We live in a world of death. Wars, tornadoes, tsunamis, disease, crime–every day we read about another life taken from this world. It’s tragic. But what is even more tragic is the realization that the vast majority of those lives have not only lost their physical bodies but have died a second death as well. If they didn’t know Christ, and statistics say they didn’t, then they are now banished from His presence forever.
There’s no second chance. There’s no tomorrow. All there is now is an eternity without God spent in the nonstop torment of Hell (Revelation 20:14-15). Every death should devastate the hearts of we who know Christ. We know the better way. Yet we let almost every day go by without telling someone the wonderful truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the beginning, God created a perfect world where there was no pain, no suffering, no sin, and no death (Genesis 1-2). In return for this paradise, all God required of us was obedience to His commands. Who wouldn’t take that deal? We wouldn’t. Not long after, we decided we knew better than God. We still think that. We believed the lies of the devil over the truth of God (Genesis 3:1-6). When we disobey and do evil, we don’t sin against ourselves or even humanity. We sin against the Almighty, all Holy God. A price must be paid for each sin we commit. The bad news is every sin demands the penalty of death. Blood must be shed to cover our guilt (Hebrews 9:22). I wonder how many concurrent death sentences we are all living under? There’s no way we can pay the debt incurred by our rebellion.
But here’s the good news. The gospel of Jesus Christ can come to our rescue. Jesus, the very Son of God, took on human flesh to live life as a man. In perhaps the greatest mystery of all time, Christ, while remaining fully God, also became fully man (John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-8). He lived the perfect life we can’t. He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins when, by His own volition, He gave His life for ours (1 Peter 2:24). The blood of Jesus that poured from His body on the cross covered every sin we have ever or will ever commit. He gave His life for ours so that our lives could be His.
Without the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no hope in death. Without His shed blood, there is no covering for our sins. Jesus defeated death so that we can have eternal life with Him (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Without Him, death is final and Hell is our destiny for eternity. But, if we accept the gift of God’s sacrifice, believe in the name of Jesus for our salvation, and invite Him into our lives to be the Lord that He is, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). That’s the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that’s the good news we must share with everyone we meet.
Death is inevitable, and every death results in a final judgment. If we know Christ and are known by Him, death is not the end. Our eternity is secured in Christ and we will return to the paradise in which life began (John 3:16; Revelation 21:1-4). But for every soul that dies without Him, we must weep. Their destiny is secured as well, but in the pits of Hell with the devil and his demons (Matthew 25:41). That is the ultimate tragedy. Let us not waste a minute living our lives for selfish pleasures when we know those around us are heading for Hell. Don’t wait until tomorrow to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with someone. Tomorrow may be too late.