What Happens When We Die?

Biblical answers about life, death, heaven, hell, resurrection, assurance of salvation, and eternity

Death is one of the few experiences every human being knows is coming, yet it remains one of the subjects we often work hardest to avoid. We make plans for next week, next year, retirement, vacations, projects, and things we hope to accomplish someday. We generally live with the assumption that there will be more time. Scripture gives us a different perspective. It reminds us that life is a gift from God, our days are limited, and wisdom includes learning to live in light of eternity.

As a pastor, I have spent a great deal of time around death. I have visited people in hospitals and nursing homes, prayed with people who knew their earthly lives were nearing the end, sat with grieving families, and conducted funerals after both long illnesses and unexpected deaths. I have listened as families remembered the ordinary experiences that suddenly became precious after someone was gone. Those experiences have caused me to think seriously about what I believe and teach concerning life, death, heaven, judgment, resurrection, salvation, and eternal life.

Over the years I have also discovered how many questions surface when death becomes personal. What actually happens when we die? Is heaven a real place? What happens between death and the resurrection? Will we recognize people we knew on earth? What will happen to our bodies? Should Christians be afraid of dying? Can we really know that we have eternal life? What about judgment and hell? What happens to people who do not know Christ? These are not merely theological questions. Eventually they become deeply personal questions for every one of us.

This resource has grown out of years of preaching, funeral messages, pastoral conversations, personal experiences with grief, and my own study of Scripture. Some of the ideas presented here have been taught in different forms in sermons and funeral messages over many years. I have intentionally removed names and identifying details from those experiences because my purpose is not to retell the stories of particular people. I want instead to gather the biblical truths I have repeatedly returned to when helping people think about death and eternity.

I also want to distinguish carefully between what Scripture clearly teaches and what we may simply wonder about. The Bible does not answer every question we might ask about heaven or the experience of dying. There are mysteries God has chosen not to explain to us. Christians sometimes fill those gaps with speculation, popular stories, near-death experiences, books, movies, or ideas that have been repeated so often that they begin to sound biblical. Interesting possibilities should not be confused with promises from God. Our confidence about eternity must ultimately rest on what God has revealed in Scripture.

Scripture does tell us what we most need to know. Life is a gift from God, but our lives in this world are temporary. Death is real, but death is not the end of our existence. Judgment is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real. Jesus Christ died for sinners and physically rose from the dead. Eternal life is God’s gift through His Son. Those who belong to Christ can face death with genuine hope and assurance, and the Christian hope ultimately extends beyond going to heaven when we die to the resurrection of the body and God’s promise to make all things new.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’” John 11:25 (NIV)

Facing Death with Hope Video Playlist

I have also collected helpful Bible teaching about death, heaven, eternal life, and assurance of salvation in the YouTube playlist Facing Death with Hope: What the Bible Says About Heaven and Eternal Life. Several of those videos are included throughout this resource where they complement the subject being discussed.

Watch the Facing Death with Hope Playlist

This resource can be read from beginning to end, or you can use these links to go directly to a subject that is particularly important to you.

1. Life Is a Gift, but Our Days Are Limited

One of the lessons death teaches us is the value of life. Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Numbering our days does not mean attempting to predict the date of our death. It means recognizing that our time is limited and therefore valuable. Most of us understand intellectually that we are going to die, but it is still remarkably easy to live as though there will always be another year, another holiday, another conversation, and another opportunity to do what we have been postponing.

Ecclesiastes makes an observation that sounds strange to a culture committed to avoiding death. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says that it is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting because death is the destiny of everyone and “the living should take this to heart.” A funeral is certainly a time to remember the person who died and care for those who are grieving, but a funeral also speaks to those of us who are still living. It confronts us with our mortality and gives us an opportunity to reconsider how we are using the life God has given us.

