Fear of Death

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Genesis 2:16-17

We know from the next chapter in Genesis that Adam did eat from the tree, and that death entered the world. And people have spent their lives ever since trying to outrun death. I did a little search and found out that "fountain of youth" stories have abounded in many cultures around the world for thousands of years. And these days, exercise and healthy eating are touted as the proverbial fountain. But the fact of the matter is that we sin, and we will die.

However, as I prepared the devotion for my Christmas play kiddos last week, I was so encouraged by Hebrews 2.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Hebrews 2:14-15

I was just struck by the phrase "those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery". It appears that our fear of the result of sin actually drives us toward sin. But our great Savior "tasted death" so that he could free us from the power of sin and the fear of death! Because as believers in Christ, we have the hope of resurrection.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18