Life After Death

“Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned . . . It is true that through the sin of one man death began to rule because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God’s abundant grace and are freely put right with him will rule in life through Christ.” Romans 5:12,17 (Good News Translation).

Baby boomers like me are suckers for anti-aging lotions, potions, supplements, and elixirs. The ads for products and plans that promise to erase ten years off of your face or to take five pounds off in two weeks are especially appealing. Companies feed into our desire to feel and look young. Many of the patrons of the Forever 21 clothing chain are decades past the age of 21. Seeking to maintain one’s youthful looks and vigor is nothing new. People over the centuries have searched for the Fountain of Youth, water from a spring that promises to restore one’s youth. The 1980’s movie, Cocoon, featuring senior citizens who were rejuvenated by aliens, was filmed in Florida, not far from where Ponce de Leon landed in the 16^th century, searching for the Fountain of Youth.

Today, many have turned to cryogenics to freeze their bodies after death, to preserve them with the hope that one day a cure will be found for their disease and they can return to the land of the living. These bodies remain suspended in liquid nitrogen and are placed in “patient care bays” where they will remain until some future date.

Death and overcoming death is one of the subjects of the Scripture lessons[1] this week as we move into the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday. These Scriptures trace the history of sin and death and how Jesus overcame temptation just before he began his public ministry. Jesus provides a guide for us in our own spiritual battles.

The Old Testament lesson is the account Adam and Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. We always want what we can’t have, and Eve was no exception. She wanted to eat the forbidden fruit that God had told her not to eat. And Satan is always at our elbow, justifying ill-advised behavior, egging us on to do those things that we know are wrong. Sin came into the world, and God banished Adam and Eve from the garden. He told Adam that he would toil “till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3: 19b). Death is a part of life.  We will be reminded of this on Wednesday, when a cross of ashes is drawn on our foreheads.

The gospel lesson shows us that everyone is tempted—even Jesus. But Jesus set an example for us of how to spurn temptation. Being fully man as well as fully God, he was weakened from hunger during his fast in the desert, and yet he fought off all temptations (Matthew 4: 1-11). The evil one often approaches us when we are at our weakest, but we can prevail if we follow Jesus’ example. Jesus was able to resist temptation by knowing Scripture and by relying on it. Paul tells us to use Scripture as a sword in spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:17). Giving in to temptations around us and within us leads us down the path to destruction. As Eve learned, sin creeps into our lives subtly and distorts our judgment, often bringing others down with us. We cannot dig ourselves free from sin by ourselves. Left to our own devices, we will continue in a downward spiral.

But Paul explains that the action of one man, Adam, in introducing sin and death into the world, was undone by one man, Jesus Christ. Jesus brought the free gift of eternal life to everyone: “It is true that through the sin of one man death began to rule because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God’s abundant grace and are freely put right with him will rule in life through Christ. ” (Romans 5:17 Good News Translation). Grace is explained as a simple acrostic: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Jesus secured eternal life for us; he paid our way: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s grace is his free gift to mankind, made possible through Jesus Christ. It is the elixir that allows us to live after death.  That is a promise we can count on.

Diane Cieslikowski Reagan

[1] The Scripture texts for the First Sunday in Lent are Psalm, 32: 1-7; Genesis 3:1-21; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11.