[What follows is a short and hopefully edifying encouragement for believers to treat death biblically and provide Christ-centered encouragement to those who are grieving]
So often when someone dies folks comfort themselves by saying things like, “they lived a good and long life”. While this may be true, often times we use a phrase like this to mitigate the pain and sting of death. Even as Christians we can fall into a posture that surrenders to death as if it is natural and as a result, accept it as ok. However, when we read the Bible we do not see death as something natural but as something that has invaded God’s good creation. In fact, the Bible presents death in terms that are almost adviseral; even calling it an enemy.
When God made the world, he pronounced it ‘good’, in fact, in Gen. 1.31, God says it is ‘very good’. Humanity along with the rest of creation were living in accordance with God’s design, that is to give God pleasure. There are no things such as death or mourning, but only joy; for it is here that God is enjoyed and humanity’s number one desire is to please God.
Shortly after this creation, we see the great garden rebellion take place. Within God’s rule over his own creation there were certain parameters. In rebellion humanity ignored what God has said and did what we wanted to do; seeking pleasure outside of God, namely sin. Sin infuriates God because it is an attack on his character. We often look at sin as it relates to others, and sin does affect others, however, it is primarily an attack against our Creator. Sin at its heart is a disagreement with God over what he says is good, it is to seek pleasure outside of God. Sin is more than just a disagreement or an argument, it is a declaration of war. It is to tell the King that he is wrong and we are right.
As you know this rebellion neither went unnoticed nor unpunished. God himself being just and righteous had to punish sin, so in his justice, he judged. And as the Scripture says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5.12)
God also says that “the wages, (or the paycheck) of sin is death” (Rom. 6.23). This judgment of God is seen very clearly when someone dies. For when we are thinking biblically we understand that the physical death we mourn at funerals are at their core a result of rebellion against God, a rebellion which none of us are exempt.
Another dreadful way in which sin has dreadfully affected each of us is through what the Bible teaches as spiritual death. This means that we are incapable of earning God’s favor. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul tells us that “we were dead in trespasses and sin”. This position is particularly troubling because we cannot get ourselves out of it. In fact, you can do no more to get yourself out of spiritual death than you can natural death.
The final way in which God deals with our sin is what is called eternal death (Rev. 20.14-15). The Bible teaches that hell lasts forever. This is because one sin against God, since he is eternal, brings an eternal penalty.
However, there is One who has defeated this dreadful enemy. There is One who has the power to destroy death completely. There is One who is able to give humanity relief from death. And this is the good news, this is the encouragement, the hope, the truth and if received and not rejected, it too is the joy, even in the face of death.
The Lord Jesus Christ, himself eternal God, at a point in time put on human flesh, and as the Bible says, he took on the form of a bond-servant. Jesus said he did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mk. 10.35). How did he serve? Well he without obligation lived a perfect life. He loved God perfectly and he obeyed God perfectly. This he did as a substitute for sinners like you and me. See, because of sin and spiritual death we don’t love and obey God perfectly and this is why there is death.
Jesus said that he served in giving his life as a ransom. A ransom in the biblical culture was a price paid to one who had the power to free, often times it referred to slaves. Well we being slaves to sin are in need of a ransom that we have no means to pay!
Jesus, being perfect, not only lived a perfect life but he died a perfect death. He willingly marched to the cross to give his life for sinners. If death is unnatural for us how much more for God!! As Stephen Charnock said, “How dreadful is sin that God must bleed to cure it?!”
On the cross, Jesus, as the Bible says, ‘was made sin on our behalf’ this means that though he never sinned he was treated with all of the judgment that is due a sinner like me and like you. God’s kind, loving, and gracious purpose in this is that he might forgive and free from death all those who trust in Jesus. See Jesus was treated as a sinner (though he was perfect!!) that God might justly treat sinners like us as perfect (even though we are imperfect)!! Jesus’ merit is charged to our account. And before Jesus died, he shouted, “It is finished!” the debt was paid and death was defeated for those who trust in him.
Let me quote Jesus on a couple of occasions:
John 8:51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Nobody says things like this. You either lock someone like this up as crazy, or you bow down and worship him as King. There is no middle ground.
Sin is devastating. When death comes it does testify to this. However, as bad as sin and death are, all need to know that it has been defeated by the glorious Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is calling all people, for as many who are afflicted by and with death to come to him for forgiveness for their sin, in doing so, to drop any attempts to earn God’s favor by religion or morality, and to esteem his perfect death as the only means of salvation from death.
When death comes it stings; and the sting has a purpose. Death is to remind us of our sin, God’s righteousness, and the impending appointment before the bar of justice. Therefore, we as believers are to be people who do not try to mitigate the pain of death with sentimental and fluffy encouragements that will not bring true comfort, instead we are to hold forth the Savior, the Lord Jesus who alone has defeated death and offers life and true comfort to those who will come to him. It is here and here alone that the grieving heart may be comforted and truly brought to joy even in the midst of pain.
