How Important is Death?

Death for the Christian is the portal through which the Christian will pass into eternal fellowship with God—we are assured that a life of following Christ and obeying his will, results forever in a life of joy and fulfillment in heaven. But…is it true for everyone or even for many? Not according to the Scriptures. To the eternal discouragement of non-believers, only a few will ever attain that happy outcome.

This question stated in the title of this paper seems strange to many; but, is it a strange question to ask? Just how seriously and realistically does the average man on the street actually consider the prospect of his own death and the death of others around him? I would posit that most people largely disregard the ultimate dangers and blessings of physical death. To hear the ordinary funeral sermon, one would think that everyone on earth is assured of a blissful, eternal life in a wonderful heaven where nothing offends or ever goes wrong. I think that most people today underrate the possibility of entry into hell instead of heaven after they die.

How many times have you heard from the funeral pulpit, these words: “He has now gone to a better place.”? Or, “His was a life well-lived.” These words are mostly lies at the usual funeral. They are spoken to comfort the bereaved relatives and friends. But are they the truth? Those who speak those words should be ashamed of themselves. The Bible clearly says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Yes, “…only a FEW.” We should all think long and hard about that principle of biblical living and physical death.

Nevertheless, multitudes continue to look at their death thinking that since they have been pretty good people in life, God, who is loving and just would never ever send them to hell. I will admit that they are partly right about that: God is not sending them to Hell; they are going there by their own free will. Yet, they continue to fool themselves into a false sense of security about their own deaths.

The fact, according to Jesus is that he is the way, the truth, and the life. The apostle Peter said “…there is no other name given among men by which we should be saved.” The way of salvation is no secret. So, should we wonder how the Bible should make such an absurd statement as that quoted above in the third paragraph from Matthew seventh chapter? Well, to answer that question, just ask yourself some of the following questions about our fellow citizens. How many times have we heard them talking about Jesus in public? How many hours in a typical week do they read his word, the Bible? How often do they go to church? What kind of language do they habitually use? How often do you think they pray; do they pray before meals? Where are their priorities in life? Do their life goals magnify the person and work of Christ?

I would suggest that it seems that most people don’t give a hoot about the Christ—at least, there is no evidence of it in life. So, why should we think that suddenly, after physical death, God is going to honor them by awarding them with adoption into his very family?

The Bible issues a clear call to everyone. The way to eternal life is repentance of sins and faith in the Christ. This obviously means the way to heaven is a public demonstration of a life changed from its natural way of living, which is a sinful life. A life that evidences true belief in Jesus should be the object of our life on planet Earth. Those who would try to excuse their godless behavior by the trite statement, “Just like everyone else, I sin every day in thought, word, and deed.” needs to rethink that lame excuse for bad behavior. Instead, they should be saying in all honesty, I magnify my Savior every day in “thought, word, and deed.” This life is a moral testing ground—its main object is the determination of which way we want to go, i.e., to heaven or to hell. The Bible and the entire Christian life tells us that the object of living is to inform us and encourage us about how to please God by our behavior and how to attain adoption of children into God’s family.

Nobody should become discouraged about these ideas. Today is the day of salvation. It is possible for all of us living on Earth now to come to Christ in a life-saving way. Let’s rethink our self-designed idea that we are all going to heaven when we die. There is a way we can all have a realistic opportunity for true salvation. That way is Christ!