Do the math!

Do the math
There was a statement made on Issues, Etc. the other day that caused me to stop what I was doing, drop my jaw, and say “Whoa.” I pondered the statement and on reflection, the sentiment was stunning in its accuracy.
Here’s what I heard: “If you are born once, you die twice. If you are born twice, you die once.”
Get it? It’s the kind of math that is not taught in schools, but it is the math that ultimately matters. In our Christian religion, there are some numbers that count, three and forty being numbers that show up numerous times in both Testaments of the Bible.
This equation is rather interesting. And with the inclusion of birth and death, the interest is increased. Everyone is born, and at some point, everyone will die. Those events are the great equalizers in life. From the highest to the lowest, everyone enters this world a screaming ball of messiness. And, everyone has a terminal illness called life. Our heart will stop beating and we will breathe our last.
And if we are paying attention to the culture in which we live, there are quite a few people who do not acknowledge the Lord and His love. Many people live in opposition to God and spend their lives being their own god and trying to figure out how to save themselves. They run from death and spend their days searching for their own immortality in pills, vaccines, diets, and exercise programs.
They are born, but they are never born again through the glory, the beauty, the holy mystery of baptism. To countless people, Holy Baptism is nothing but a meaningless ritual. It is merely water. It is just something to make the grandparents feel good. It is something that has to be done. It is something that has no significance whatsoever.
And from an egocentric perspective…that’s absolutely right. It is just water. It does not carry a lot of significance. It does make Grandma and Grandpa happy. It is a nice occasion for pictures to be taken.
But Baptism is not egocentric, it is theocentric. It is God’s doing, God at work. We remember our Catechism lessons that baptism is not merely water, but water connected to the Word of God. And baptism carries God’s promise. The promise of forgiveness is there. The promise of regeneration sustains the baptized child of God. And the doorway to heaven stands wide open.
Those who are born but are not born of water and the Word will die twice. Huh? Christians believe what Jesus says, and what Jesus says is that He is coming back. In the Nicene Creed we state our belief in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. This means that Jesus Christ is coming back, and when He comes, He will raise me and all the dead and give eternal life to me and all believers. Notice the distinction? All the dead, Christians and non-Christians, will be raised. Who is raised to eternal life? Only the believers. The non-believers will be raised in order to receive their judgment of everlasting death. They will die twice.
You will not die twice. By God’s declaration, by God’s grace, the believers in Jesus who have been born twice will be raised so that God’s glorious invitation can ring in their ears- Enter into eternal rest. Enjoy the unending feast. All is ready and prepared. The believer will only die once.
Stunning, isn’t it? When I heard that, it took my breath away for a split second. And I’m glad that it did. It’s important to remember what is awaiting us. God has prepared such unbelievable goodness for His children. And God supplies us with the strength and comfort that we need for our living and for our dying.