The New Testament presents a view of death that is very different from the majority of the world’s population. Christians are under obligation to by degrees remove worldly thinking—and death is one of the ways that Christians are most tempted with the sin of worldliness. When a man becomes a believer, when he experiences a second birth, when he is called, when the Father draws him, when new life comes in and expels the death, then his thinking about death must change in 6 ways.
- Jesus Christ desired His people to leave this world.
John 17:24
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
The Son of God desires that all those given by the Father to the Son would be with Him. There are only two ways for a believer to have this statement fulfilled today: Either Jesus will return and so we will forever be with our Lord, or the Christian must die.
Christians should desire what Jesus desired. So we should desire above all else to be with Him where He is. To desire this is to desire all things that necessarily bring this about, and that means to desire—in some sense—death.
- Godly men desire death.
Philippians 1:20-23
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
1 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. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
Romans 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
Do we have the spirituality of the apostle? Do we desire to depart? Is death a gain in our eyes? Do we groan for the next life? Do we prefer to be absent from our bodies? Can we talk the way he talked? Do we see our only reason to stay on earth as a chance to build up the church?
Not only did the Spirit inspire these words, but these two passages both state and restate the theme so that the mind of the Spirit in this matter is very clear. Further, these epistles were written when he was between 55 and 65 years old. He had time to reflect on life, and after writing it once to the Corinthians he wrote it again and again very clearly so that there would be no doubt about his eagerness to die.
- Godly men have no unique preference to live more than to die.
Acts 20:24 But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself,
Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Romans 14:8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
Paul did not try to live longer though he had not yet broken 70 years. He hoped to see Christ, to receive a reward, and to live in Heaven (4:8, 18).
2 Peter 1:14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
Peter also was told that he would die, and yet he records no hesitation, no request for prayer, and no reference to live a longer life. Stephen died praying, but he did not pray to be healed or delivered.
- We are not afraid of death.
Hebrews 2:15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?”
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
- We view death as a kind of sleep.
“Lazarus is asleep,” Jesus told his disciples, and again, “The damsel is not dead, but sleeps.” Stephen fell asleep. Church members at Corinth fell asleep. Paul called death sleep 3 times when writing to the Thessalonians. This is more than a polite way to talk; waking from sleep is a Christian metaphor of resurrection, the briefness of the grave, and the passing nature of death.
If this is really what death is, then it ought not to be feared or particularly shunned, unless to do so would be laziness. Some men sleep when they should be working. If we are called to serve our families and our churches, then we must be wide awake, fully committed to the work, and in no way encouraging the drowsiness that may come over us.
Let us keep our bodies healthy. Let us stay safe and protect life. Let us labor with every breath for every day that God permits. But if His calendar marked our deaths for today, it is merely sleep that a good Father put on the agenda for His beloved child.
- We are looking forward to the next life.
More than a dozen times, Hebrews says things like “the next world” or “looking for a city whose builder is God,” or “a better country” and a “kingdom which cannot be shaken.” Jesus returns only for those who are looking for Him (Heb. 9:28).
You must set your heart on things above, not on things on the earth, because you are already dead (Col. 3:1-2).
If you love either the world or its stuff, you are not a Christian (1 John 2:15).
It has already been prophesied that we will not only be hated and persecuted (John 15:18-21), but killed (Luke 21:16; Rev. 6:11).
The entire flow of the NT is toward the next world, not this one. What can we logically deduce from this?
Our minds and hearts should be very glad to enter the next world. But since there are only two entrances to that world, let us look eagerly for either of them. Jesus’ return is our blessed hope (Tit. 2:13), and death is a more difficult yet still effective doorway to reach what we really want.
Conclusions
- Unbelievers do not see death this way.
They cannot see death this way because they secretly know and hate God. He is to them the greatest Terror. They have no hope, and so despair ties them as a rope. They must be objects of our pity. We must run to them, not walk. We must hazard any risk since their doom is certain.
- Believers may judge their love for God in part by their views of death.
The heart loves correctly when he is eager at any cost to reach his Savior. Death is therefore a minor disturbance, and even something to be anticipated. This door brings us to the permanent world, the real life, and the presence of our Savior.
Far from making us lazy, such a view would make us poor out a torrent of prayers, money, and sons to the mission field. Why not? If nothing is so real as the next world, if death is a log to be leapt over by grace before entering the real path, then who would not devote himself to a few brief years of service?
But far more than this, if we are able to see death this way, the faith that gives us such eyes, would also send us with the speed of sunbeams to the darkest places. “Death, I fear thee not, but rather welcome thee when my Master is pleased to end my labors.”
