“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.“
“I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
As the glow of autumn fades into the long sleep of winter, there is real hope for the future.
The certainty for all those who follow Jesus is that, like him, they will rise again.
Restored to life by Jesus at his return and liberated from sin, they will live eternally in a new world of beauty and peace, the Kingdom of God.
Helpful Bible references to consider
- Death is the result of sin; a punishment from God for man’s disobedience.
(Read: Gen.2:16-17; Gen’3:19; Rom.3:23; 5:12) - Everybody sins, and so everybody dies. There is one exception – Jesus did not sin, and so escaped from death to become our saviour.
(Read: 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2:21-24) - Eternal life will be God’s gift to those who seek righteousness.
(Read: Romans 6:23) - The original Christian hope of life after death is through the resurrection of the body to eternal life. This was the conviction of the faithful of the Old Testament (Job, Abraham, David, Daniel) as well as the New (Martha, Paul, Peter).
(Read: 1 Thess.4:16; 1 Cor.15:1-28; Is.26:19; Job 19:25-26; Daniel 12:2; John 11:24; Acts 23:6) - The idea of an inherited immortal soul that survives death is not based on scripture, but on pagan philosophy. Only God is intrinsically immortal.
(Read: 1 Tim.6:16) - Baptism is a symbolic burial and resurrection. It joins us to Jesus as his brothers and sister, and links us to all God’s great promises for the future.
(Read: Rom.6:3-5; Gal.3:26-29)