Eternal Life

What Martha feared eventually came to pass. Her brother, Lazarus, had succumbed to his sickness and died. The town of Bethany was in grief. Neighbours and dear ones rushed to the house of Martha and Mary to bereave the loss of their brother. Nothing is more painful than the loss of a dear one. It brings in a void that cannot be filled, a grief that cannot be consoled.

Death is certain and inescapable. But if everything was to end with death, life would carry no real meaning. We take nothing with us out of this world. What then is the purpose of life? What lies beyond death? Can there be hope beyond death? The answer to all these can then be found only in one who has seen beyond death or has conquered death.

When Lazarus fell sick, the sisters had called for Lord Jesus to come to their aid. They knew that the Lord had the power to heal Lazarus. However, the Lord did not come until four days after his death. It was too late for the sisters. But the Lord assured Martha saying, “Your brother shall rise again.” What was the Lord referring to? How could he confidently affirm something of this nature?

For this we must note what the Bible says about the Lord Jesus. He is the “image of the invisible God” – He is fully God. “The same was in the beginning with God” – He is the eternal God. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” – He is the creator God. “In him was life” – He is the source of all life and rightly called the “Prince of life.” 

It was this Giver of life that assured Martha concerning her brother, but also went a step further and told her, “I am the resurrection, and the life.” He grounded that assurance in his own Person – a claim which no one had ever made and can ever make!

Lord Jesus had come into this world with a view to save mankind from death. However, it’s not just the death of separation from this world that is in purview. There is a second death. The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.” God has decreed that every soul would be judged post this life here on earth. And they who are not found righteous in the sight of God, would be eternally separated from God, and cast into the lake of fire. This is the judgment. This is the second death. 

Also, the grim reality is that every person is on that path of eternal destruction due to the disease of sin. The scriptures show us the natural outcome of sin: “sin when it is finished, it brings forth death.” It also states, “all have sinned.” No one can say that they are without sin. Irrespective of the severity of the sin, according to the lofty standards of the holy God, every sin deserves death, that is, an eternal separation from His holy presence. The scriptures further state, no deeds of ours, rituals or religion can cleanse us from our sins. We may not have known, nor considered the gravity of this situation that we are in. But just like Lazarus who could not save himself from that earthly death, so are we helpless to save ourselves from that eternal death. Is there any hope for us, any way of escape?

Once again we must turn our attention to the interaction between the Lord and Martha. Lord Jesus told her, “he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” Martha was much concerned about her brother’s earthly death. But the Lord wanted to teach through that, the precious truth of escaping eternal death. Faith in Him is what the Lord asked for. For He came to accomplish all the demands of God for our salvation, so that we would have nothing else to do, but to just believe in Him.

What then did the Lord accomplish? As the sinless and perfect man of God, who alone could delight the heart of God, Christ Jesus offered Himself to die in our stead for our sins. He took our place on the cross, and bore upon Himself the judgment of God that was to fall on us. He drank it all, there's nothing left for us to drink. After that He died and was buried, He rose again from the dead on the third day. The grave could not hold Him. Having become victorious over death, He, the Prince of life, rightfully could assure of life beyond death. Death need not make us afraid, nor eternal death, because of the perfect work of the Lord for us.

The Lord was teaching Martha this profound truth. In a little while, the Lord would raise up Lazarus from the dead in a display of His glory as the Prince of life. Just by a word, a command that would proceed out of his mouth, the decaying mortal remains of Lazarus would regain its freshness, the departed soul would come back into his body, the sickness that killed him would be without trace in his body, and he would walk out of that tomb as any other healthy man. This was the power of the word of Christ on a dead man. How much more the work of Christ on those headed towards eternal death! It makes them alive spiritually that were dead in sins, pronounces them righteous before God in Jesus Christ, and secures their place in heaven eternally!

You too can enjoy this eternal life. You too can live without the fear of death. You too can have hope beyond the grave. “If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

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References from the Bible: John 11, 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15; Acts 3:15; James 1:15; Revelation 20:11-15; Hebrews 10:1; Romans 3:23, 5:6, 6:8-9, 10:9.