The threatening presence of a deadly virus has forced many to face up to the reality of death and its consequences.
Ready to go
A morbid subject, perhaps, which most of us spend all our lives trying to avoid (Heb 2:15). The Bible tells us that death is followed by judgment (Heb 9:27), another grim thought to dwell on. But, oh, the freedom of sins forgiven and assurance of eternal life through the sacrificial death on our behalf of Jesus our Lord!
Such was the happy predicament of my dear father-in-law as he passed peacefully into the Lord’s presence shortly before being able to celebrate his 89th birthday. He certainly looked as one at perfect peace when we entered his room shortly after he died, and we recalled how often he had assured us that he was ready to go, and totally trusting the Lord. How true is the Scripture that declares, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants!” (Ps 116:15)
Keeping the faith
Only the gospel can do this. Life is fragile. Death occurs, sometimes without warning, among both young and old, none of whom will escape judgment for their sins without trusting in the blood of Jesus. The ancient Israelites were spared the lives of their first-born and set free from slavery by marking the blood of a sacrificial lamb on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt. Christ our Saviour is the ultimate fulfilment of that deliverance.
With the Tokyo Olympics in full swing, my father-in-law John earned a place on God’s podium, and could truly say, with Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim 4:7f). I am not at liberty to go into details, but John had a faith tested in the fire, and of greater worth than gold (1 Pet 1:7).
Death occurs, sometimes without warning, among both young and old, none of whom will escape judgment for their sins without trusting in the blood of Jesus.
The prophet Isaiah, in comparing our lifespan to that of the grass and flowers of the field, reminds us that we are here today and gone tomorrow (Isa 40:6-8). But the word of the Lord endures forever, along with those who have trusted him. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25f).
Lesson from Lewis
C. S. Lewis has pointed out that death is something that people from every age have had to face. As a South African friend asked, what might the famed author say of our new Covid situation? Well, here’s what he said in 1948 about the mental shift required by living with the threat of the atomic bomb:
“We think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. ‘How are we to live in an atomic age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘Why, as you would have lived in the 16th century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, syphilis, paralysis, air raids, railway and motor accidents.’
“In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented; and quite a high percentage of us are going to die in unpleasant ways… It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.
“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”1
Fear or faith
The point is, are we ready to meet our Maker and face judgment? As Robin Mark put it in song: “When it’s all been said and done, there is just one thing that matters, Did I do my best to live for truth, Did I live my life for You?”2
The lady rector of John’s church assured us that he was the “real deal” – that his faith was truly genuine. Are we the real deal? We are all presented with a choice: to live our lives in fear or faith, in peace or disharmony, in the abundance of life that Jesus offers or in rebellion against God and judgment to come for sins unforgiven because we have not availed ourselves of the cleansing blood of the Jewish Messiah.
We are all presented with a choice: to live our lives in fear or faith, in peace or disharmony, in the abundance of life that Jesus offers or in rebellion against God and judgment to come for sins unforgiven.
How we die is often a reflection of how we lived. My late wife Irene, as she suffered agony in her last days, was nevertheless able to lift her arms in worship and adoration of her Saviour. Author and Anglican priest Simon Ponsonby writes: “Certainly anyone who has sat with the dying, as I have, will know that those who die without faith in Christ often die in fear.” He also cites the record of how atheist philosopher Voltaire died a terrible death, according to the nurse who tended him. “For all the wealth in Europe I wouldn’t want to see another unbeliever die,” she is quoted as saying. “All night long he cried out for forgiveness.”3
Never too late
In light of this last fact, perhaps he too, like the dying thief on the cross beside Jesus, was ultimately welcomed into paradise. For while ever we have breath, it is never too late. My own mum was greatly troubled in her last days – until I was able to lead her in a prayer trusting the blood of Jesus to cleanse and wash away all guilt and sins of the past.
So, do not let the fear of death rob you of peace, both in this life and the one to come. Trust in Jesus, and you will live and die in peace, in the certain knowledge of being raised up again to everlasting joy beyond all you could imagine (1 Cor 2:9).
Endnotes
1. C. S. Lewis, “On Living in an Atomic Age” (1948), in ‘Present Concerns: Essays by C.S. Lewis’, Harcourt 1986, pp.73–80.
2. Robin Mark, ‘When it’s All Been Said and Done’, 2006.
3. Simon Ponsonby, ‘God Is For Us: 52 Readings From Romans’, Monarch Books, 2016, p.120.