Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No Separation
When we pass from this life to the next, it will be less than a split second that we’ll be with the Lord. For the believer, death is not the end but only a new beginning and one without end. For all of us who have trusted in Christ, we have eternal life (John 3:16), which no one can take from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). For those who have never repented and trusted in Christ, the fear of death and judgment seems to hang over their heads like a dark cloud, which hangs over them all of their life because they know they will die someday and then face judgment (Heb. 9:27). Believers have no such fear. We have peace with God (Rom. 5:1) because we’ve had our condemnation lifted from us because of what Christ has done (Rom. 8:1). For those who have not yet bent the knee to Christ, God’s wrath still remains on them (John 3:36b).
Made Alive in Christ
In 1 Corinthians 15, we can read about the death sentence that hangs over all mankind but then the life that comes through Jesus Christ. Just as in Adam we are all destined to die, so also in Christ everyone who’s trusted in Him will be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22), which not even death can prevail against. Paul faced death every single day (1 Cor. 15:31) but had the assurance that his mortal body, though destined to die, would be raised in immortality because death had once and for all been defeated in Christ (1 Cor. 15:53-54, 57). So the question is why would you be afraid of death if you know that Christ is there waiting for you?
From Death to Life
Paul wrote to Timothy in his very last letter–knowing that his demise or the time of his death was very near (2 Tim. 4:6-8), and even knowing he was about to die–that he still had great comfort in the knowledge that if he died in this life in Christ, he’d live with Him in the next (2 Tim. 2:11). That’s what the Gospel is all about (1 Tim. 2:8). That’s why it’s called the Good News. Paul had absolute confidence that the moment he left his mortal body, he would be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). As long as believers are in their mortal body, they’re still not in the Lord’s presence (2 Cor. 5:6), but in the moment they die, there’ll be Christ waiting for them to receive them into the kingdom. That’s why Paul was torn between still serving here on Earth and wanting to go home and be with the Lord, because he knew it was a far superior place to be (Phil. 1:23). So once more I ask: Why are you so afraid to die if you know that in the very next moment, Jesus Christ will be there waiting for you with open arms?
A Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father God, You know the time of my death and I don’t. Please calm my fears about death, which are unfounded because Your Word says that the moment I am gone from this life, I am with Christ and that nothing can prevent that from happening. Give me that peace of mind, and in the strong name of Jesus Christ I pray.
Amen
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