Assurance of Being God’s child

The first thing I read after opening my online Bible was, ‘How can I know I’m a Christian?” My first thought was, “If you don’t know, you likely aren’t.”

Most people know what they believe. Yes, there are worry warts, and Satan lies to us with whispered thoughts such as, “Look what you did. How can you be a Christian?” And others will point to our weaknesses with the same question, but God says this:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (John 1:12)

The Word of God says it. Those who know what it says either believe it or not. However, if a Christian is not reading the Word, assurance will likely go missing. This indicates a better question could be, “If I am a Christian, why am I not reading this book from God?”

He does tell His people to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22) This indicates another question: Am I convinced of sin and confessing those things that bother my conscience? If not, then true faith could be missing.

Being a Christian involves putting my faith in Jesus Christ. What then is faith? God says:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is that inner ‘I just know’ that this Word of God is true. I was not at Calvary, but I know that Jesus died. I did not see the empty tomb, but I just know that it is empty and that Jesus is alive. I also have assurance, based on the promises of God, that Jesus died for my sin and all are forgiven. It is an inner thing, not based on present performance or the swarm of doubts that come when the God who is good allows me to suffer. It is based on what Jesus did, not what I do.

Perhaps that is the biggest test: what do I base ‘being a Christian’ on? What I do, or what God has done?

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)

Am I His workmanship (verse 10) or am I looking at my lack of works and thinking I am not good enough? No one is ‘good enough’ otherwise Jesus would not have needed to die.

One more question: “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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” (Hebrews 2:14–15) If that fear of death is overwhelming, it may be that way because there is no assurance that Jesus conquered it.

And that assurance is not an outward thing but comes from the Holy Spirit. If He lives in me, He tells me who I am:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15–17)

Personal sin, Satan’s lies, and suffering can take eyes and hearts off what God has done and rob His children of their assurance of being His children, but the salvation of God is more powerful than all three of those negative S’s. If the human  heart is not responding to His Spirit, then it is vital to get down on those knees and talk to the Lord.

PRAY: Jesus, I’ve no idea how many are duped into thinking they are believers but are not, or how many are believers but without assurance. You know how to right all errors and bring doubters to the truth. Today I pray for those whose assurance or lack of it is messing with their minds. May they hear and know truth and be set free from crippling doubts.

Update: Our granddaughter is home. She is cheerful and clear-headed, but looks like a train hit her. Black eyes, bruises all over, a smashed foot, broken arm and broken kneecap that looks terrible, but she is joyful and thankful to be alive, spared, and in many prayers.

What about fear?

A Christian friend shared that when someone dies, she is emotionally upset. My oldest son often says he has no fear of death. Even though I know the people of God are with Jesus, I miss them and feel sorrow. 

A quick search shows that death is a primal fear but not always confessed, Some list public speaking, heights, going to the dentist, snakes, flying, spiders and other insects, enclosed spaces, and mice.

Other surveys boil it down to extinction, mutilation, loss of autonomy, separation, and ego death. Many of the responses are things in this life only. While the fear of death is deep in the heart, it is often ignored or pushed away until life is threatened in some way.

Like most people, the older I get the more I think about dying. While no one can know when, where, or how, it is a reality that we are all terminal, whether we want to talk about it or not. Whatever else a person might believe, what God has done through Jesus Christ gives Christians the greatest hope. This is a positive view for death and for thinking about it while alive. The Bible says it many ways:

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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

God is totally righteous Spirit with every right to punish sin. However, as John 3:16 says, He loves us and sent His Son to pay that penalty for us. His sinless Son alone qualified to do this for a sinful person could not pay the penalty for other sinful people, only his own. That means Jesus had to come to earth, take on human flesh and do the unthinkable. A sinless fully God, fully man, died so we could live.

Christians are accused of a ‘pie in the sky’ faith that is only about our destiny, but the above verses offer a greater view of what faith in Christ does for us; it changes life here by delivering us from the bondage of fearing death.

