Why Should a Christian Fear Death, the Grave, or the Devil?
DO YOU BELONG TO CHRIST?
If you belong to Jesus Christ, why would you live in fear of death, the grave, or the Devil?
The Bible teaches that Christ has already defeated death, stripped the enemy of his ultimate victory, and transferred believers into the kingdom of God. So why are so many Christians still scared?
Why should a Christian fear death, the grave, or the Devil?
Seriously.
If you belong to Jesus Christ, what exactly are you afraid of?
I’m not asking that as a smart remark. I mean it as a real theological question.
Because the Bible does not present the Christian life as one long panic attack over death, the grave, and Satan. It presents Jesus Christ as victorious, the Devil as defeated, and death itself as a conquered enemy.
Yet a lot of people live like the exact opposite is true.
- They fear death.
- They fear the grave.
- They fear demons.
- They fear the Devil.
- They fear the end times.
- They fear what the enemy might do to them.
But why?
If you are in Christ, the central issue is not whether the Devil is real. Of course he is real. Jesus was not lying when He talked about him over and over again. The Bible makes it very clear that he is a real fallen angel.
The issue is whether he is greater than Jesus Christ.
And the answer is obvious.
No.
The Devil is a created being.
Jesus Christ is the Creator incarnate.
He is the Son of God, God in the flesh. And if that offends somebody’s theology, too bad. That makes Him equal with God.
Jesus is eternally God, and He clothed Himself in flesh.
That matters.
The Bible says in Colossians 1:16-17 that all things were created by Christ and for Christ, including invisible powers and authorities. That means the Devil is not some opposite equal to God. He is not God’s rival in the sense of equal power. He is a rebel creature on borrowed time.
And Revelation makes that point crystal clear.
Revelation 12:12 says:
“The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
Notice that.
He knows his time is short.
That does not sound like a being heading toward victory. That sounds like a being who already knows he is cooked.
He is like a condemned criminal awaiting final judgment.
- Yes, he is dangerous.
- Yes, he is deceptive.
- Yes, he is full of wrath.
But he is not sovereign.
He is not ultimate.
And he cannot win.
So again, why should the Christian live in fear?
The Bible says in Hebrews 2:14-15 that through death, Jesus destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil, and delivered those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
That is one of the most important verses in the whole discussion.
Read it again.
Jesus did not come merely to make people feel better about dying. He came to destroy the Devil’s hold over people through the fear of death.
In other words, fear of death is one of Satan’s great weapons.
And Jesus Christ broke it.
That does not mean Christians never grieve.
It does not mean death does not hurt.
It does not mean the grave is emotionally easy.
What it means is that death no longer has the final say.
Paul said it like this in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?”
That is not the language of defeat.
That is not the language of terror.
That is not the language of a man who thinks the grave has won.
That is the language of victory through Jesus Christ.
And that is the problem with much of modern Christianity. Too many people say they believe in Jesus while still living as if death, darkness, and the Devil are in charge.
They are not.
Jesus said in John 11:25-26:
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”
Now obviously, people still physically die. So what did Jesus mean?
He meant that physical death is not the end of the believer.
For the Christian, death is not ultimate destruction. It is a transition. It is not victory for the grave. It is not triumph for the Devil. It is not proof that darkness won.
It is the doorway through which the believer passes into the presence of God, and it is the hope and confidence that we will be raised from the dead.
That is why the Christian view of death is completely different from the world’s view of death.
- The world sees death as the final word.
The Christian sees death as a defeated enemy. - The world sees the grave as the end.
The Christian sees the grave as temporary. - The world sees the Devil as terrifying.
The Christian should see him as a defeated enemy whose final judgment is already written.
And this brings us to something else many Christians do not seem to fully understand.
If you belong to Christ, then you belong to Christ.
That sounds simple, but think about it.
You have been bought with a price.
You are not your own.
You have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
So why would you live like the Devil owns you?
He does not.
Can Christians be attacked?
Of course.
Can they be tempted?
Yes.
Can they go through intense spiritual warfare?
Absolutely.
Can the enemy try to oppress, lie, accuse, intimidate, and harass?
No question.
But being attacked is not the same thing as being owned.
That distinction matters.
The Christian’s confidence is not in personal toughness. It is in Jesus Christ.
The Christian’s hope is not in pretending pain does not exist. It is in knowing that Christ has already gone through death, come out the other side, and secured victory for His people.
So no, I am not saying the Devil is imaginary.
On the contrary, he is our adversary. He hates mankind. As I explain in my book Wicked Darkness: Johnny’s Survival Guide To The End Times, we are his replacement. That is not exactly the kind of thing that gives a fallen angel with immense power a smiley face about God’s view of mankind compared to God’s view of the angel who blew it.
So yes, he is real.
And yes, he is going to deceive the whole world.
But:
- He is defeated.
- Death has lost its ultimate power over the believer.
- The grave does not get the final victory.
- And if you are a Christian, your life should be governed by the Word of God, not by fear.
You do not need to worship fear.
You do not need to bow to death.
You do not need to tremble before the grave.
And you do not need to act like the Devil is bigger than Jesus.
He isn’t.
The Devil knows his time is short.
The question is whether you understand what that means for you if you belong to Christ.
Because if Jesus Christ is Lord, then death is not your lord.
The grave is not your lord.
And the Devil is definitely not your lord.
Jesus Christ is.
Do you want an even deeper look at this topic?
Maybe you are struggling with fear, anxiety, depression, guilt, anger and feeling defeated…
Read this post at WickedDarkness.com: The Devil Is Already Condemned. Why Are Christians Afraid Of Him?
If this subject interests you, read my book:
Wicked Darkness: Johnny’s Survival Guide To The End Times
It goes much deeper into spiritual warfare, deception, the end times, the Devil’s strategy, and what it actually means to belong to Jesus Christ in a dark world.
Read:
Wicked Darkness: Johnny’s Survival Guide To The End Times
http://www.wickeddarkness.com/