Death: The Christian's Graduation

As you study salvation, you see different components. For instance, God's election and predestination, though not widely discussed in Christian circles because of its potentially divise nature, regeneration and justification and glorification and sanctification and even other components are clearly expressed in scripture. One component of salvation that is clearly expressed in scripture and experienced by all people is death. Consider these verses:

Psalm 116:15 - Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.

1 Corinthians 15:50 - Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 - The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:38-39 - For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

All of these verses indicate a dignity for death that moves from finality to but a transition from this existence into an eternal existence. In truth, the Bible communicates that all people possess immortality. Everyone will live forever! This life, then, isn't about attaining sinless perfection or some kind of mystical bliss! This life is really about determining your eternal destination - Heaven or Hell. For those who reject Jesus, they possess their immortality in a place of torment and punishment. For the Christian, though, his / her immortality is spent in the presence of God.

When a Christian dies, s/he passes from life unto life, fellowship unto fellowship and blessing unto blessing. When I die, I will leave the abundant life that God has given to each Christian to take full possession of the eternal life that belongs to each Christian. When I die, I leave the imperfect fellowship I have with God through Christ and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit to become the recipient of unhindered fellowship with God in a sinless environment (heaven) where I will behold the face of God. When I die, I leave the temporal blessings of this life to take full possession of those eternal blessings God has for his children. Death, then, from a Christian perspective can only be understood as graduating from one level to another.

Have you ever considered this: In order for a Christian to enter into the joy of the Lord, he must die. In his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus plucked the stinger out of death so that its power was removed. Though death brings separation and fear, the end result is our reunion with Jesus. Not only are we reunited with Jesus, but we are reunited with our friends and loved ones who have followed Christ and died in Him. For these reasons, death should not be understood as the end. In more ways than one, death is the beginning. More accurately, though, death is but a graduation service from life to another, from one glory to another and from one blessing to another. Truly, precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his godly ones!