Death of Death and Hell’s Destruction

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“If there is no resurrection from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.  But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

-1 Corinthians 15:13-19-

Recently this writer has been reminded how the loss of a pet can break a person’s heart. [1]  How much more the loss of a loved one– mother, father, wife, husband, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild!  On the surface of things there seems to be such a finality about the separation of death.  Were it not for the resurrection, the Christian faith would be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated among mankind, Christ and the apostles the greatest deceivers, and Christians the most pitiable and bothersome people the world has ever known!

But thankfully believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are not the ones who are deceived–indeed they are the only ones who are no longer deceived in this present evil age!  But it is time for secret service Christians to be more open and informed about their faith.  While faith is a matter of the heart, it is, and has always been, a matter of the intellect and mouth as well!  For “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” [2]

The Good News (Gospel), which Jesus and the first-century apostles proclaimed, not to mention men’s embracing that Good News, is the means God has appointed to rescue men and women of all ages from the death and destruction in the world due to human sin and pride rooted in satanic deception and rebellion against God.  Becoming a Christian is a miraculous event–a new birth, as the Bible depicts it, whereby one receives a new nature by the Holy Spirit enabling him to acknowledge and forsake his sin and embrace, openly confess, and live for the glory of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  As gospel vocalist Jack Holcomb used to bellow out so magnificently,

It took a miracle to put the stars in place.

It took a miracle to hang the world in space.

But when he saved my soul–

cleansed and made me whole,

it took a miracle of love and grace!

The death of Christ constituted the “death of death and hell’s destruction.” [3]  “The death he died, he died to sin once for all” [4] (He can never die again); “but the life he lives, he lives to God, i.e., for God’s glory and approval, as distinct from mere human approval or accountability.  Men could never have been saved if Christ had merely catered to their whims, nor can they be helped if we simply cater to their pride, their fear, or their worldly ambition.  If we have been dabbling in the catering business, let’s put an end to it and boldly proclaim the Good News!  The Savior himself has issued the following warning:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. [5]

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About the Author

David C. Brand first proclaimed the gospel as a teenager being prevailed upon at a senior high Presbyterian youth conference.  In the process he was the one who was converted and called to Christian ministry.  Following college where he was active in the local chapter of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship he attended Fuller Theological Seminary.  He and his new bride participated in Fuller’s Middler-Year-in-Mission program in Seoul, Korea.  He was ordained at John Knox Church in Seattle, Washington, before returning to Ohio and serving as pastor to two Presbyterian congregations.  Later he accepted a call from a charismatic Baptist church in New Jersey where he also established a Christian elementary school and completed a Th.M. Program in Church History at Westminster Seminary. After relocating to Virginia, he taught religion and philosophy at a couple of community colleges, led a small group of believers meeting in homes, and gained valuable experience in home construction and painting houses. Dave and his wife Marilyn have four grown children and eight grandchildren.

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[1]. 2 Samuel 12:1-7

[2]. Romans 10:8-10

[3]. http://hymnbook.igracemusic.com/hymns/guide-me-o-thou-great-jehovah

[4]. Romans 6:10

[5]. Mark 8:38

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