James makes a similar point when he describes human life as a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. His purpose is not to suggest that life is insignificant. In fact, the brevity of life makes our choices more significant. We can make plans, and wise planning is certainly consistent with Scripture, but we should never confuse our plans with control over the future. We do not know what tomorrow will bring, and recognizing that limitation should produce humility about our plans and gratitude for the day God has given us.

Remembering that life is temporary should not produce a morbid preoccupation with death. It should help us appreciate life more. Life in this fallen world includes sickness, disappointment, grief, broken relationships, aging, pain, and circumstances we would never choose. Yet life also contains countless gifts from God that are easy to overlook while we are experiencing them. Meals around a table, conversations with friends, family gatherings, meaningful work, opportunities to serve, laughter, quiet mornings, answered prayers, and ordinary moments may seem unremarkable at the time. After someone dies, those ordinary moments are often the things a family remembers most.

The Apostle Paul gives us a helpful Christian perspective in Philippians 1:21 when he writes, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul was not expressing contempt for earthly life. He believed that if God allowed him to remain alive, there was still fruitful work for him to accomplish. There were people to encourage, churches to strengthen, the gospel to proclaim, and opportunities to serve Christ. At the same time, Paul knew that death would bring him into the presence of Christ, which he described as “better by far.” He could therefore value life without desperately clinging to it.

I think that is a healthy Christian attitude toward life and death. I do not want to die. I enjoy the life God has given me, I love my family, and there are things I still hope to experience and accomplish. At the same time, I want to be prepared to die. As long as God gives me another day, there are people to love, work to accomplish, opportunities to serve, lessons to learn, and people who need to hear about Jesus. The reality of death should not make life meaningless. It should remind us how meaningful the time God gives us actually is.

2. Death Is Real, but Death Is Not the End

The Bible does not romanticize death or ask us to pretend that it is harmless. Death separates people who love one another. It leaves empty chairs, quiet houses, interrupted plans, and memories of conversations we wish we could have one more time. Scripture describes death as an enemy, and our experience confirms why that description is appropriate. Something is wrong with a world in which people we love grow old, become sick, suffer, and die.

Jesus demonstrated this clearly when His friend Lazarus died. Jesus knew Lazarus would soon walk out of the tomb, yet John tells us that Jesus wept. He did not rebuke Mary and Martha for grieving, nor did He suggest that belief in resurrection should eliminate sorrow. Jesus entered into their grief. His response reminds us that Christian hope does not require emotional denial. We can believe everything Scripture teaches about eternal life and still feel the painful absence of someone we love.

At the same time, Christianity insists that physical death is not the end of human existence. Hebrews 9:27 says that people are “destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Scripture does not teach reincarnation, in which people repeatedly return to this world in different forms. Nor does it teach that death simply causes us to cease to exist. We were created for more than the few decades we may spend in this present world, and the choices we make in this life have eternal significance.

The Christian message goes even further than saying that existence continues after death. At the center of Christianity is the claim that Jesus Christ entered death and defeated it. Jesus was crucified, His body was placed in a tomb, and He physically rose from the dead. The resurrection is not merely an inspiring symbol that life continues or that people can begin again after difficult experiences. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of Christian hope.

Paul makes the importance of the resurrection unmistakable in 1 Corinthians 15. If Christ has not been raised, he says, Christian preaching is useless, Christian faith is futile, and those who have died trusting Christ are lost. Christianity stands or falls with the resurrection. Paul then gives the declaration on which our hope rests: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.” Because Jesus lives, death does not have the final word over those who belong to Him.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV)

This changes the way Christians can think about death. We do not have to minimize its pain, and we do not need to pretend that separation does not hurt. We can acknowledge death as an enemy while also believing that it is a defeated enemy. The resurrection of Jesus means that the grave does not have the final word.

3. What Happens When We Die?

People have always wondered what happens in the moment after death. Popular culture offers many answers, and stories about near-death experiences frequently attract attention because they appear to give us a glimpse beyond this life. Some of those accounts may be fascinating, but I do not think our confidence about eternity should rest on someone’s description of what he or she experienced during a medical crisis. Our understanding of death and eternity needs to begin with Scripture.

