The One who can destroy both soul and body

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

 

Human lives in struggling fear all their life, this would not be a wrong saying. So some people say that fear made man create God and religion. That may sound a quite plausible. But social situation of today looks something differently strange to that case. It is ironic to see that people are running more busy toward the pleasures of the flesh, though they have to find and rely more on God in situations where we suffer from natural disasters and diseases. Then now we must be in a situation worsen than before. At times like this, there will be hope if we find a path of true faith that fears those who governs the soul.

 

Life has to live in activating the body constantly. If someone dislikes to try with sweat in living even for anything, the person should die from the world right now. The Creator God said in Genesis 3:19, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food.” Of course, if we turn a blind eye to that word, we shouldn’t. Also, it is good to work hard but much more important how to work and to do for what. It is very sad to see around many people devote their lives to evil and unjust ways.

Jesus went through all kinds of hardships in life on the earth in order to save the life of all people. And when Jesus sent the disciples to preach the gospel, but He couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Therefore Jesus gave His disciples a clear countermeasure to be able to stand against the difficult situation. That is the words Matthew 10:16, “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” And Jesus gave a promise Matthew 10:22, “The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” They had been the disciples of Jesus, so they had to follow His teachings whether they liked it or not. In front of every people, there is placed at anytime such a two-sided road of inevitability and reality that God gives.

This Bible text shows the theme ‘Don’t be afraid of the world’. People have to work digging the ground and make a living anyway, but some don’t like to work because it is hard. Sometimes they live with talking lie and stealing in a case, because they are hungry just to sustain their body. Life is not easy to live properly, and the other hand fears have a burden to be punished on account of unjust behavior, too. Jesus explained it to His disciples. There would be all kinds of difficulties in doing the mission of the gospel. We can be challenged even by one’s family because of the evangelical mission. Since Adam, many people have been lived as if they were the servants of Satan, so why not? However, Jesus asked the disciples not to be afraid. There are two objects to be afraid of to human. Those who destroy only the body, and the One who destroys both body and soul, these two beings are in front of man. Not a few people may fear those who destroy the body, but some would fear the One who can destroy both soul and body. In case of a man whose spirit is not alive, of course, he will fear those who destroy his body. But those who have the soul of faith in Jesus will naturally fear God. In times of difficulty these days, the reality of personal faith can be evidently uncovered more. That is a case like the refined a gold produced from the gold ore stone in the hot fire.

If they do negligently the mission of Christ on the pretext of one’s living expenses and stay away from the church because of pandemic, could be called really as the parts of the Church, the body of Christ? It’s not the Church what a person sings hymn and prays alone. The Church is an organic assembly that provides the worship every Sunday and performs their mission as Christ’ holy parts. And so-called Internet churches are not desirable in principle. They may just get some help with faith by using the internet. These days, quite a few Christians might habitually think that as if the internet were a solver in faith and the gospel, and they stay alone in their rooms on the Lord’s Day of worship. They don’t often come to chapel and also ignore their own mission, and even take a pride in their own wrong actions. Those appearances are a distinct phenomenon that shows this world getting worse.

 

We should do hard together more to be gathered the Church according to Lord’s order, for the more difficult the more precious it is. Under an emergency situation to fight epidemics, as it is possible, we should develop some ways of gathering assembly, and offer weekly worship on Sunday at least. Sanitary control should be thoroughly conducted, and the meetings other than Sunday worship should be restricted rationally, and the number of attending should be reduced, but the number of worship should be increased. And we should not be afraid of disease, but God the Almighty. Because God is the omnipotent Lord who governs both body and soul.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Dec 13th 2020)