Because He Lives

God sent His Son They called Him Jesus

He Came to love, heal and forgive    

He lived and died to buy my pardon

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

            Can you think of a better opening verse to any song? This is the gospel. The Bible tells us that the gospel is of first importance. (I Corinthians 15:3). Apart from the gospel, we have no hope. But, as the chorus in this beautiful hymn reminds us, because He, Jesus, lives, I can face tomorrow. In every area of life, regardless of what life has in store, from birth all the way to death, I can face tomorrow because He lives.

            As I Corinthians 15 clearly teaches, the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We are separated from God, bound for hell, and utterly hopeless and helpless because of our sin. But praise be to God, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross as the penalty of our sin so whoever places their faith in Jesus is saved from their sins, put in right relationship with God, and will therefore spend eternity with Him forever in the glories of heaven.

            But know this, God didn’t save you from your sin to just one day bring you to heaven when you die. A significant part of the good news of the gospel is that the moment you believe on Jesus for salvation and are saved, Jesus comes to live in you, and you are in Him. And, He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, for He is Faithful and True.

He is with us through the good times and the bad. He is with us to comfort, strengthen, encourage, teach, lead, motivate, empower, and give to us whatever we need to live out our lives for Him and through Him. You most certainly do not want to die without knowing Jesus as Lord and as Savior. But if you were to live a hundred years after your salvation, you don’t want to live even a second without Jesus. Indeed, because He lives, I can face tomorrow.