Fear of Death
Fear of Death: Physical or Spiritual
When God created Adam, his destination was already mapped out. As we are the descendants of the first man, we were made but not designed to stay young but to get old and perish when the time comes. Death is one of the mysteries of being alive today and gone tomorrow. In reality, we have no choice but to face it; it is easier said than done, but the Bible says that the dead knows nothing. Only the living knows. To find comfort, the certainty of death is meant for every living soul. No one in this world can escape death. The penalty for sin is death and to escape death is not to sin. Is there any other way aside from sin? How? This comfort can only be found in Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Word of God as our salvation not to perish but have everlasting life.
Many, if not all, will be confused about not perishing, yet the living knows they will die. Hebrews 9:27 –”And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.” As Jesus was approaching His death, He spoke to His disciples about their places in God’s house when their time comes. John 14:1-6.
Fear of death is common to everyone; likewise, the one possessing the power of death is subject to end. Therefore, everyone subjected to fear of death will be slaves of their fear. (Hebrews 2:14-15). The disciples of Jesus were also subject to the fear of death even though they had been with Jesus and witnessed His victory over death. Jesus often spoke about his death, which made his disciples uneasy, if not shaken; in other words, the fear of death was always with them.
Paul said to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, wanting to depart and be with Christ, for that is much better (Philippians 1:21-23).
We will either face our death with fear or with faith. It all depends on how we see and feel things in our response to the end of the Son of God. Jesus told his disciples that he was the way, the truth and the life, the way to heaven, the truth of his word, and the life everlasting.
The fear of death comes along with the fear of dying and suffering before they die. Many people, including Christians, fear death or dying even though they know they have the key to enter heaven. King David showed he is afraid of dying: “My the heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.”— Psalm 55:4.
Why do we have to fear when there are assurances, according to the scriptures, that God wants us to be with Him, and the only way is to die once and live forever later? If there are worries among believers regarding death, communicate with God so that He may give you a peaceful solution. Take some time to meditate on the passages in the Bible. Pray as you read His word and ask God to strengthen your feelings; that will remove the fear of death. Then, turn to God to overcome your fear of death.
Let the following passages encourage that death is something that we should worry less about, or else we will be slaves to it.
“I tell you the truth; whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, the written saying will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).
“You must be born again and walk away with unrighteousness” (John 3:7). You need Jesus to reconcile with the Father— “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
In a letter to the Romans, Paul can serve us as guidance: “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified; with your mouth, you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10).
God created you, and he loves you more than you can imagine. If you have not yet done so, I invite you to surrender your life to Christ by meditating in these passages:
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Yet, meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling. (2 Corinthians 5:1-2).
For a while, we are in this tent; we groan and are burdened because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:4). I say we are confident and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8). But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:20)
Read this encouragement -Freedom from the Fear of Death (John 14:1-6 and Hebrews 2:14-15)