Fear of Death
February 2, 2016
Hebrews 2:14b-15 “…through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
The fear of dying is the number one fear of people everywhere. What most humans do with their personal fear of death is ‘deny it.’ We find ways to ignore it, to surgically remove the signs that it is coming, to medicate it, and keep ourselves busy pretending that death isn’t coming. Hebrews 2:14-15 teaches that the fear of death produces slavery in us, and that we will be enslaved by this fear of death for our entire lives. But know this – Jesus can free us from our fear of death. The Bible tells us that Jesus, by His death on the Cross, rendered the devil, who held the power of death, powerless. The person who, through faith in Jesus, seeks forgiveness and peace and grace from God, can live without the fear of death. The Bible affirms to God’s children that Jesus’ resurrection proves that death has been defeated. While the child of God will one day fall asleep in his earthly body, the child of God will never taste eternal death and separation from God. Jesus says in John 8:51, “if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
The fear of dying is the number one fear of people everywhere. What most humans do with their personal fear of death is ‘deny it.’ We find ways to ignore it, to surgically remove the signs that it is coming, to medicate it, and keep ourselves busy pretending that death isn’t coming. Hebrews 2:14-15 teaches that the fear of death produces slavery in us, and that we will be enslaved by this fear of death for our entire lives. But know this – Jesus can free us from our fear of death. The Bible tells us that Jesus, by His death on the Cross, rendered the devil, who held the power of death, powerless. The person who, through faith in Jesus, seeks forgiveness and peace and grace from God, can live without the fear of death. The Bible affirms to God’s children that Jesus’ resurrection proves that death has been defeated. While the child of God will one day fall asleep in his earthly body, the child of God will never taste eternal death and separation from God. Jesus says in John 8:51, “if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”