Reason for hope in death

1 Thessalonians 4:14 says, We believe that Jesus died. Now the cause for our chief fear in death is the judgment of God—the judgment of our sins, the eternal punishment that it deserves. The Bible says, It is given man once to die, and then comes judgment. The wages of sin is death, says Romans 6:23. But the good news of Jesus is that he came, and he died for us. He bore on the cross the punishment we deserve. Through faith in him, we have the forgiveness of our sins. Paul said, The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

And the Bible teaches that the very Lord who will return at the end of the age—he will come to judge the living and the dead. On that day, all the books will be opened, and everyone will have all of their deeds and thoughts read before him. And the One who came as Saviour will sit as Judge and Lord. What a wonderful thing for Christians: that when Jesus raises on that day his hand of judicial authority over the entire human race, believers will see on his hands the marks by which he died for us—making atonement for our sins—so that our sins are forgiven forever. Moreover, dying believers know that the grave into which our bodies must be laid is a grave that has been consecrated by the body that Jesus offered for us. Paul says, We believe that Jesus died. And so we know that through faith in him, sinners are reconciled to God. We know that the words of Psalm 116:15 are true for us: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints, because we know that Jesus died for us. That is the first cause of our hope.¹

Richard D. Phillips