Oh, some of us fear the other things on that basic list, like mutilation in the process of dying, or we can fight that loss of autonomy as Jesus works in us to die to our old nature and submit to His lordship, or separation from friends and family. I’ve had a problem with fearing abandonment and sometimes fear as if my life does not matter, yet Jesus takes care of that too. After all, the God of glory died for me…

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39)

With promises and statements like these from the One who died for me, what is there left to fear? Perhaps silly things like mice or spiders, or more serious such as falling off a building, or losing my mind to dementia, or being rejected by everyone. God cares for me. He says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Why fear anything?

PRAY: You know that sometimes I do fear losing my hubby, or health, or memory, but when You speak to me as friend to friend, then I remember that You are not the author of fear but the One who delivers me from all fear, settling my heart and reminding me of Your salvation gift of Jesus, for both this life and the next. May I live today without concerns because I know that Your will for me is based on Your love, the love that sent Jesus to die and set me free from all fear. 

Who is this Babe in a manger?

 

Can anyone adequately describe God? Or the Son of God who is the Word made flesh? Or the Holy Spirit who impresses truth in our hearts? Charnock tries, first by what the Bible says about their roles. All three had a role in creation. The Father is the lawgiver who presented His holiness to humanity and the way to our happiness. However, the fall into sin made us impotent to obey His law or experience the joy of union with Him. Redemption became necessary that humanity could be recovered. Jesus was given the task, but because humanity was blinded by sin and had turned to our own way, enlightenment was needed to change that condition. This work is assigned to the Holy Spirit.

In brief, the Father sends, and the Son is sent because God cannot properly send himself, so the Son acts, and the Holy Spirit applies it by purifying our souls to understand, believe, and love these mysteries. It is the wisdom of God to prepare and present these truths, then impress them on those He chooses.

As to the deity of Jesus Christ, God wisely “unites finite and infinite, almightiness and weakness, immortality and mortality, immutability, with a creature subject to change; to have a nature from eternity, and yet a nature subject to the revolutions of time; a nature to make a law, and a nature to be subjected to the law; to be God blessed forever, in the bosom of his Father, and an infant exposed to calamities from the womb of his mother — terms seeming most distant from union, most incapable of conjunction, to shake hands together, to be most intimately conjoined; glory and vileness, fulness and emptiness, heaven and earth; the creature with the Creator; he that made all things, in one person with a nature that is made; Immanuel, God, and man in one; that which is most spiritual to partake of that which is carnal flesh and blood; one with the Father in his Godhead, one with us in his manhood; the Godhead to be in him in the fullest perfection, and the manhood in the greatest purity; the creature one with the Creator, and the Creator one with the creature. Thus is the incomprehensible wisdom of God declared in the ‘Word being made flesh.’ ”

As Charnock says, this union of two natures in Christ is incomprehensible: and it is a mystery we cannot fully fathom. How can the Son who is the same nature as the Father and the Holy Spirit be united to human nature, without its being said that the Father and the Holy Ghost were made flesh? The Scripture speaks only of the Word being made flesh, and that He is “the only begotten of the Father.”

As the Bible affirms, deity is not changed into flesh, nor flesh transformed into God: they are distinct and yet united, conjoined and yet unmixed. It is impossible that the majesty of God can be altered or the “meanness of humanity” be changed into deity, yet the Incarnation of Jesus Christ unites the two so that the properties of both remain firm. Two become one person in two natures containing the perfections of the Divine, and the weaknesses of the human.

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. (Colossians 2:9)
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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This Christmas season puts my focus even more on who Jesus is, this babe born in a manger. Reading the above explanations fills my heart with joy. I know that Jesus delivers from the power of sin as well as from the guilt of sin. I’ve learned how trusting Him keeps me from evil and delivers me from temptation. I do not need to rely on my own ideas or efforts for salvation because Christ is able and willing to keep me from falling and will restore me even when I do fall.

PRAY: Jesus, You have cleansed my heart and by grace continue to work through the power of Your Spirit to transform me into the person You intend me to be. I give myself to You because only You can purge me, cleanse me, and sanctify me. Your plan shows both my need and Your incredible ability to  meet that need, to change my heart and delivery me from both the penalty and the power of sin. I look forward to being with You and being delivered from even the presence of sin. You are able and willing and I am joyful.

