“I
call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before
you life and death, blessing
and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That
thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and
that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he
is thy life…” Deuteronomy 30:19, 20a
Shortly before Moses passed away, he charged the Israelites
to “choose life”; which he defined as
being “the LORD thy God”. On the flip
side then, “death” is
separation from “the presence of the Lord”
(2 Thessalonians 1:9), the source of life! You don’t have to choose “death” though; it comes to you standard
from the factory, by default “for the
wages of sin”.
“For
the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Paul says that this “death”
is a spiritual death, “that now worketh
in the children of disobedience; Among whom also we all had our conversation
in times past” (Ephesians 2:2b, 3a). So, we were all “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians
2:1b) until the “Spirit of life”
quickened us and set us “free from the
law of sin and death”.
“For
the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2
If a person dies physically without being born again
spiritually, he experiences what Revelation 21:8 calls the “second death”; which is eternal
separation from God, in the lake of fire. So, if you are only born once, you
will die twice but if you are born twice, you will only die once. This
second birth unto “life” is brought “to light through the gospel”.
“But
is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath
brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel:”
2 Timothy 1:10
Since Christ “hath
abolished death” and made “immortality”
possible “through the gospel”, it
behooves the Christian to tell others. This “gospel” is communicated with words, which is why Proverbs 18:21a
says that, “Death and life are in the
power of the tongue”! God’s words can produce life they are received and
mingled with faith!
As we have seen, “death”
is not annihilation or non-existence, as some teach, it is the absence of
having God’s “life” in your life. So,
while we must all die physically one day (if the Lord tarries His coming), our
soul will exist beyond the grave in one of two places (heaven or hell). God
won’t send anyone to hell; they choose to go there by not choosing to obey the
“gospel”. The “gospel” simply stated is that Christ died for our sins, he was
buried for three days, and rose again “according
to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), if you believe that, you can be
saved. Salvation is a choice that each of us must personally make in order
to pass from “death unto life”.
Friend, hear his “word”, believe “on him”, and “choose life” today, it’s a “life
and death” decision!
“Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
John 5:24
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