Three kinds of death

After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah went. (2 Kings 1:1–4)

In the Bible, there are three kinds of death. One is the physical death, usually first thought of for this word;

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) 

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, (Hebrews 9:27)

As my hubby often says, we are all terminal. This thought helps us make decisions in daily life. For instance, the accumulation of useless stuff is meaningless because we cannot take it with us. Unless our stuff has meaning for the time we are here, or can be helpful for others, possessing it has no meaning. Pragmatic thinking comes from recognizing this kind of death.

This physical death is the separation of the soul from the body yet the second one is of greater significance, spiritual death. This is the separation of the soul from God. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that in the day he eats of the forbidden fruit he will “surely die.” Adam does fall, but his physical death does not happen at that point. However, he is separated from God. Because of that sin, all who have not been redeemed and regenerated are alienated from God by sin. 

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1–7)

By faith in Jesus Christ, anyone who is dead in sin passes from that death into spiritual life, a life that is no longer lived apart from God. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

The third death mentioned is really the second one. It is eternal death or eternal separation from God after physical death. This is true for those who reject God’s gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. They remain eternally separate from the One who loves them and died for them.

Jesus, You died for a brief time and then were raised from the dead because You didn’t want me to remain separated from You. I shake my head in amazed wonder at the sacrifice You made for me and millions more. How utterly wonderful that Christians cannot be killed! I will live forever with You. 

 

 

God surprises me again

Yesterday was unusual. We went to church and I worshiped God, then we went to the horse races and I worshiped God.

The morning worship was conscious, deliberate, focused. The afternoon worship was more like breathing; it just happened, without effort or focus. I hardly realized it was happening until reading this passage from the New Testament and thinking about the crowd around me yesterday. And it was a crowd. They were in town to watch the main race — the Canadian Derby.

We don’t bet on the races, but I grew up with horses and love to watch those animals run. Most of the others in this crowd were trying to pick winners. For some, this was entertainment, yet many appeared to be desperate, living on their last dollar or borrowed money. Signs of addiction showed on many faces. I was aware of decayed morals but at the same time felt no critical judgment toward anyone. That is not like me. Today I’m wondering what Jesus felt like when He was surrounded by people lost in sin. Was it something like what I was feeling? Is this a lesson I need to learn? His teaching methods are often a surprise!

Today’s Bible reading describes the contrast between my old life and now. Jesus touches me gently with the reason I can be in a situation like that without a sense of condemnation for myself or for anyone else.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:1–9)

Apart from the grace of God and the gift of salvation, every person on this planet is dead in sin, wittingly or unwittingly guided by Satan and his evil helpers to do that which is self-centered and sinful. I’ve been there and done that. Even though I am “made alive” in Christ, sin is still an enemy to be reckoned with and Satan is a foe that can trip me up. This happens too often so I am amazed at yesterday’s experience. I never expected to be in a crowd of sinners and not fall into their motivations and activities, or fall into judging them harshly and putting myself on a pedestal. I never expected to feel compassion without pity or genuine interest in them without criticism. I feel deeply aware that this state of grace was not and never will be my own doing. Jesus Christ made me alive in Him and I marvel how He can make this real.

In horse racing, the prize goes to the swift but in people the prize is decided entirely by God. God will do what He will do with people. I do not understand why He showed mercy and kindness to me. He calls for my cooperation yet having a willing heart is also due to His transforming power.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord God, while all this happened yesterday, I’m filled with gratitude and joy today that I could talk to so many strangers with interest in them and their lives and not be smug or self-righteous. That is You at work and for me it is also worship. Your blessings are sometime unexpected and this time, it was the blessing of feeling totally alive in a situation where I once would not have so powerfully realized Your grace.

Today’s thankful list . . .

The amazing and sometimes surprising grace of God.

Spending part of today with two lovely young Christian women.

Making progress on a charity project.

A happy phone call from my younger brother.

Being able to buy fresh produce.

Cod fillets and peach pie (not on the same plate).

Sunshine again!

But God . . .

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life . . .” (Psalm 23:6)

A few friends insist on having the last word. Even in email conversations, if I say “thank you,” they must write back with “You’re welcome.” I’ve learned that silence is not always rude; if we both insist on the last word, the conversation soon becomes ridiculous.

These past few weeks, I’m also learning the wisdom of letting God have the last word. Last Sunday’s sermon was titled “The Journey of the Homesick Soul” from Psalm 84. In my longing for those things that will always be missing in this life, I need to look forward to the God who promises. He will make all things right. For now, He answers my ‘why’ questions with “. . . in a little while.”

Before Jesus came, John the Baptist declared he was not the promised Messiah. He said, “No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.” Notice the “but” that changes the focus from what is not now to what is coming soon.

Later in the passage, it happens again. Paul tells the story of Christ’s death, “. . . And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead . . .” (see Acts 13:24–35) But God — changed death to life.

I look back at my life story. I was “dead in the trespasses and sins, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” For nearly thirty years, I did whatever I wanted to do . . .

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved me, even when I was dead in my trespasses, made me alive together with Christ—by grace I have been saved— and raised me up with him and seated me with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward me in Christ Jesus. For by grace I have been saved through faith. And this is not my own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that I cannot boast. (Ephesians 2:1–9, personalized)

Notice again, “But God” changed everything. Because God’s goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life, I can look back and see those wonderful changes. But I can also look forward and anticipate them. Right now, I am experiencing trials that have put many “why questions” in my heart, but God answers me. He says, “. . . in a little while” and backs it up with words like these . . .

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3–9)

There is nothing for me to say. It is becoming easier to let God have the last word.