While we know that death is inevitable, through Christ we have victory over it. We can look be-yond the misery and darkness that surrounds death, and even the uncertainly of what shall come beyond it, for we are more than conquerors in Christ, even over death. I know that death is one of those things most people fear, but as Christians we do not have to fear it. Why not? First, we do not have to fear death because for us it has lost its sting.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (KJV)
⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us follow Paul’s inspired reasoning here. The sting of death is sin. Sin is what separates man from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). In Christ, however, our sins have been washed away by His blood (Revelation 1:5). When did this happen? It happened when we were baptized into His death (Romans 6:3-4). Now we stand before God as if we have not sinned, holy and blameless (Ephe-sians 1:4).

Baptism took care of our past sins, but there are still sins that we commit after we are baptized that we have to worry about, right? Not really, and Paul tells us why. While the sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the law, and we have victory over law as well. That is what Romans 7 deals with so powerfully. We have become dead to the Law (Romans 7:1-4). Paul was writing about the Law of Moses in that context, a law that demanded perfection because it did not make provisions for sin. Under the law that we are now subject to, that is, the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2), better known as the gospel, we have provisions for sin. We have the continual cleansing power of the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7), activated when we repent of any sin we com-mit and ask God for forgiveness (Acts 8:22). So, then, we have victory over the Law, which is the strength of sin, which is the sting of death. Thus, we do not have to fear death.

There is another reason we do not have to fear death. While it is true that we will all experience death, if Jesus does not come back first, we know that death is only temporary. Since Jesus has been raised from the dead, by the power of God, we know that we too will be raised (1 Corinthi-ans 15:20). The entire 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians is an inspired dissertation on this truth. So, while we must die physically, our souls never die. This is what Jesus assured Martha of after her brother, Lazarus, died (John 11:25-26).

I do not know about you, but I believe Jesus. Even though we die physically, one day, at the God-appointed time, we will be raised to life; thus, there is no need to fear.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV)
¹⁴ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

We can now look death into its cold, black eyes and say, “we are not afraid of you,” for the gates of Hades cannot prevail against us any more than it could our Lord and Master.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.