Death and Dying

Good Morning!! "What happens when we die?" This continues to be one of the biggest, if not the most important question that humans face,...and yet we have no way of finding out the answer for ourselves,...that is until the time of death comes for us. In the mean time, every one of us, regardless of our religion or worldview, has to answer that question by faith. We all live by faith in some unproven idea of the afterlife. But, Paul reminds us in today's verse, that this does not mean that we cannot be confident as Christians.

We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.—2 Corinthians 5:8 (NIV)

In the verse before, Paul affirms that "we walk by faith, not by sight." This is certainly true when we speak of life after death. There is no soul-sleep,...or purgatory,...or in-between world. At the instant of our death, we will be ushered into the presence of the Lord. This is encouraging and heartening, but it is also sobering. On the one hand, death is little more than a doorway into God's presence. If we are trusting in Jesus Christ for our salvation, then that faith will be instantly rewarded and confirmed at the moment of our death. On the other hand, Paul warns us, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (v10) to give an account of our lives. It is a serious thing to stand before an all-knowing and holy judge!

"we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him"—2 Corinthians 5:8 (NIV)

By faith in Christ, we go to God, and are accepted into Hims arms. Amen.

"Being a disciple of Christ means agreeing to take on His priorities, agendas, and missions, as our own."