Fear is not from God

Some who consider themselves Christian are in constant turmoil about matters of faith. For example, the author of “God is Enough: Inspiring Words of Christian Affirmation for Every Day of the Year” assumes that all Christians struggle to believe God and are not “comfortable” in their religious life. After some research and a great deal of Bible study, I’ve come to the conclusion that if that is true, then the most important ingredient missing is relationship. Jesus said:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

Whether Jesus is speaking or not, they are not listening to Him and therefore not experiencing the life that comes from His lips to their hearts.

I cannot know what others are hearing. I only know that God reveals to me, through His Word, the thoughts and intents of my heart. Sometimes this revelation is instant, before any choice is made. Sometimes I make the wrong choice and hear Him speak after that to show me my error and need to confess the sin of paying attention to the world, the flesh, and/or the devil. Either way, the revealing comes from Him. It might be through reading the Word, hearing it preached, or the Holy Spirit bringing it to my memory. Again, either way brings forgiveness and cleansing… and the freedom of knowing what He told me is true. It may have been “don’t do that” or “you did that - agree with Me and repent” but He does His saving work through His Word.

This week I was told of someone who believes in Jesus but is in constant anxiety and fear. This flies in the face of how many times “do not fear” is repeated in Scripture. It might as well say “do not sin” because the NT says: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Since fear is not from God, it is not for me or any of His people to accept. Instead, His power, love and spiritual self-control are ours when we confess we have that sin of fear and He cleanses us. (1 John 1:9)

I’ve no idea what makes others anxious but I get that way when I think I have to do something that is too difficult (fear of failure), or when I look at things I can see — which may or may not reflect what God is doing (lack of faith). The Bible lists a few more sources of fear and some hints for a solution as well as the need to confess it as sin.

Fear of Exposure: And (Adam) said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:10)
Lacking Love: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)
Death: 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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)
Trusting Self over God: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)
Failure: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Lacking Faith: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:7)
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

God promises to take care of me. Not believing He will and letting fear dominate flies in the face of this promise and is an insult to His Word, the very Word that gives me life. It is better to say: “I am fearful and need help” than to think that my fear is so great that even God cannot remove it.

PRAY: Healthy fear? Maybe an approaching lion or another danger to avoid, but it grieves me to see fear govern lives instead of the promises You make and the power of Your presence. Fill me with Your peace and set free anyone who is in bondage to fear, regardless of the cause — for You are the cure!

This war is already won!

 

Today the devotional reading coincides with my experiences this week. Monday I prayed a long time about vital requests from others. That night the enemy hit me with a terrible dream that made me feel abandoned and lost. The next day God blessed me with a gift (more below) and that night I was hit again with a bad dream. These prayers are being answered and the enemy does not like it. We are also making plans that will affect our lives and Satan does not seem happy about that either. In other words, this week has been filled with spiritual warfare coupled with the calm assurance that God is in control. We tell of trusting Him to those around us. Satan isn’t happy with that either. Because of  this, I’m personalizing some of the reading. It fits with my thoughts and makes my heart rest, even in this battle.

The spies sent by Joshua into the promised land were helped by Rahab. She hid them from her countrymen who would have killed them. Her reason? She said:

“I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:8–11)

This week, while filled with ups and downs, God gifted me with a glimpse of Satan’s schemes. While I did not see the terror and faintness that has fallen on all the forces of evil, I did understand that these evil spirits see in God’s praying people the incredible way that God uses prayer to conquer their schemes and bring victories that cause His people to declare, “Only God” as the reason.