One of the most important distinctions in biblical teaching is the difference between what happens when a Christian dies and what will happen later when Jesus Christ returns. When a believer dies, the body remains behind while the believer goes to be with Christ. Scripture sometimes describes the bodies of deceased believers as “asleep,” emphasizing the temporary nature of physical death for those who will be raised. This language should not be confused with the idea that the person becomes unconscious or ceases to exist until the resurrection.

Paul expected conscious fellowship with Christ after death. In Philippians 1:23 he describes his desire “to depart and be with Christ,” which he says is “better by far.” In 2 Corinthians 5 he contrasts being at home in the body with being at home with the Lord. Jesus also told the criminal dying beside Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Taken together, these passages give Christians good reason to believe that death brings the believer immediately into the presence of Christ.

That is not, however, the end of the Christian hope. Scripture also teaches a future bodily resurrection. First Thessalonians 4 says that when Christ returns, “the dead in Christ will rise.” First Corinthians 15 explains that what is presently perishable will be raised imperishable. Christianity therefore does not teach merely the immortality of the soul. Our hope includes the resurrection and transformation of the body.

This distinction helps clarify language we commonly use about heaven. It is appropriate to say that a Christian who has died is with Jesus. Passages such as Philippians 1 and 2 Corinthians 5 support that confidence. Yet God’s redemptive work is not finished when the believer enters Christ’s presence. We are still waiting for Christ’s return, the resurrection of the body, final judgment, and the fulfillment of God’s promise of a new heaven and a new earth. The biblical hope moves from death, to being with Christ, to resurrection, and ultimately to life with God in His renewed creation.

This distinction also keeps us from reducing the Christian hope to the popular expression “going to heaven when we die.” Going to be with Christ is a wonderful biblical promise, but the story Scripture tells is even larger. God intends to defeat death completely. The bodies that die will be raised, creation itself will be renewed, and God’s people will dwell with Him forever.

Scripture also gives a sober warning concerning those who die apart from Christ. Death does not provide another opportunity to earn salvation or begin a different path to God. Hebrews 9:27 says that people are “destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” The Bible gives us fewer details about the experience of unbelievers between death and the final judgment than it gives about the believer being with Christ, so I do not want to speculate beyond what Scripture says. What is clear is that our response to Jesus in this life matters eternally, which is why the gospel invitation is so important now.

Allen Parr offers a helpful overview of the question of what happens when we die in the following video.

4. For the Christian, Death Means Being With Christ

One of the truths I most want Christians to understand when they approach the end of their earthly lives is that death does not separate them from Jesus. Paul speaks about death with remarkable confidence in 2 Corinthians 5. He acknowledges that while we live in these bodies we are away from the Lord in a particular sense, but he also says that to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord. His confidence about death was not based on speculation about the afterlife. It was rooted in his relationship with Christ and the promises of God.

“So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6–8 (NLT)

Notice Paul’s language. He says that believers can be “always confident” and even “fully confident.” He was not simply expressing the hope that something pleasant might happen after death. He believed that leaving this earthly body meant going home to the Lord. That is one reason I sometimes describe heaven very simply: heaven is where Jesus is.

There are many things we naturally want to know about heaven, and some of those questions will be considered later in this resource. Yet the greatest promise of heaven is not beautiful scenery, streets of gold, reunions with people we have loved, freedom from pain, or any of the other blessings associated with eternal life. The greatest promise is the presence of God. Paul wanted to depart and “be with Christ.” Jesus promised the criminal beside Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” The emphasis is consistently relational. Christian hope centers on being with the Savior.

This is greater than the vague idea that people somehow continue through their influence or the memories of those who loved them. Certainly a person’s influence may continue for generations, and memories are precious. But Christian hope is not merely that a part of us lives on in our children, grandchildren, accomplishments, or reputation. Scripture promises that those who belong to Christ continue personally in His presence.

