How Jesus Broke the Two Fangs of Death
Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash
It’s funny how epiphanies can come at the oddest moments, and it’s funny how sensory impressions of the moment can be so distinct decades later. I can still remember it as if it had happened yesterday, even though it happened in a previous century: I was in Dayton, driving south on Wilmington Pike, when it suddenly dawned on me that having grown up in church, learning about the Resurrection of Jesus, trusting Him as my Savior, and being reassured that when this life was over I would be with Him – with all that drummed into me from a young age, I don’t have the same fear of death that hangs over most people.
For people who have no hope in Christ, death’s terrible power lies in the two unanswerable questions it thrusts upon us. These are death’s two fangs.
But if there is continued consciousness after death, the second question can be even more terrifying:
But if I must give an account for my moral actions, how will I be evaluated? Do I have any hope for a good result from that examination?
You can see why I call these questions death’s “two fangs.” The Scripture declares that the answer to both questions is “yes.” Yes, there is something after death, and yes, I must give an account for my life (Heb 9:27). But the Gospel is Good News because of how Jesus has broken both fangs.
In His death, Jesus has broken one of death’s fangs, my fear of shame at my judgment.
His death assures me that when I face accountability for the way I’ve lived my life (and I will), He will be there, His arm around my shoulder. He will declare that He has taken responsibility for all my lust and vanity, my greed and sloth.
His suffering paid the steep price for my sin, and for each of my transgressions, the Firstborn, my dear Brother, will say, “Yes, I paid for that as well.” I love how the hymn puts it: “Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.”
In His resurrection, Jesus has broken death’s other fang, the frightening prospect of extinction.
He blazed the trail through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He went down and into and through the darkness, and He came out on the other side. The glory of His resurrection assures me not just of existence but also of flourishing after I leave this body behind.
This does not mean that Christians have no fear of death. Of course we fear death. For each of us, death will be an altogether new and terrifying experience, much like passage through the birth canal must be for the baby!
Nor does it mean that we don’t grieve when our loved one passes from this life to the next. Of course we grieve. We must adjust to the sad new reality of the rest of this life without someone who was precious to us.
But this does mean that death’s two fangs – our fear of shame and our terror at the prospect of extinction – both of death’s fangs have been broken by the death and resurrection of our Lord.
This is why Paul closes his magnificent discussion of the resurrection of believers on this triumphant note:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:54-58)
The Apostle was right: Since we know that death’s power has been broken, we must persevere.
For people who have no hope in Christ, death’s terrible power lies in the two unanswerable questions it thrusts upon us. These are death’s two fangs.
- Will there be any life after I draw my last breath? For most in the secularized West, this is not a question: it is an accepted fact that no human consciousness continues after death. All I have to look forward to is the cold, black nothingness of non-existence.
But if there is continued consciousness after death, the second question can be even more terrifying:
- Will I face any kind of accountability for the way I’ve lived my life? I want to believe that I live in a morally oriented universe where good and evil are significant categories, with real consequences. If there are no meaningful moral categories, human trafficking and working to feed the hungry are morally equivalent actions. This cannot be.
But if I must give an account for my moral actions, how will I be evaluated? Do I have any hope for a good result from that examination?
You can see why I call these questions death’s “two fangs.” The Scripture declares that the answer to both questions is “yes.” Yes, there is something after death, and yes, I must give an account for my life (Heb 9:27). But the Gospel is Good News because of how Jesus has broken both fangs.
In His death, Jesus has broken one of death’s fangs, my fear of shame at my judgment.
His death assures me that when I face accountability for the way I’ve lived my life (and I will), He will be there, His arm around my shoulder. He will declare that He has taken responsibility for all my lust and vanity, my greed and sloth.
His suffering paid the steep price for my sin, and for each of my transgressions, the Firstborn, my dear Brother, will say, “Yes, I paid for that as well.” I love how the hymn puts it: “Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.”
In His resurrection, Jesus has broken death’s other fang, the frightening prospect of extinction.
He blazed the trail through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He went down and into and through the darkness, and He came out on the other side. The glory of His resurrection assures me not just of existence but also of flourishing after I leave this body behind.
This does not mean that Christians have no fear of death. Of course we fear death. For each of us, death will be an altogether new and terrifying experience, much like passage through the birth canal must be for the baby!
Nor does it mean that we don’t grieve when our loved one passes from this life to the next. Of course we grieve. We must adjust to the sad new reality of the rest of this life without someone who was precious to us.
But this does mean that death’s two fangs – our fear of shame and our terror at the prospect of extinction – both of death’s fangs have been broken by the death and resurrection of our Lord.
This is why Paul closes his magnificent discussion of the resurrection of believers on this triumphant note:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:54-58)
The Apostle was right: Since we know that death’s power has been broken, we must persevere.
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