Knowing this means I can meet my spiritual enemies without that crippling fear and trembling that hit me after that first dream. Satan is already defeated and this gives me confidence that God has not only heard and will answer my prayers, but also the devil’s efforts to stop them will not work.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, (Jesus) 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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This slavery is not only the fear of death, but fear that God isn’t listening, that prayer is a waste of time, that I don’t know if my prayers are meaningful at all or just a bunch of I-wants. Jesus has ruined the plans of the evil one. He has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15) and He boldly declared:

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:31–32)

Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8) meaning not only his power to draw me into doubt and sin, but to ruin lives with all sorts of wicked schemes. Jesus will win because He has already won the greatest battle.

This is a fact; sin is a conquered foe and so is Satan. This fact and faith in it gives me the power to be dead to sin and victorious over temptation. I can march around cities, see the walls fall flat, and conquer all battles. He does that when I trust Him, not myself or anything else.

PRAY: Lord, I sense the importance of my prayers this week and the value of the decisions that face us. You alone are in charge. The enemy keeps sticking his lies into the mix and You continue to shut the door on all bait that he dangles in front of us. Oh how thankful I am for You and Your goodness.

NOTE: And the gift mentioned above? Remember the story of pink tulips. First read it here. Every week, my hubby meets with other men to study God’s Word and pray. One of those men reads my devotional posts and after he read that one, he told his wife about it. This week, he handed my husband a gift — from his wife to me. My hubby teared up. When he handed it to me, I sat down and sobbed. Not only is this unexpected and beautiful, it came to me just as I was trying to recover from that dream that made me feel hopelessly abandoned and unloved. God knew and Rosa and Phil, you listened. Your timing was perfect. I want to say thank you now and hopefully later, offering a big hug. This amazing gift looks wonderful on my front door and blesses me each time I think about it. Google even says: “The pink tulip is a symbol for caring and good wishes. It's perfect for a gift!”

I’m also reminds that TULIP has a meaning in Christianity as seen by Calvinists:

Total depravity
Unconditional election
Limited atonement
Irresistible grace
Perseverance of the saints

This makes your generosity and thoughtfulness even more special. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

No fear of death

A close friend called Thursday evening to tell us that his wife went to bed the previous night, happy and healthy, and woke up with Jesus. A numbing shock, I struggle thinking what that loss is doing to him and their family. We know them well and share their pain.

How quickly life can change. No one knows when the end comes, or what will be involved, or even who is next. My emotions include a socked-in the-gut feeling. I try to think of the joy she is experiencing with seeing Jesus face to face, with life’s trials, sorrows and problems forever gone. Mixed in with that has been a tinge of fear. I’m 10-15 years older than she was. Will I be next? Am I ready for that? I know the verses:

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

Fear is not God’s will. It’s a symptom of a lack of faith, a failure to trust Him and believe that all He says is good and all He does is His very best for me. I don’t deserve His mercy and grace, but that is the good news of the gospel — “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) and what can I do to stop Him from loving me?

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31–39)

From this passage and others, the words “fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” do not refer to me being perfectly able to love others. They mean that I am perfected by knowing that God perfectly and eternally loves me. Nothing can change that, not even my mistakes and moments of resisting Him. He loved me when I didn’t believe. He loves me now. Whatever He has planned for me, it is for my good, not to harm me.

Our dear friend is with Jesus. Could there be a better place? Yes, we are grieving. Her family are in shock. Her little grandchildren will be confused and full of questions. But God loves us and He is with us, always, no matter what.

PRAY: Jesus, I know that dealing with death is part of living. Everyone is terminal, yet like every other human experience, walking with You makes a difference. You held our friend’s hand and gently took her home. The timing hurts but the method speaks of love and even shouts to never fear for You always do what is best. We cry out for comfort, yet also rejoice that You looked death in the face and conquered it — so we do not have to fear it, and we will see her again.

Free to Choose?

 

In discussions about busyness, my husband often says we are busy by choice. Thinking about the many interruptions that I do not choose, he makes me realize how often I must say NO and keep my calendar the way it is, or YES and become busier than I want to be.

It is the same with freedom. In a discussion about living in truth or living in errors promoted by false teachers, the Bible says, “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19) In other words, we pick our slave-driver. Will it be such things as false teaching from the world, selfishness in the flesh, or the lies of the devil? Or will it be the freedom of serving Jesus Christ?

