Senior Pastor, the Chapel Scott Chapman

I recently attended a funeral with a friend. There is something about funerals that make you slow down and think a little more carefully about life. They remind us of our own fleeting mortality and ultimate end. They make us wonder how we will face the close of our life. Will we be satisfied that we lived well, accomplished the call on our lives and loved those around us? Or will we question our legacy, regret our choices and agonize over lost years? Most of us, I imagine, will land somewhere in between.

Death is a great equalizer. Wealth, prestige, accomplishment and popularity fade in its presence. In the end, we are what we were in the beginning – a human being; no more, no less.

Death brings with it some deep questions.

• Is this life all there is or is there life after death?
• Is there a moral reckoning for the life we’ve lived?
• Why do things have to die?
• How should I live in light of the reality of death?

Many people are surprised to find out that death and the suffering that goes with it were not part of God’s original creation. Rather, it was a ramification of our rebellion against God. The Bible tells us that all of us have abandoned God and rebelled against His authority. This is what the Bible calls sin (Genesis 3, Romans 3), and it is what led to our experience of death. God grieves the reality of death and He mourns with those who have suffered loss.

The Bible also tells us that there is more to life than our earthly existence. In fact, we all are eternal beings created in the image of God, destined to live forever. From that perspective, we realize that a couple of million years from now, the 80-some years or so we spent living in a fallen, imperfect, pain-filled world will seem much farther away and somehow smaller. There is comfort and hope in eternity.

Again, the Bible tells us that our lives will be evaluated by God – but not in the way most people think. As a boy, I imagined a great scale that would weigh every good deed against every bad thing I did. In reality, no justice system works like that. When we go before the judge for a speeding violation, he isn’t interested in our good deeds because they don’t pertain to the issue – whether we broke the law or not. This is a disquieting reality for all of us because all of us have done things we know are wrong. Some are small wrongs, some not so much. Ultimately, however, we are all guilty.

But that’s where Jesus comes in. He died in our place. He paid the penalty for our sin. The Christian has no hope in religion, holds no confidence in rule-keeping nor rituals, but places their faith solely on the person of Christ for their eternity with God. Jesus died for everyone (2 Corinthians 5.14) and desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Heaven and Hell are not separated on the basis of human morality or capacity but on the basis of faith in Christ.

Death can teach us how to live. It can show us what is truly important – taking time to love others, honoring God with all that we are and doing our best to live in light of eternity. What kind of feelings does the thought of death evoke in you?