October 27

whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All of them belong to you, — 1 Cor 3:22 BSB

“Life,” says the Apostle, “is yours.” But how can this be? In two ways: life present and life future. Both are the Christian’s, as we read, “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” Life present is both natural and spiritual. Therefore, in three senses, life belongs to Christ’s people—natural life, spiritual life, and eternal life.

Natural life is theirs because they alone can truly enjoy it. What is natural life if it hangs by a thread over a dreadful eternity? It’s short-lived, and death and judgment soon close the scene. But for the Christian, even natural life is a time for faith and prayer, a seedtime for an immortal harvest. While most people are slaves to life, the Christian is its master. To most, life is an opportunity for evil, but for the believer, it’s an opportunity for good. Spiritual life is uniquely theirs, for only the Christian possesses it. Natural men share natural life with them, but only the Christian enjoys spiritual life. This life is theirs because Christ is theirs. Christ is their life, and because Christ lives, they live also. Finally, there is eternal life, which begins now in spiritual life and is transplanted to bloom in immortality.

Even more remarkable, “death” is also theirs. Death, that last enemy, the king of terrors, who makes the strongest tremble and the stoutest hearts quake, is also theirs if they are Christ’s. Death is not their enemy but their friend. Though it may appear as an enemy from a distance, causing fear and dread, if you are Christ’s, death is yours as well as life. Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. Death cannot harm you because Christ died for you. Death merely lays your body in the ground but opens the everlasting doors for your soul, through which the King of Glory, the Lord mighty in battle, entered as your forerunner when He went to prepare a place for you.