And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28, ESV
“It is appointed for man to die once.” About 56 million people died worldwide in 2017.[1] That is a lot of death. Hebrews 9:27-28 speaks of Christ in light of this mortality reality. It tells us that death is a one-time event that ends the life of man in this world and ushers him before the eternal Judge. Thankfully, along with this sobering truth comes good news. Good news part 1: just as death is a singular event for man, the sacrificial death of Jesus is a singular event. Jesus did not need to die over-and-over for each man’s sin. The value of His life was such that His death was a more-than-sufficient sacrifice to cover the sins of all mankind for all of time. Good news part 2: just as after death man appears before the Judge, Jesus will “appear a second time” to rescue those who are “eagerly waiting” for a Savior. He will gather those who have an enduring faith in Him, and they will be saved! It is estimated that 31% of the world’s population claims Christianity as their religion[2] and that roughly 26% of those who do might be considered evangelical.[3] These figures are optimistic in my opinion. All the same, they imply that only 4.5 million of the 56 million who died in 2017 were trusting in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that at least 51.5 million people entered eternity to face divine judgment without a Savior in that single year. Our passage speaks of the sufficiency of Christ’s saving work and the surety of salvation that belongs to each man, woman, boy, or girl who has faith in Jesus as their Savior. This is the source of our joy! However, when we also consider, in light of worldwide lostness, the surety of death and judgment for those without such a faith, may it drive us to greater urgency in our worldwide mission endeavor. How can you serve a bigger role in bringing the good news about Jesus to a lost and dying world? Let me encourage you to explore some of the information and opportunities with the International Mission Board here: https://www.imb.org/. May God bless you as you commit your prayers, your finances, and even your life to this vital work. Pastor Don [1] https://ourworldindata.org/causes-of-death. Accessed May 13, 2020. [2] https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/number/all/. Accessed May 13, 2020. [3] https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/5119/660_million_evangelicals_in_the_world. Accessed May 13, 2020. Comments are closed.
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From Pastor DonWriting about the Bible and praying that it will be of some good for someone. Archives
June 2021
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