That helps explain how Paul could say that “to die is gain.” He did not mean that death itself was good. Scripture calls death an enemy, and Paul understood the grief separation causes. He meant that death could not take Christ away from him. In fact, death would bring him into the immediate presence of the Savior he had spent his life serving.

Romans 8 gives the same confidence from another perspective. Paul asks what could possibly separate believers from the love of Christ. He considers trouble, hardship, persecution, danger, and death itself, and concludes that nothing in all creation can separate God’s people from His love in Christ Jesus. Death may separate us temporarily from people we love on earth, but it cannot separate a Christian from Jesus.

Psalm 23 expresses this hope in language that has comforted generations of believers: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The promise is not that God’s people will never enter the valley of death. Unless Christ returns first, all of us eventually will. The comfort is that the Shepherd does not abandon His people when they enter it. The One who has been faithful throughout our lives remains faithful when our earthly lives are ending.

For the Christian, therefore, death means leaving this present body and going to be with the Lord. Even that wonderful promise is not the end of the story. Because Jesus rose from the dead, resurrection is still coming. The Christian can face death knowing that Christ will receive us into His presence and that one day even our bodies will be raised.

5. Can You Know You Have Eternal Life?

When death becomes personal, one of the most important questions is whether we can actually know where we are going. Some people approach eternity hoping they have been good enough. Others remember their failures and wonder whether God could possibly accept them. Still others assume they are going to heaven because they have attended church, been baptized, grown up in a Christian family, or tried to live a respectable life. The Bible offers something much stronger than either uncertainty or assumption. It teaches that those who have genuinely trusted Jesus Christ can have assurance of eternal life.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13 (NIV)

The word know is important. John does not say that Christians should spend their lives wondering whether they might possibly have eternal life. At the same time, biblical assurance is not confidence in ourselves. I cannot look at my own performance and find a sufficient basis for eternal security. I have sinned, failed, made wrong choices, and fallen short of God’s standards just like everyone else. Christian assurance is possible precisely because salvation rests on something more dependable than our performance. It rests on Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for us.

Our Confidence Begins With What Christ Has Done

Romans 8 begins with one of the strongest statements of assurance in the New Testament: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Paul does not say that there is less condemnation for those who belong to Christ. He says there is no condemnation. This does not mean Christians become perfect or that sin no longer matters. It means that the condemnation our sin deserves has been dealt with through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews approaches the same truth by contrasting the repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament with the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. Priests repeatedly offered sacrifices because those sacrifices could never finally remove sin. Jesus, however, offered Himself as the final and sufficient sacrifice. Because of His finished work, Hebrews tells believers that we can draw near to God with confidence. Our access to God is not based on whether we have managed to have a particularly good week spiritually. It rests on the sacrifice Christ has already made.

This becomes especially important when we think about death. If my hope depended upon remembering every sin I had ever committed, confessing everything perfectly, or reaching some undefined level of goodness before I died, I could never have real assurance. There would always be another question: Have I done enough? Have I confessed enough? Have I become good enough? The gospel directs my attention away from the sufficiency of my performance and toward the sufficiency of Christ.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (NIV)

God Brings Believers Into His Family

Romans 8 also uses the language of adoption to describe the believer’s relationship with God. Paul says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are God’s children and that believers have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” Salvation is therefore more than having our sins erased from a record. Through Christ, we are brought into a new relationship with God.

I find adoption especially helpful when thinking about assurance. A child does not earn a place in the family every morning and then lose that place every evening depending upon how well the day went. A loving father certainly teaches, corrects, disciplines, encourages, and expects growth from his children, but the child is not obeying in order to persuade the father to adopt him. The relationship already exists, and that relationship becomes the context in which the child learns how to live.

