God is the one who Alone must really suffer the loss of life. To come to this conclusion, let’s try to think about this topic having forgiveness and God’s wish for the continuance of life in mind.

For God to forgive, means that He gives life in the face of sin. God overpowers sin with His very person which is perceived as weak to the unbeliever but is really love. The power of God to do this is revealed to be perfect through His Son Jesus. In the weakness of His humanity, when through death He loved humanity, He condemned sin. (see Romans 8:3). God does not want to suffer our loss; therefore, He fights for us through Jesus. This is the way of God… giving life. His enduring nature supplies relational open-hearted sacrifice that makes a place for mercy. Whereas judgment based on law alone demands punishment; resulting in loss and in death. Nevertheless, with God, there is always first an offer of mercy. The eternal death that results from sin is unnecessary for human beings. Since we can surrender to God’s mercy and there need not be the loss of life.

Seems to me, that the loss of life, is God’s loss and His intent is the only undeserved true loss.

Scripture tells us God is unwilling to lose any soul, but wishes all the have life in Jesus (see 2 Peter 3:9). So, since God does not deliberately have in mind death for unrepentant humans who live in sin, their loss of life is God’s loss of a relationship. This is a relationship that God desired to have in an everlasting manner. God wants to be free of any loss. I am pointing to the fact we human beings lose nothing… it is all gain for us since even life itself is a free gift that God alone possesses and gives. Life is God’s, not ours. When we take ownership of our lives through God-given free will, we seal our fate to suffer a total loss of life. The life lived was a gain for the person who lived it, but God’s loss because that relationship never finds fulfillment in communing with Him.

We human beings focus and worry so much about what we come to have and lose in our lives that we do not give due respect to God. He alone possesses life in Himself and as sovereign shares it with us. He cares or worries for us if you will. What can our self-concern add to God’s care for us? I did not say we need not be responsible, but rather, we need not worry. Of course, there is a reason to be concerned about our quality of life, but we need not worry about the loss of life. We need not pursue self-gain, but rather pursue the nature of God. I am saying, let us focus on relating to God more than maintaining our present fading bodily concerns. True life is to know the person of God as revealed in Jesus Christ (God Himself) because everything else just ends in death (see Matthew 6:22-34 and Matthew 16:24-26). The loss of life for the unbeliever is a total loss of life for them, but also for God. It is His loss because they cease having a relationship with the Possessor of Life. The real loss here is with God! He loses because it was God who gave the life!

On the other hand, for the believer in Christ, the life they have is in Christ and what is gained is everything that God desires. What does God desire? Namely, relationship. Humans can never own life because life is God’s alone, but God will share the life in Himself through a relationship in Christ, the Lord of Life. In Christ life results in continuance (see John 3:16: Romans 6:23: John 10:10).

In conclusion, whatever we do God has the victory or put another way, has the life. But to reject God thwarts lasting relationship which is God’s desire and a loss he bares forever, it not being His will to force himself on us. So, as beings created in His image, we can use our God-given status in a way that hurts God or in a manner of gratitude and hopefully love towards God. We have all grieved God, but there need not be a loss of life if we believe in Jesus Christ.  The good news is that the person who confesses sin, in a spirit willing to learn the better way of living (see John 14:6) and keeps that attitude in loyalty to Christ, gains God’s desire for a lasting relationship. Relationship of course under God’s headship resulting in God living out the fullness of His life. HIS LIFE.

BMD