Danger and Death

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”                                          I Corinthians 15:29-32

 

Christianity is a risky business. When you stand with Christ, His enemies are your enemies. You are in danger. You are a target. Our enemies will come at us in any way they can. They will attack our livelihood, our reputation, our well-being. For some of us, they will take our lives. From the very beginning, disciples of Jesus have been killed for their faith and it will not stop happening until Jesus comes again.

 

However, there is no need to fear the attacks of the enemy. The simplest solution to the fear of martyrdom is to give our lives willingly. In another of Paul’s letters he speaks of being crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20); in another he writes of giving his life as a burnt sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). The enemy cannot take what we have already given freely.

 

If our life is not our own then it matters little when it ends. We know that our life will not end until the time appointed by God (Heb. 9:27). What good does it do to fret over when that will be or how it will come about? Scripture tells us not to fear the one who can destroy our natural bodies, but rather to fear God who can destroy our body and soul in Hell (Matt. 10:28).

 

The secret to an anxiety-free life is to live every day as if it is our last. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow, but focus on the trouble that each day brings (Matt. 6:34).

 

Neither should we worry for our loved ones who have died. Our concern or actions on their behalf do not affect the inevitability of their own resurrection. When Christ defeats the final enemy of death, He does it for them as well.

 

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

I Corinthians 15:55