O, death, where is your sting?

1st John 5:16-17 says "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death...All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death." 

I had made a note in my Bible asking "Like what?" and for years had been irritated by my lack of understanding. Today in church, God spoke Truth and this was finally clarified in my mind. I am so grateful for the light of understanding! The pastor reiterated the context of 1st John, that it is a book written not to show how to become a Christian but rather what your life should look like if you are a Christian. Working from there, he pointed out that John is saying for a Christian--one who is a believer in Christ as Savior--sin no longer leads to death. When a believer sins, it leads him/her to the Cross over and over and over. 

After a truth-filled sermon, we ended the morning with a baptism. There are few things which bring me to tears each time I consider them, but baptism is one of them. What a beautiful and literal picture of our salvation. Through baptism we identify with Christ's burial, and most importantly, His resurrection. I absolutely love the celebration when the person comes up out of the water. How wonderful that we can truly rejoice in new life NOW! We do not have to wait for His return to experience this new life. 

I'll close with lyrics from one of the songs we sang this morning. I love the strong declaration of Truth and exhortation to the Church to stand up and live with Christ! 

Christ is Risen, by Matt Maher

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave!

Christ is risen from the dead, we are one with him again

Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave!

Oh, death, where is your sting? 

Oh, hell, where is your victory? 

Oh, church, come stand in the light!

Our God is not dead, he's alive, he's ALIVE!