No Fear of Death

A curious fascination, to me, anyway, has been an emerging attitude of many Christians toward death. By that I mean I am surprised by how often I find the Christian – even the “committed” Christian – posture, attitude and response toward death indistinguishable from those who live without Christ. And, I don’t understand it. Oh, I guess I do understand the response in the sense that death can provide a Rorschach test for our faith and the framework through which we view life. But all to often, I find that what is revealed is a far cry from a biblically informed faith and understanding of life and death. I spoke with one couple this week – both “committed” Christians – who told me that Easter held no joy for them because it was the anniversary of the death of a loved one.

Isn’t Christ’s death and the defeat of death at the very heart of the Gospel?

I’ve thought about that this week, and about the number of Christians I have met who have been undone by death and whose response to death has looked far more hopeless than Christian and I wonder, why? We posses in our hands a Book of hope and promise – do we not believe the words? There resides within in us – if we are in Christ – a Spirit who gives witness to our inheritance in Christ – are we deaf to His words? Hebrews 2.15-15 (among many other verses) tells us this:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

I read those words and I thought of the radically different point of view regarding death held by the New Testament writers. I fear we – Christians – are in danger of losing something important, something that has undergirded the life of the Christian for two millenia.   What hope do we have if Christ has not truly conquered sin and death?  And if we have such a hope why is it so easily abandonded in the face of our personal experience of death?

Charles Spurgeon writing on the topic of death offers this culture-challenging perspective:

O child of God, death hath lost its sting, because the devil’s power over it is destroyed.  Then cease to fear dying. Ask grace from God the Holy Ghost, that by an intimate knowledge and a firm belief of thy Redeemer’s death, thou mayst be strengthened for that dread hour.  Living near the cross of Calvary thou mayst think of death with pleasure, and welcome it when it comes with intense delight. It is sweet to die in the Lord: it is a covenant-blessing to sleep in Jesus.  Death is no longer banishment, it is a return from exile, a going home to the many mansions where the loved ones already dwell.  The distance between glorified spirits in heaven and militant saints on earth seems great; but it is not so.  We are not far from home—a moment will bring us there.  The sail is spread; the soul is launched upon the deep.  How long will be its voyage?  How many wearying winds must beat upon the sail ere it shall be reefed in the port of peace?  How long shall that soul be tossed upon the waves before it comes to that sea which knows no storm?  Listen to the answer, “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.” Yon ship has just departed, but it is already at its haven.  It did but spread its sail and it was there. Like that ship of old, upon the Lake of Galilee, a storm had tossed it, but Jesus said, “Peace, be still,” and immediately it came to land. Think not that a long period intervenes between the instant of death and the eternity of glory.  When the eyes close on earth they open in heaven.  The horses of fire are not an instant on the road.  Then, O child of God, what is there for thee to fear in death, seeing that through the death of thy Lord its curse and sting are destroyed? and now it is but a Jacob’s ladder whose foot is in the dark grave, but its top reaches to glory everlasting.