Nothing Is Certain But . . .
January 3, 2019
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV
“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”We’ve all heard the quote, and it has a place in our history and popular culture. The most famous usage of the quote comes from Benjamin Franklin, who touted the phrase after the signing of the Constitution of the United States. The full quote from Ben reads like this: “Our new Constitution is now established and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
The source is a letter that was written from Franklin to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Leroy in 1789. The original quote was spoken by Ben at age 83. Ben was old but still mentally sharp,and probably doing a lot of thinking about his own mortality.Ironically, Franklin died the following year.
God assured us in the Garden of Eden that every human would one day die since sin came into the world through sin. The Hebrew writer elaborates and tells us that Christ came to take away the sins of the world and bring salvation. Through either death or the second coming, our span on this planet will be over, and we will stand before the Lord at the judgment. All people are destined to die, but that’s not the end. Then comes judgment.
Because death is certain, time is short, and our task is urgent, we cannot afford to lose focus. More certain that April 15 is death and the judgment. We want to be ready and help others be ready.
- Ask God to help you have a healthy focus, enjoying today but remembering death is coming.
- Ask God to help you live without fear of tomorrow, but urgently focused on His love for you and the world.