I know some think that serving Christ is also bondage, but only because they have mistaken the choices. For example, the Christians in Galatia began their spiritual life with faith. However, instead of living by faith and walking in the Spirit, they tried to become what they thought God wanted them to be by being “made perfect by the flesh” and began a descent from a life of faith to living by rules and laws. They needed to hear again these truths:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

The reasons for falling back into law are simple. One is a failure to build faith. Faith grows as we hear and obey God. He tells us to be “like newborn infants, longing for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2) and to not forsake fellowship with other believers. But it isn’t that simple. The flesh or old nature is crucified with Christ yet tries to tell us how to live and that we cannot be happy unless our ego is fed, our pride rewarded, blah, blah, blah. This noise is enhanced by false teaching:

Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— (Galatians 2:4)

There are many biblical warnings, all of them saying that such slavery happens by choice:

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:3–6)
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

When my old nature wants to run my life, the Bible is filled with warnings about the consequences and how that choice is sin. It says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

Another driving force for living by rules is that nattering voice that says “you will never be good enough” along with the fear of death and standing before God without any claim at all. To this, God says:

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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

It boils down to choices. Some people say God give us the freedom to choose, but without Jesus in our lives, we are incapable of choosing godliness. That freedom only comes to those who have faith in Him. Then I can choose to live for Him out of love, or to live by rules thinking that will please Him, but that is not what He died to give me.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

PRAY: Jesus, Your grace is utterly amazing. Living it out is a challenge only because it offers a freedom that is about obedience motivated by love. There is nothing for me in obedience for doing Your will brings glory to You. However, You have already given me everything I need. May my life honor You because You have honored and blessed me with the ability to choose freedom.

Faith wipes out two kinds of death

Growing older means thinking more about the end of life. For Christians, it also means thinking of dying well. Our friend Duncan did that. He knew his illness was terminal, but he did not fear death. Instead, he greatly anticipated being with Jesus.

Not every person dies as Duncan did, excited to go into God’s presence. Some fear it. some fight it. Many prayer requests are for healing, particularly that older people stay well. Yet how will God take us home?

My husband often reminds people that we are all terminal. Some do not want to hear that, yet we must agree that life has an ending point. For those who know Jesus, it should bring the warm excitement of finally seeing His face, of being with those who have faith and are already there. Too many of us fear death, even though this fear is what Jesus came to destroy. He died, yet He rose from the dead to conquer both death and the fear of it.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)

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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

This victory is grounded in the wonder of Jesus Christ and His resurrection, yet that fear of death was also erased in OT saints.

By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. (Hebrews 11:20–22)

One clue to this lack of fear is knowing that the Bible has two ways of speaking about death. The one that most of us understand is death of our bodies and our lives here. The other is spiritual death — being separated from God because of sin. The NT speaks of this death often, yet it seems that many people are more worried about physical death than having their sin putting a wall between them and the One who defeated death. God wants us to die well, but also to live well in the knowledge that we know Him and walk with Him. Eternal life does not begin when these bodies die — it begins when Jesus comes into our lives.

Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

MacArthur speaks of dying well in the sense of finishing our lives by honoring the Lord, and in hope and joy leaving a witness to the truth of His Word and His excellent ways. However, living that way is also putting an end to death — that other kind of death, that separation from God. the Lord is honored when we die victoriously, but He is also honored when we die to self and sin and live victoriously. He may mean both kinds of dying when He says: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15)

Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are examples of facing death with great faith and confidence. Each “died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13) They were not perfect nor was their faith yet each ended his life triumphantly.

PRAY: Those who didn’t see all Your promises fulfilled could still die well. With You in my life, death to sin and self is a reality. This assures me that I can face physical death with the same attitude — wanting it to happen rather than clinging to that which is fading away. I’m so thankful for Your marvelous grace, which triumphs over sin and death and assures me of eternal life, here and forever with You.

PONDER: Note the clear-headed and gracious thoughts for family in the final words of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis 48:1–49:33 and 50:22–26.