Death Is Not the Worst Thing That Can Happen to You

I really dislike the way Christians sometimes minimize death. We talk about it like it's no big deal. It is. Paul calls it the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26). It's a result of sin (Genesis 3:19). It's not natural at all. Death is ugly, and we should hate it. The whole reason Jesus came is to put an end to death.

Contrary to what many Christians think, death is a big deal, and we shouldn't take it lightly at all. But death isn't the worst thing that can happen to us.

This is evident throughout Scripture. In the Gospels, Jesus told us not to fear those who can destroy our bodies. Instead, we should fear those who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). The worst that people can do to us is kill us, but that’s nothing compared to what God could do to us if we are faithless. Death is something that in some ways we should fear, or at least hate, but it isn't what we should fear most. Death is no big deal compared to the destruction of our souls, which is far more consequential.

Paul picks this up as well in Philippians 1:21-25. To die is gain, he says. There are some benefits to death. When we die, we will get to be with our Lord. Paul says he can't decide. It's useful for him to stay and help continue his ministry to believers, but he would just as gladly go and be with the Lord. Paul's excitement about seeing his Savior makes him fearless in the face of death.

You also see this in Revelation. Revelation is honest about the threat of martyrdom. “Be faithful unto death,” Jesus says (Revelation 2:10). The fact is that many believers throughout history have died for their faith. But over and over again, Revelation points out that death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Those who die for Christ's sake will be vindicated in the end. Faithfulness in death is better than faithlessness in living.

It's unlikely that I will be called to do this, but I should be prepared, and so should you. The church where I am a member calls us, “if called upon by my Lord, to hazard my life for the gospel's sake.” This isn’t an advanced requirement; this is the baseline commitment for each member. Every Christian is called to lay down their life for the sake of the gospel if necessary.

Don’t get me wrong. I hate death, and I'm looking forward to the day when death will be no more. We should never grow comfortable with death; it's ugly.

And yet, death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Death is not our ultimate fear because of the resurrection; after all, we can look forward to eternal life. Our main concern should not be our own death but the danger of dishonoring our Master. That is a fate that is much worse than dying.