2:14
We have here an explicit statement of the importance of the humanity of Jesus. We are flesh and blood, so Jesus, our Saviour, shared in our humanity so that He could win the victory for us. The Greek actually says “blood and flesh” rather than “flesh and blood”, thus putting the emphasis on His sacrifice and death. So Jesus broke the power of death, and the power of him who holds the power of death. Hebrews identifies that person as the devil. Now it might strike us as a little odd that the devil has the power of death. However, in Matt 10:28 Jesus tells us not to fear him who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Satan does have some power to use death, and he has been doing so throughout the world for many years, but that death has “lost its sting” (1 Cor 15:55).
2:15
Jesus has broken the power of death that Satan holds, and in doing so frees those (ie us) who were held in slavery by the fear of death. We need to understand what had happened here, and what has not happened. People still die. You and I will die, unless Jesus returns in our lifetime (which He may or may not do), but death no longer holds any fear. Why not? Two reasons are: (i) death is not the end; (ii) we need no longer fear what comes next.
Jesus died, but He was raised to life, never to die again. Death is not the end, it is not the final word. Just as Jesus was raised, so He will raise us. Nor need we fear what comes next. Without Christ we would rightly fear facing judgement, knowing what the verdict would be. But through the cross we are justified, declared innocent.
There is no longer any reason for the believer to fear death.
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