He [Jesus] too shared in their [mankind’s] humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14–15, NIV).
My Musings – Why fear death, unless there is something that comes after it that is fearful? “What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?” (Psalm 89:48, NIV 1984). No one will escape death, and no one can “save himself from the power of the grave.” Power that is held by Satan. Power that mankind ceded to him in the garden. Power that condemns us to hell. Power that we are powerless to overcome by ourselves.
But from hopelessness springs hope. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” (Hosea 13:14, NIV 1984). The promise became reality, “at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6, 8, NIV 1984).
My Advice – We could not erase the stain of sin or the power of death, so God provided a way to erase the sting of death. Through Christ’s death on the cross. “Justified by his blood…saved from God’s wrath through Him!” (Romans 5:9, NIV 1984). Saved from eternal damnation. We just have to take the way He provides. Sadly, not everyone will. Choosing to believe Satan’s first lie, “you will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4, NIV 1984), rather than accepting God’s grace.
The Brew Is A Musing 