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Will You Be in a Better Place When You Die? There is a statement that is often made to provide comfort when a loved one has died. It is made so often that there is a tendency to barely give it a second thought. It is an affirmation that provides the words we so desperately want to hear in a moment of deepest sorrow:
This expression ought to bring an important question to mind for the living: "Will I be in a much better place when I die?" No matter what our answer may be, a follow-up question becomes critical: " How can I be sure I will be in a much better place when I die?" Too often the things that we say, in our moments of deep anguish, are never honestly considered in a more composed setting.
When we comfort each other with a statement like this, do we really understand and believe what we are saying? Or, do we simply fall back on this kind of expression out of desperation, because we cannot imagine being able to cope with our loss if we weren't able to convince ourselves this is true? Is this a genuine comfort you can be sure of? One thing we can be sure of is a prevailing sense of final justice. This is an instinct woven into the very fabric of our being just as certainly as is our instinct for survival. Every one of us is aware that there is a day of final reckoning that is most certainly going to come. Our own conscience strains against any attempt to set this aside. We instinctively know that a day will come when every one of us will appear before God, and give an account of everything we have ever done. We often refer to this coming day with a subtle insinuation and a casual levity. But subtlety, humor, trying to be a good person - even being deeply religious - won't be of any value in producing a steadfast and legitimate assurance that when we die, we will be in a much better place. The question of how final Divine justice will play out - in relation to me personally - is something I need to be certain of before I can be certain of a final joy in the presence of God. We can be thankful that God Himself has spoken so clearly on this very point. God has revealed to mankind the standard by which He will execute final justice. The standard God revealed through Moses (see Exodus 20:1-17) is extremely demanding, from our perspective. God has revealed that His justice is perfect and inflexible. God's justice demands sinless perfection (see Matthew 5:27-28). This means that if I tell a lie, I have fallen short of God's righteous standard. If I covet that which is not mine, I have broken God's law. If I have taken the Lord's name in vain, I am guilty before Him. God demands complete compliance, because He is holy and just. God doesn't grade humanity on a curve of comparative goodness or badness. When God applies His just standard to us, He finds every one of us guilty. And God's justice demands the appropriate punishment.
The death that is being referred to here is not simply a reference to physical death. It is a reference to spiritual death. It is a reference to the eternal punishment that will follow the final execution of God's justice. The apostle John was given a glimpse of what is going to happen at God's final judgement:
Many people are counting on the fact that God is forgiving. They may have convinced themselves that they have never done anything bad enough that would keep God from forgiving them. But God's justice is perfect - there are no exceptions made for sinners who don't sin as much as others do.
Other people are convinced that there are certain things that they have done that will convince God to overlook their transgressions.
God has warned us not to make these dangerous presumptions. He is a God of mercy and forgiveness, but not at the expense of His holiness and justice. God is not like us. We are incapable of exhibiting even one desirable attribute to perfection. God manifests every one of His attributes to perfection. God is perfectly holy, and God is perfect in the riches of His mercy. There is only one way that God can be perfect in justice, and at the same time, be faultless in extending the riches of His grace. God sent His own Son into this world to bear the punishment for our sin in His suffering and dying on our behalf. This is the only way that God could fully satisfy His perfect justice, and at the same time provide a way for you and me to escape the condemnation that is rightly ours.
When we turn from our sin and put our trust in Jesus as the only One who can save us from our sins - we can be justly justified, and fully forgiven even in relation to the perfect righteousness of God.
The dying of Jesus Christ on our behalf also provides the opportunity for us to see the perfect love of God.
This is the only way we can have a steadfast and legitimate confidence that when we die we will most certainly be in a much better place.
God has provided the way for us to be forgiven, reconciled, and justified before Him. We cannot justify ourselves, but instead we can place our trust in Jesus as our personal sin-bearer. (Romans 10:13)
Every sinner who comes to Jesus Christ by faith can be certain of being in a much better place when this life is over. |
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"If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:31-32
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