There is a great enslavement taking place in our world. This kind of slavery is not because of our ethnicity, race, or where we were born. It’s a slavery to the fear of dying. This fear enslaves all people. Only by faith in Jesus Christ can the chains of that enslavement be removed, allowing us to live the kind of life the Lord created us to live.
The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:13-15).
One of the devil’s most potent influences on humanity is to create in us a fear of dying. He can cause people to take extreme measures in their personal pursuit of the fountain of youth, go through extreme forms of plastic surgery, and try to act and dress like a 20-something in their older years.
We are all going to die. “Only in this way” means there is no other way to be free from hell’s attempts to make us afraid of dying. This life is not measured by hair dye and attempting to look “forever young” and wrinkle-free. Only Jesus can set us free from enslavement to those attempts to stop the aging clock and continue to pursue the delusion of an ageless life.
God has set the date of our departure from this life. We can trust Him that the date is the perfect day for our departure. How we choose to process our passing is one of the clearest examples of how we should live this life. On that day, a special grace will be released that will bring us the kind of peace that only the resurrected Lord can provide.
In our passing, we will experience an examination of our lives. In that examination, will we see all our motivations with the greatest of clarity that only Heaven can offer. No life stone will be left unturned. Paul said it so well, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
Experiencing Christ and expressing His life through us is the sole purpose of our lives as believers. Paul made it personal, “For to me…” This understanding is something Jesus wants for each of us. It will dissolve hell’s attempt to have us live as slaves to the fear of dying. Seeking anything other than the Lord and living for Him will leave us empty, sad, and without the hope of our future resurrection.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
