Alive - by Dave Smith

taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death, and
freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death’ (Hebrews
2:14–15, The Message).
Paul himself was so convinced of this truth that he could say: ‘I am
torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is
better by far’ (Philippians 1:23). In other words, death for the
Christian is not something to be feared but ultimately embraced.
Why? because death is not the end; rather, it’s the doorway into an
eternity with Christ.
These and other New Testament promises are the basis for the
alternative view of life after death that was highlighted in the
introduction. To understand this it’s helpful to see that the Bible talks
in various places about how we are not just physical beings –
sometimes describing us as having an inner and outer self (2
Corinthians 4:16–17), at other times talking about us being spirit, soul
and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). So, when a Christian dies
physically, they continue to exist (in their spirit-soul), and immediately
go to a place of rest and joy in the presence of Christ (Philippians
1:21–24). This eternal perspective helps us to live free from the fear
of death. But there’s so much more than this...
FILLED WITH THE HOPE OF RESURRECTION LIFE
In Paul’s great resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 he revealed
how we can live anticipating something far greater in the life to come.
Having started by reminding his hearers of the resurrection of Jesus,
Paul moved on to his primary concern, which was to show how Jesus’
resurrection is the guarantee and pattern for our future resurrection.
He starts by highlighting the negative implications of no resurrection,
summarising this in striking language: ‘If Christ has not been raised,
your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have