Our Lord Is the Resurrection

"I am the resurrection and the life," said Jesus to His friend Martha, who was grieving the loss of her brother Lazarus. "He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25-26, NIV). To underscore His point, He called Lazarus back from the grave (verses 34-44).

Those of us who have seen a loved one cut off unexpectedly from the world of the living probably wish God would take that last step more often! There are probably two reasons why He almost never does: the Christian dead, at least, are better off away from the pains and struggles of this world (cf. Phil. 1:21-24); and, if all Christians were guaranteed long and healthy lives on earth, many people would declare themselves believers on the mercenary basis of "what's in it for me."

Those of us familiar with Jesus's words in the Gospel of John can forget how thoroughly paradoxical they are: How can a person "live even though he dies"? How can Jesus say believers never die when they do so every day? The answer, of course, is the distinction between physical and spiritual death. That every earthly body, indiscriminately, wears out and dies is obvious--even Lazarus's must have eventually died "for good." What lives forever is the real person: the personality, the heart, the essence that will receive a new, equally immortal body in God's eternal Kingdom. That is why Christians grieve the death of loved ones, but not without hope (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13); we know that the separation, however painful, is only temporary.

When the pain seems too intense to bear, we do well to consider Jesus's words to Martha, especially His challenge at the end of John 11:26:

"Do you believe this?"

Our Lord is the Resurrection;
Our Lord is Eternal Life;
The one who believes in Jesus,
Will, even in death, never die.

Our Lord is the Resurrection;
Our Lord is the Life of All;
The one who believes in Jesus,
Will, even in death, never fall.

Our Lord is the Resurrection;
Our Lord is the Death of Sin;
The one who believes in Jesus,
Need never dread dying again.

Our Lord is the Resurrection;
Our Lord is the End of Death;
The one who believes in Jesus
Can take without fear the last breath.

Our Lord is the Resurrection;
Our Lord is the God of Heaven;
To all who believe in Jesus,
True life everlasting is given.