For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:14,15 — New American Standard Bible)
Death is not a pleasant thought for most people. Thoughts of our own death, or the death of our loved ones are not things that people normally dwell on. We see death in movies, and hear about it on the news, but we don’t come face to face with thoughts of our own mortality unless we receive bad news from a doctor, are shipped off to a warzone, or have a family funeral. And yet, death is a central theme of Christianity. It was the reason that Jesus came to the world, His whole reason for being born as a man — “one died for all, therefore all died”.
We cannot please God or serve Him like He wants us to unless we think about death. Central to our faith is the fear of being lost for eternity, valuing salvation, and doing all we can to ensure this salvation. We cannot be genuine Christians without continually preparing for our last day on earth.
On the other hand, death is nothing for us. The only death that we experience is the death of our flesh, our own will. When we no longer live for ourselves, and live for the Lord Jesus, only at that point can we consider ourselves saved. This is a sign that we have accepted Jesus’ death for us, and that we are in the process of dying for Him… dying to ourselves. Like Romans 12 says: “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship…”
Death is not a word to be avoided. When my mother died close to 20 years ago, I remember being sad for myself but extremely happy for her because I knew that she was with God, where she had always wanted to be. If you are afraid of physical death, or are trying to find a way to avoid dying to your flesh, your connection with God is in serious jeopardy.
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