Physical Life & Safety

By Arthur J Licursi

This temporal physical life is precious. Being born into this world lost and alienated from God, our human life affords us the bridge of time toward crossing into eternity. We have this time on earth in which we may to come to union with God and enter eternity with Him in whom there is peace, rest and joy for our souls.

Thus God has made certain that every person comes into the world knowing there is a God and they have an inner driving sense that they need to know God. This is why man, not the animals, has been the creature who sought to worship various idols; the sun, graven images, totem poles.

Romans 1:19-22 (AMP) For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them.

²⁰ For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification],

²¹ Because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.
²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves].

Yet, there is hope, even while we all go wrong for some time before we go right. It’s this inner sense in man that was and is intended by God to draw men to Him, that they might receive the eternal life that may be gained by receiving He who is the eternal life – “the Spirit of life (Gk., zoe, the eternal spirit life) in Christ Jesus.”

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life (eternal): no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us (the believers) eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² He that hath the Son hath life (eternal); and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (eternal).

No man can count on physical safety in this world, for the simple reason that, apart from bombs and death by an incident, it simply “is appointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27). Simply put, the moment we are physically born into this world we begin the race toward physical death, and death always finally wins. No man knows the day of his death.

Actually, physical safety is not most important anyway. It is not so much death that men fear as the thought that death might usher them into the presence of God.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

But even this need not be feared if we have come to “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” ( Rom. 5:1). The Apostle Paul, who once was a lost, self-righteous, Pharisaical religious leader, came to trust the Jesus Christ he had persecuted and now proclaimed: “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (I Tim. 1:15).

Having thus been saved from sin by faith in Christ, he had no fear of death. Indeed, he could say: “For, to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” and “to depart and be with Christ... is far better” (Phil. 1:21, 23).

Many today fear what our government may become and the expected coming persecution of Christians that we already see beginning in the world and even in our own beloved land of the USA . But, why should a Christian shudder with fear at those things which are so frightening to others in our day? Our Lord said to His disciples:

“I say unto you, My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do” (Luke 12:4).

No, the true believer needs not fear, for he is safe in Christ, not only in this life, but forever.

“He that believeth on the Son [of God] hath EVERLASTING LIFE” (John 3:36).

It helps us to remember Paul’s words. 2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.