered the world. My latest doctor's appointment – which doubled as sort of a welcome-to-Medicare session – served to help me recognize this life-long truth a little better. My doctor and I discussed things about my health and my future we hadn’t discussed before. As a result, I became aware of my vulnerability in a way I had not.

What I came to understand better was something we all live with as human beings: Death stalks us. And it will get us if our Redeemer doesn’t came back for us beforehand. For those who have been rescued from sin but aren't rescued from death, there is great news. Death is a defeated foe.

Death is our reality, because sin is our nature. Death came through sin (Rom. 5:12). We all are sinners, so we all will die.

The gospel of Jesus doesn't prevent death. It defeats death, which the Bible describes as "the last enemy that will be abolished" (I Cor. 15:26).

That same chapter opens with the gospel. By the end, the apostle Paul declares the verdict on death in light of the gospel -- which has the life, death and resurrection of Jesus at its center: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (I Cor. 15:54b-55).

Those in God's family are not immune to devastating grief in the face of death, whether we are the ones staying or departing. Yet, we can be assured death is not the final victor. The gospel tells us death is defeated and an even more glorious life awaits us who are in Christ, the resurrected Lord.

Todd Billings, a professor at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich., is living with incurable cancer. He told The Gospel Coalition in an interview published today: "I’m incredibly grateful for life and breath now, but I’m also getting more and more expectant for the age to come — to see Christ face to face, and to be made like him, with the whole church, in ways I can only faintly imagine now."

That is our future as well because of the gospel. Let's address our fear at least in part by preaching this gospel-centric message to ourselves before death comes for us or our loved ones: Death is defeated.

Photo credit: Slavik Gurmeza