Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. The song, “Because He Lives,” turns 50 this year. Gloria Gaither wrote this well-beloved song back in 1971 after the birth of their third child. Gloria says that she wrote the second verse that begins, “How sweet to hold a newborn baby” about that third child first, then wrote the other two verses. The purpose of the song was to affirm the resurrection of Jesus Christ and to give hope in light of His resurrection. This world is not a stable place, and life isn’t always easy; but the future for believers is settled and secure. Peter calls our future an inheritance in I Peter 1:4 where he writes, “To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” The words, “incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not” in Greek all begin with the same letter and rhyme; Peter was obviously driving home the same point the Gaithers were when they penned, “And then as death gives way to vict’ry, I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.” Yes, life is worth the living and death is worth the dying because He lives!
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