The conscience and the fear of death

My purpose in writing this blog is to show that Christianity and metaphysics are not mutually exclusive. That is why I am comfortable being inclusive with various forms of spirituality and religious practice. Jesus of Nazerath offers a unique solution to one of life's biggest fears. That is the fear of the uncertainty of death, the grave, and the afterlife. I want to clearly separate myself from those who see that the death of Jesus was substitutionary to satisfy God. The substitutionary aspect of the death, burial and ultimate resurrection of Jesus was to aleviate the fear of death. The writer of Hebrews explains that the fear of death is a slave master.

There is a name for the fear of death and it is thanatophobia. It manifests itself in many ways. It produces anxiety, panic attacks, heart pulpitations and a myriad of other symptoms. This seems to affect all people whether or not they are religious. It seems to manifest most in people from the age of 20 years forward, and tends to lessen in people as they grow older. Still, it affects a large share of older individuals that tend to fear the process. It results from feelings of lack of control. And it also greatly affects the younger family members of older people. 

In the most severest of cases it can produce anger, agitation, persistant worry, guilt, and deep sadness. Certainly, it is a pyschological issue that can be treated with information. However, there is great solace and comfort in the metaphyisical and spiritual realm. While a lot of mainstream orthodox and evanglical dogma can add to the problem, especially of guilt and worry, a deeper understanding of who we really are as eternal spiritual beings can be very helpful in aleviating the symptoms and helping one to find peace.

As the blog suggests, I am a Christ follower. I have a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus and actually communicate with him on a daily basis and it is reciprical as he communicates back to me. He is constantly reminding me of his love for me and that in Him I and the Father are one. I am confident in the fact that Jesus and the Father will not relegate any part of humanity to eternal torturous punishment and conversely has reconciled all, justified all, and has made all eternal. That is certainly what the apostle Paul really teaches in his writings. There is not enough room on this blog post to prove it but I will give a link to another one of my blogs that offers reasonable and logical proof. You can find that post here if you are interested.

But back to the topic at hand, the fear of death and the conscience. The writer of Hebrews explains that one of the reasons that Jesus, the Word of God incarnated was to overcome death. Heb 2:14-15  "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,  (15)  and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death."  This simply means that Jesus was willing to take on human flesh to die to prove that we are eternal humans. He had such faith in the Father that he was willing to die knowing that the Father would raise him from the dead.

But it was more than that. It was also to cleanse the conscience. The conscience plays a big role in thanatophobia. It is the fear of wondering about retributive justice. The conscience imagines that we may deserve some form of punishment for our deeds here on planet earth. Therefore, humanity creates religions to list a set of principles that will pay the price for our misdeeds and guide us into a better way of living. But, Jesus taught that the way to live was a way of love. It was agape/love, God's love. It was to love the other as we love ourselves. What can produce this agape love within us? The truth is that one powerful way was in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazerath. The writer of Hebrews put it this way: Heb 9:14  "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!" That is why Jesus was willing to die. It was not to appease an angry God. It was to cleanse the conscience so the fear of death could be eliminated in victory over death.

The scripture explains that Satan is the accuser of the sisters and brothers. I believe it is very similar to the cartoonish little selves on each shoulder wispering in the ear. Satan is that voice within ourselves that accuses; says we are inadequate, that there is no way God loves us. But, we can overcome that voice by the understanding that God loved us so much that he was willing to take on mortality just to prove we are eternal. That love brings peace which is the antidote to thanatophobia. And as a bonus, that love allows and enables us by the indwelling divine nature to love others, serve others just as we love and serve ourselves.