Do You Fear Death?

According to the 2017 "Survey of American Fears" conducted by Chapman University, 1/5 of Americans are "afraid" or "very afraid" of dying.

They give several reasons for their fear of death. I want to focus our attention on only three: The fear of the unknown, the fear of Judgment, and the fear of leaving loved ones behind. I focus on those three fears because they are specifically relevant to our trust – or our lack of trust – in the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Last week I posted a short piece addressing how God simultaneously exercised His mercy and His justice regarding our sins. He punished our sins with the death of His Son – who was our substitutionary sacrifice. And it was by that same death that God displayed His mercy toward us. You can find that essay here: https://tinyurl.com/s5vl3wu 

So, knowing of God’s love and mercy toward us, let’s look first at God’s answer to those who fear death because it conjures for them the unknown. Then we will see what He has to say to those who fear death because they will leave their loved ones behind, and those wo fear judgement. 

You might be surprised to learn that many people – even those who sit in church pews each week – are unsure about what happens after death. For them, eternity is a huge question mark. 

But God gives us enough information about death that we should not fear the unknown. Let’s look only at two texts that speak directly to those who belong to Christ.

Here is what the apostle Paul had to say about death: 2 Corinthians 5:1-8  “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. . . . Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”


Scripture also gives us a glimpse of our new home. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new . . . . And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it . . .  In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; . . . and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 22)

These two passages – and we could look at dozens besides – give us only a glimpse into our eternal destiny. So yes, God has given us enough information throughout His holy word that we can know what awaits the follower of Christ on the other side of the valley of the shadow of death. 

The second reason many have about death is their deep concern about those whom they leave behind. I understand that fear – that concern – because I worry about leaving Nancy behind. 

But what does our Father in heaven – what does our Daddy in heaven have to say that can comfort us and assure us that those we leave behind will be in the palm of His hand? 

He says lots of things about that assurance. Oh, if only we would feed our confidence with His promises. For example, God tells us through His prophet Isaiah: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.” (Isaiah 43)

This promise God gave to Israel has direct application to every child of God who worries about leaving their loved ones behind. Though their tears will sting for a while, God vows to be with them when they journey through their flood of tears, grief, loneliness, and sadness. 

And here is another from Isaiah: “Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4) 

Most everyone reading this knows what it’s like to lose a beloved spouse, or a child, or a parent. As I wrote a moment ago, your tears stung for a while, but in retrospect, has not God taken care of you? When you thought at the time you could not go on, didn’t God carry you and deliver you?  So, do you think He will not do the same for those you love – will He not take care of them when you leave them behind? 

Of course, He will. He vows to never leave any of His children. 

Just as God knows the number of hairs on YOUR head, He also knows the number of hairs on your loved one’s head. Just as God knows what we need before we even ask Him, so He knows what they will need when we are gone.

Listen, nothing will separate our loved ones from God’s love. Nothing – including our death. They will grieve, of course. But God will hover near them, holding them – even when they cannot sense Him. He will guide them, encourage them, keep them, carry them. 

Third, and finally for today, what does Scripture have to say about the fear of judgment? On this subject God also has lots to say. And many people have very good reason to fear the Judgement. 

And that now brings us to today’s text in 1 Corinthians – the bad news for the sinner and the good news for the sinner. 

God tells us through Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth: “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, HCSB) 

Everyone, inside the church and outside the church, regardless of title, wealth, position – everyone who persists in living in rebellion against God’s commandments will, at their death, be cast from God’s presence into an eternal torment, where there will never be hope for a second chance. This destiny is so terrible, so tragic, so dreadful that we should never cease to pray for all people, but especially for our loved ones who are in mortal danger of that destiny. 

But – and this is important – despite the litany of damnable sins Paul cites in the text I just read – the Holy Spirit quickly focuses our attention on the good news in verse 11 – that being Jesus took upon Himself the penalty for their sins – and ours. God promised the penitent Corinthians that He would not punish them because He already punished Jesus for their sins instead. 

Here is what verse 11 tells them: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 

I researched the meaning of the Greek words Paul used in this text and were translated into English. “You were washed,” means the person’s sins were washed away, totally cleansed through their confession and baptism. “You were sanctified,” meaning God purified them from those sins. He Himself pronounced them ‘pure,’ set them apart for His work. He declared them to be holy because they were covered with the sacrificial blood of Jesus. And finally, Paul tells them, “You were justified,” meaning, God pronounced them to be righteous, innocent, and without guilt. 

I know I’ve shared these nuggets of God’s truths with you many times in the past. And I will continue to share them because we so often tend to forget the great gift God has given sinners such as you and I – sanctification, purification, justification – not because of who WE are or what WE have done, but because of who God is and what HE has done. 

But what of who are not washed, sanctified, and justified by their faith in Jesus’ bloody sacrifice? 

Some falsely teach eternal punishment refers only to an eternal separation from God – a rather benign punishment, some might think. But Scripture pictures it quite differently. Those who reject Christ will spend their eternity separated from God in the Lake of Fire. You can find those references in Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:10. 

But back to the good news for those who belong to God through their faith in Jesus: You and I CAN have unqualified confidence in our eternal destiny. We CAN live absolutely assured that when we die, we will find ourselves staring into the loving and smiling face of Jesus our Savior.

Some might think it presumptuous to have such confidence. I say to that accusation it is never presumption to take God at His word. It was He who said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24) 

Neither is it presumption to believe the apostle John who, under the inerrant inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13) 

Our trust in His promise of eternal life is not at all presumption. It’s called faith in a faithful God. 

Child of God through faith in Jesus, do you fear death?  Be not afraid. What lies beyond the valley of the shadow of death is not a great question mark. Scripture gives us enough information that we should have confidence that when we close our eyes in death, we will then open them in the presence of the King of Glory, and of all the holy angels, and of our family and friends who have gone before us into His presence. 

And when we close our eyes in death, we can know for certain our Father in heaven will take care of those we leave behind.

Thanks be to Him from whom all blessings flow.