Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Since I started as pastor at Sardinia Baptist, I have met a couple of older saints who passed into glory after patiently waiting years for that door to open. They welcomed death with open arms.
The author of Hebrews writes that a boldness in the face of death is a part of what Christ has won for all those who put their faith in Him.
And it makes sense that a hallmark of a genuine and mature faith in Christ would be the acceptance of death - and even a longing for its arrival.
Unfortunately, those who have reached this level of faith are few and far between, even within the church.
In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard says this life is one of the most common things that people take as a treasure in this world.
"For most people, perhaps, the thing they most treasure is staying alive on earth. As a result they live their entire lives in bondage to fear of physical death." (p. 210)
I don't want to be one of those people.
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