Great Encouragement in Christ JESUS ~ 24 September, 2026 A.D.

The Gospel and a Good Death, Part II

In the Gospel we see God's victory over death;

In the Gospel we see that our sins are judged upon Christ.

In the Gospel we see Satan exposed and stripped. 

Because of the Gospel, the reign of death has been replaced by the reign of life and grace. Paul tells us, "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17). He further states, "That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," (Romans 5:21).

To speak of 'reigning' is to speak of Kings and Kingdoms. This is why the believer can declare that Christ Jesus has destroyed the Kingdom of Death, (II Timothy 1:10).  By faith we believe that we have already been translated and transplanted into another Kingdom, the kingdom of God's dear Son (Colossians 1:12). Although, we don't yet see the final manifestation of the rule of Christ Jesus, the Gospel declares that God's Kingdom has already arrived in Jesus and that death has been both banished and abolished in Him.

 One of our problems is, however, that many of us are ill prepared to die because we are too attached to this world. We are caught up in all that glitters! This is both a tragic and perilously dangerous situation because the believer has been called to, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” Furthermore, "If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him," (I John 2:15, James 4:4).

The Gospel, however, will kill the love of the world and prepare us for a good death. This is one of the many reasons why the Gospel of Christ must be kept central in our churches. It will wean us from the world and cause us to yearn to see the Lord Jesus in all His exalted glory. As Luther said, "If we would only believe this Gospel and constantly affirm it in our hearts, we would utterly despise all the pomp and vainglory that this world has to offer."

The Gospel not only takes away the love of this world and prepares us for death; it also takes away the very fear of death itself. We read, 'that through death He (Christ) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage,' (Hebrews 2:14-15).

When Christ Jesus laid down His life at the cross, He encountered the full force of death and absorbed it on our behalf! He tasted death for us (Hebrews 2:9). He abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel (II Timothy 1:10). This is excellent news: Satan has been utterly defeated, (John 12:31-32, Revelation 12:10, Hebrews 2:14-15). The Lord Jesus has single-handedly overcome and abolished the power of death. "The King of Terrors" (Job 18:14) has been eliminated.

Of course, believers still die.  We give the undertakers just as much business as the unsaved, but for the believer, death is now a harmless serpent whose fangs have been extracted; it's a frothing mad dog without a bite and a raging bull without horns or legs.  Since, in Christ we have already triumphed over death (Ephesians 2:4-6), nothing can give us more boldness in its face than the Gospel. When the Gospel is restored to its rightful place in the church, Christians will again learn all that Christ's victory at Calvary means and thus discover how to die well.

To be continued...

And that's the Gospel Truth!

-preacher Miles McKee 

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