by Pastor John Kim

My father-in-law passed away this afternoon. It was one of those phone calls that I have always dreaded receiving, finding out that someone precious has passed away. A lot of personal thoughts are going through my mind and heart, but those are not the ones that are appropriate to share yet. The more appropriate subject that I thought I might share is that when death takes place and it hits home that we are all mortal, I can’t help but think about the reality of God. It just really strikes you that death really does happen. A life ends and you must face the very real question as to why death happens. Without God, there really is no solid ground to stand on. There is no objective purpose for life and there is also no objective explanation for death. An existentialist might just dispassionately state that life is over, that this life is all there is. The materialist might state something similar, that there is really nothing beyond the physical realm so death is just the last stop. Those who are religious might purport some idea that death is just a step to another realm, whether it be reincarnation, the state of Nirvana, some heavenly realm, or some other esoteric state. But there is still no explanation as to WHY death occurs.

It is here that the person of God as seen in the Scriptures declares the CLEAR reason for death. It is the penalty for sin. Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death. As we are all sinners, we have offended the Most Holy God and His righteousness and justice call for eternal condemnation for having defied our Creator. Some might ask why must God be so harsh? It seems unfair. But it is not an issue of fairness. It goes back to the point of reference from where you start. If you really see God for who He is, that He is the one that defines the standards of right and wrong, that He is the sovereign authority over all of creation, He has every right to exercise that authority and He does so in conjunction with all His attributes equally exercised and never compromised, including His grace, His mercy, and His love. That’s why the second half of Romans 6:23 is what gives great hope – “but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Despite the fact that we are sinners (Romans 5:8), God sent His Son to die on our behalf. In taking our place, Christ paid the penalty and satisfied the wages of sin by dying the death that we deserved. This is what we call the truth of penal substitutionary atonement. God’s justice is satisfied by His own grace being extended through the gift of His Son.

Physical death awaits us all. But spiritual death need not be our end. That is why the gospel is so powerful – it is the power of God unto salvation. Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the One that we cling to in life and the one we cling to in death. It is not because we place our hopes in our own merits but we trust solely in the completed work of Christ, His death and resurrection, in the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us so that we might be justified in the sight of God.

That is why as Christians we remind ourselves of the gospel daily because it is something that is not only effective in dealing with our past, it is what anchors us in the present and secures our future. So death no longer needs to be feared. It has lost its sting and while there is a certain and understandable human grief that is experienced when someone dies, we rest on the sure arms of Christ in that He has conquered sin and death and His resurrection ensures our own.

There must be a greater sense of urgency in sharing the gospel. Death is not something that comes conveniently. It comes unannounced and while most people assume that they might have a long life to live before death needs to be faced, recent events have made clear that this is not true. Those students and professors at Virginia Tech woke up that fateful day, not knowing it would be their last day alive. The tragedy that compounds the physical deaths is that there are still so many who are unmoved by the reality of sin that results in death. The only answer to sin and death is the gospel and we must share the hope of the gospel urgently.

So stop wasting your life, vainly pursuing the things of this world. Heed the wisdom of Solomon, who wasted years of his life chasing after the wind, only to come back to His Creator and give the exhortation of one who had much to regret, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth!!”

So there are tears to be shed and grief to be observed. But it need not be without hope. We have Christ, and to live is Christ, and to die is gain.