We naturally seek to avoid too many thoughts about death. It's dark and depressing--a grievous reality. Whether we consciously recognize this fact or not, we all know that death is not the way it's supposed to be. The fall of Adam, bringing sin into the world, has brought in death through that sin. Our minds don't want to dwell on it.
But at the same time, we all know that death is an inescapable reality. Enochs and Elijahs aside, we understand that ten out of ten people will die. Most who die will do so after a prolonged struggle with some manner of disease, which seems like a terrible proposition until one considers the alternative--dying totally unexpectedly, inducing horrible shock in all those who loved the deceased. Regardless of the means, we know the end--the grave--is certain.
So, we have to think about death. We seek out life insurance, craft our wills, attend funerals, and read the obituaries. But we don't like it.
The gospel of Jesus Christ enters this conversation as a healing balm to our spirits. "It is not death to die," the song says, for the one who has been born from above. As the saved, we know that we are saved from the sting of death--not death itself, but its sting. We look to the cross where Jesus was made a curse for us so that we might live. We believe that as we breathe our last, the eternal life that has already begun keeps on going. We hope for a world without sin, the world that is reserved for those of us who know God.
And this is the message we get to take to a lost and dying world. Death does not need to be death for them, either, if they would only trust in Christ. Would you give someone that hope today?
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