The same distinction matters in the Christian life. We do not obey God so that He might eventually decide to save us. We obey because through Christ He has saved us and brought us into His family. Paul goes even further by saying that if we are God’s children, then we are also heirs. The believer has an inheritance that sickness, aging, suffering, financial loss, and even physical death cannot take away.

The Holy Spirit Gives Assurance

Paul also says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). God does not save people and then simply leave them alone to figure out the Christian life. He gives His Holy Spirit to those who belong to Christ. The Spirit convicts us of sin, helps us understand God’s Word, changes our desires, helps us pray, produces spiritual fruit, and leads us toward greater Christlikeness. Scripture also describes the Spirit’s presence as part of the believer’s assurance that we belong to God.

This does not mean Christians always feel equally confident about their salvation. Feelings change. There may be seasons when God seems very near and other times when a Christian struggles with doubt, discouragement, temptation, or spiritual dryness. If assurance depended entirely upon our emotions, it would rise and fall constantly. Scripture gives us something more objective. When our feelings fluctuate, we can return to what God has said and what Christ has done.

Hebrews 10:23 tells believers to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” I appreciate the reason Scripture gives for holding onto hope. It does not say that we can remain confident because we are unusually strong. We can hold onto God’s promises because the One who made those promises is faithful. Assurance is ultimately confidence in God’s character rather than confidence in our ability to maintain perfect faith.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11–12 (NIV)

Assurance Is Not the Same as Presumption

There is an important difference between biblical assurance and simply assuming that we are saved. A person should not base eternal confidence merely on church attendance, baptism, family background, religious activity, or the memory of repeating certain words years ago. First John, the same letter that tells believers they can know they have eternal life, also gives evidence of what genuine spiritual life looks like. John writes about believing in Christ, loving other believers, responding to God’s commands, and taking sin seriously.

This does not mean genuine Christians become sinless. John explicitly says that if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves. There is, however, a significant difference between struggling against sin and simply making peace with it. A Christian may stumble badly, experience periods of spiritual weakness, or require serious correction, but the presence of the Holy Spirit means that sin cannot simply be treated as irrelevant. God convicts, corrects, disciplines, and continues His work in those who belong to Him.

Good works therefore need to be placed in their proper biblical order. They are not the cause of salvation, but they should increasingly become evidence of a life that has been changed by Christ. I have expressed this distinction in preaching by saying that you do not work your way into heaven, but because you are a citizen of heaven, you do good works. Ephesians 2 makes the same point. Verses 8 and 9 tell us that salvation is by grace through faith and not by works, while verse 10 immediately says that those who are saved have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for a life in which God’s transforming work should increasingly become visible.

This is the kind of assurance I want people to have before they die. The Christian does not need to reach the end of life saying, “I hope I accumulated enough good deeds to outweigh the bad.” Our confidence can instead be grounded in Christ: He died for our sins, He rose from the dead, God has adopted us into His family, His Spirit lives within us, and His promises can be trusted. God does not ask those who belong to Christ to approach death merely hoping that everything will somehow work out. Scripture says that we can know that we have eternal life.

This video addresses that question directly and considers how a person can have assurance about going to heaven.

6. Being a Good Person Is Not How We Get to Heaven

Funerals naturally bring out stories about the good things a person did. Families remember generosity, hard work, devotion to family, kindness, humor, service, sacrifice, friendship, and countless ways that person influenced others. Those memories are valuable, and there is nothing wrong with honoring what was good in someone’s life. The difficulty comes when we begin to treat those good qualities as the reason someone deserves heaven.

Our culture often speaks about eternity as though heaven were God’s reward for basically decent people. When someone dies, people may begin listing reasons that person must certainly be in heaven: he worked hard, she loved her family, he helped his neighbors, she attended church, or he was a much better person than many others. The problem with this way of thinking is that it is not the gospel. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Christianity does not divide humanity into good people who deserve heaven and bad people who do not. Scripture places all of us in the category of sinners who need God’s grace.

