“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life, anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
In this message, I will be addressing the claims of Jesus regarding the resurrection of the dead and eternal destiny. Jesus told Martha that He is the resurrection and the life.
Enemy of Humanity
Undoubtedly, the greatest enemy to humanity is death. It has generated fear in the hearts of the unbelievers and sometimes believers alike. Although we know and accept its reality, yet we are not prepared or will ever be ready for an encounter with death. The Scripture reveals that it is appointed for man to die once. Even the paths of glory lead but to the grave, says the famous British poet.
According to Genesis 2:17, death is the result of the sin of disobedience of man to an express command from God. The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
Two Meanings of Death
Death has two meanings in Scriptures, a physical death, which is the ultimate of all humanity in this life. Genesis 3:19, points this fact out; by the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” This did not happen immediately.
In the case of Adam, it was until about 930 years after which he died. The apparent contradiction in the warning of God that death will occur immediately after sin is resolved is when we consider the second meaning to death. The second meaning relates to a spiritual death, where the spirit of man immediately died. His God-consciousness collapsed and brought him into an awareness of his nakedness.
Consequently, they hid themselves from the presence of God and made fig leaves apron to cover their nakedness. The apostle Paul explains the plight of man and the provision God made for his reinstatement. Ephesians 2:1 details a scenario of hope and grace. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Hope of Every Believer
As we explore some depth of the claim of Jesus to conquering death by resurrection, it is appropriate for us to understand that He not only made the claims but also demonstrated supernaturally His power to back the claims. This was powerfully demonstrated in the case of Lazarus when Jesus raised him from the dead.
The resurrection from the dead is a known biblical teaching. There will be a resurrection from the dead for all of humanity. The believers in Christ will be raised to eternal life in the presence of God while the unbelievers will be raised unto judgement for eternal damnation.
In this context, the believers in Christ are passed from death to eternal life. The hope of the believer’s resurrection to eternal life is rooted in the fact of Jesus death by His own resurrection.
Jesus said to Martha “I am the resurrection and the life, anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. A closer examination of the statement of Jesus points to the following main points:
- He is the Resurrection and the Life
- Anyone who believes in Him will live even after dying
- Anyone who lives in Christ and believes in Him will never die.
These are bold claims made by Jesus. He carefully and strategically set out to demonstrate this fact both spiritually and physically. Lazarus and his two sisters became the central focus in the demonstration of the power of God to back the claims He made. The hope of every believer in Christ is a resurrection unto eternal life.
