1 Peter 4:6
For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

The message of the gospel is a message of grace, hope, and transformation. The power of the gospel stops a person in their tracks, causes them to realize their sin, and turns them to God. The gospel is not about being born into a Christian home, going through catechism, attending church, or being a good moral person. It is about life transformation. Describing a person who applies the power of the gospel to his/her life, Paul says, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The message of the gospel is not only for this life. Trust in this truth carries us from our human earthly state to our spiritual, heavenly home. Even if the believer is judged by others, and that judgment results in physical death, the human verdict is reversed by the eternal God. Sin itself, and sometimes the sin of humanity, will kill the body, but the ultimate consequence of sin will be overturned by the final Judge who replaces death with life.

The message of the gospel is the message of Jesus Christ, who “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18a). Jesus, himself, was “put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18b). Those who follow Jesus follow him through death to eternal life.

Father, thank you that the message of the gospel trumps sin and death. Thank you for the promise of eternal life. Thank you that death, whether by natural causes or at the hand of others, cannot separate us from your love demonstrated in Christ Jesus. In our Savior’s name, we pray. Amen.