Thinking about mortality

Sunday I was told that a fellow church member had lost their brother during the week. The brother was only 39. The same brothers had also lost their dad at an early age. I also lost my dad when he was a fairly young man. He was only 39 when he passed. The sad news of this brother passing triggered some thinking inside me. I hope that his brother was a believer in Jesus Christ. If he was, and if my fellow church member is a believer then they will see each other again in eternity. If either is not, it is my belief the relationship will remain as it is, separated. These kinds of life encounters probe our human thoughts. Where do we go after we die? What happens to our loved ones? Is there anything for us after death?

The Holy Bible addresses this issue of death very clearly. I did a basic bible search for the word death, and how it relates to what's after death. First of all I think it is important to understand why there is death. In Romans 5:12 Paul the apostle writes "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world (that would be Adam) and death through sin , and so death is spread to all men, because all have sinned." In John 5:24 Jesus is speaking and he says "Truly, truly, I say to you he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life". So, according to Jesus there is eternal life for those who hear His words and believe in Him who sent Him, meaning God the Father. Also in Romans 6:23 Paul writes "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This is a very powerful verse. It tells of man's condition. We all sin right? The wages of that sin is death. We deserve death. It is our just consequences according to God's justice.

Through God's son, Jesus Christ, He offers us the free gift of eternal life. You will notice that the above Romans passage says "free gift", this eternal life is not something that is earned. It is given freely. This free gift is also evident in Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace (God's unmerited gift) you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast." Jesus Christ paid the price for our judgment. This is evident in Romans 5:8,9 "But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, (the blood of Jesus) we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him (again, Jesus). It is the blood of Christ that saves us from the judgment of God.

Once you been saved by God's undeserved, unearned grace, you can have assurance that it cannot be taken away. Not even by you. Romans 8:38, 39 the apostle Paul writes, "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height not depth, nor anything in all creation , will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Isn't that reassuring? Totally!

Is there life after death? According to God's holy word, the bible, there is absolutely life after death, eternal life. Have you trusted in the saving gift of God, Jesus Christ, to save you from God's coming judgment? It is only through Jesus that you can be saved from this judgment. John 3:36 says "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God will be on him."

So thinking about mortality leads me to think about eternity. Does it do that for you? I have trusted in the blood of Jesus to save me from the wrath of God. Have you? I pray so.