My article this month is to introduce a pamphlet to you that I have put together from an article written by a LCMS pastor and professor, Dr. Jeff Gibbs. He has said he's a “shirttail” relative to me. I call him “cousin.” We are related by the marriage of a niece and nephew. He's very well known in church circles. He's a leading scholar in the world on the Gospel of Matthew, and he has a wonderful pastor's heart for people.

            You'll be able to pick up the pamphlet in our church narthex. Basically, this pamphlet is to help you understand biblical ways of thinking about physical death and talking about it. There is a lot of “popular theology” that tries to answer the question: “What has happened in the death of this person?” Some of the answers may be harmless, but some are wrong and lead to problems that affect our/the faith.

            To give one example, and to whet your appetite: when a person dies we should not say he has “passed into eternal life.” The Bible never says that, nor should we. Rather, Jesus said in John 5:24: Truly, truly, I say to you,hears my word andhim who sent me has eternal life. Henot come into judgment, butpassed from death to life.

In other words, we believers are experiencing eternal life right now. However, it is not eternal life in its fullness. For that we wait for the resurrection! But right now, we need not fear. We have eternal life.

            What we Christians want to bring to the great question of death is biblical hope! We have what the world needs. And what we have to deliver is the Good News of Christ overcoming death. We have the resurrection!

            Blessings as you grow in understanding the biblical hope that is in Jesus, the risen Lord!