Day by Day with Martin Luther

Read: Nehemiah 7:5-65 Revelation 2:8-11

“Our God of the Living”

“I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.”
[Psalm 118:117]

Whenever, in the Psalter or the rest of Holy Scripture, the saints deal with God concerning comfort and help in their need, eternal life and the resurrection of the dead are certainly involved. All such texts belong to the doctrine of the resurrection and eternal life. In fact, they belong to the Third article of the Apostles Creed [the Holy Christian Church the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins]. And it all flows out of the First Commandment, where God is telling us that He is truly our God [Exodus 20:2]. This Third article of the Creed emphasizes, that while Christians might deplore the fact that they must suffer and die in this life, they are comforted with another life – that is – life with God in eternity. In truth, it is not possible for a child of God to totally die, and not live again in eternity. For one thing, the One true God on whom they rely, and in whom they trust will never die. Christ tells us that He is a God of the living, not of the dead and of those who are no more [Matthew 22:32]. And so – we must live forever; otherwise, He would not be our God. For us, then, death remains to be nothing more than a little sleep.