John 11:25-26. 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Do you believe this?
It’s the ultimate question, isn’t it? Do you believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? That he is the death of death? That he alone is our source of eternal life? Do your choices look like hope is alive in you? Do you present your immortality to the world? To answer this, let’s test our belief with two questions:
1. Do you fear death?
Hebrews 2:15 says that we all are naturally held captive by our fear of death. We can tell that we live in a culture that fears death because we simply don’t talk about it. We refuse to confront it. We hide our diagnosis from others and we hide away those who are dying. We try to rationalize death. It’s natural. We’re all gonna die. Circle of life. Eat, drink, and be merry. YOLO.
The truth is that there should be a natural fear of death in us. Death is our greatest enemy. It tears apart our being (spirit-body) and our families and communities. The process of dying (which we are all in) takes everything from us. In the end, if you live long enough, you lose everything.
We all fear death because deep inside of us all we know that we aren’t meant to die. We know that death and judgment are connected. We fear death because it is both the unknown and the known. We’re not sure what will happen when we die, but we know something is going to happen to us – and we wonder if we will survive it.
2. Do you fear life?
Deeply connected to our fear of death is our fear of living. Possibly our greatest fear is that our life will end with us having made no difference. Our life came and went without an impact, a legacy, an heir, or at least our name in print somewhere. Take a minute and think about how you live your life. How are you trying to be noticed (social media, performance, ministry)? What makes you worry? What keeps you up at night? Fill in the blank – If I don’t have ___ my life is not worth living (be honest). What are you afraid of missing out on? What do you feel guilty about? When you do die, what do you see yourself being judged for? Your answers to these questions reveal your fear of life.
Our union with Christ changes everything. He is our resurrection and life. No more FOMO. No more legacy building. No more worrying about your performance. No more regrets or bucket lists. No more need to rationalize or even deny death.
Why? Because Christ is our life. He is our eternal life before death. Our immortality has already begun. Our future is now. Our coming judgment has already occurred in our co-crucifixion with Christ. Yes, it’s true that death takes everything physical away from us. But union with Christ promises that death can never take what is ultimate and eternal. Including the death-defeating love of God!
To live is Christ means no more fear of dying and no more fear of living. Why? Because my life is no longer being measured. It is no longer the standard by which I will be judged. The door into the unknowable judgment is now the door into knowing the everlasting love of our Father. And there is no fear in his perfect love. Do you believe this?
You: Do you fear death? Do you fear life?
You in Christ: How might believing you have Jesus’ same eternal life change how you live?
Christ in you: How might your life be worship today rather than performance?
To Live is Christ 