We naturally compare ourselves with other people, and we can almost always find someone whose behavior makes ours look respectable. But other people are not the standard by which God measures us. God Himself is the standard, and against His holiness every one of us falls short. If human beings could make themselves acceptable to God simply by becoming nicer, more generous, more religious, or more disciplined, the death of Jesus would have been unnecessary.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)

The language of a gift is important because a gift is fundamentally different from a wage. A wage is something we earn because of what we have done, while a gift is provided by someone else. Romans 6:23 deliberately uses both ideas when it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What we have earned because of sin is death, but what God offers through Jesus Christ is eternal life. This is the heart of grace: God provides in Christ what we could never earn for ourselves.

Second Corinthians 5:21 explains the basis of this gift by saying that God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus took upon Himself the judgment our sin deserved, and through faith we receive a righteousness we could never produce for ourselves. This is why the Christian gospel places such emphasis on Christ rather than human achievement.

When I conduct a funeral, I may be able to say many wonderful things about the person who died, and those things may deserve to be remembered. But none of those qualities is the basis of eternal life. No one enters heaven because enough favorable stories can be told at his or her funeral. Our hope must ultimately rest in the grace of God and the saving work of Jesus Christ.

7. Jesus Is the Only Savior

Our culture is generally comfortable talking about heaven as long as we do not become too specific about how someone gets there. It is common to hear the idea that sincere people following different spiritual paths will eventually arrive at the same destination. Jesus, however, did not describe Himself as one possible way among many. In John 14:6 He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

That is an exclusive claim, but understanding the biblical problem of sin helps explain why Christianity makes it. If our greatest problem were simply ignorance, we would primarily need a teacher. If our problem were a lack of inspiration, we would need an example. If our problem were merely poor habits, we might need better discipline. Scripture says our fundamental problem is much deeper. We are sinners separated from a holy God, and therefore we need a Savior.

Jesus did something no religious teacher, philosopher, pastor, priest, or spiritual leader could do for us. He bore our sin, died in our place, and rose from the dead. Christianity therefore does not claim that Jesus is the only Savior because Christians are somehow better than everyone else. The message is exactly the opposite. We could not save ourselves, so God graciously provided the Savior we needed.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NIV)

The exclusivity of Christ should therefore produce humility rather than arrogance. Christians are not people who discovered how to become good enough for God while everyone else failed. We are recipients of grace. We have been rescued by someone else. That should make us grateful, compassionate, and eager for other people to know the same Savior.

This is also why I believe the gospel belongs in a Christian funeral. A funeral should certainly honor the person who died, allow families to remember, and provide compassionate care for people who are grieving. It is not an appropriate setting for emotional manipulation. At the same time, I do not want to speak warmly about heaven while avoiding what Jesus taught about eternal life. If heaven is real, judgment is real, and Jesus truly is the Savior, then clearly explaining the gospel is one of the most loving things we can do.

Billy Graham spent decades asking people to consider these eternal realities and pointing them toward Jesus Christ. This classic message addresses life after death and the hope offered through the gospel.

8. What About Judgment and Hell?

Any serious discussion of what happens when we die would be incomplete if it spoke extensively about heaven while avoiding judgment and hell. These are difficult subjects, and I understand why people would rather talk about the comfort of heaven. Nevertheless, the Bible does not teach that everyone automatically goes to heaven when they die. Hebrews 9:27 says that people are “destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Jesus Himself repeatedly warned people about judgment and the consequences of rejecting God.

This is important because sometimes the popular understanding of Jesus separates His love from His teaching about judgment. The same Jesus who welcomed sinners, touched lepers, healed the sick, showed compassion to hurting people, forgave sins, and willingly gave His life for us also spoke seriously about hell. We cannot faithfully accept Jesus’ teaching about God’s love while quietly removing His warnings about judgment.

Hell Should Never Be Treated Casually

Christians should never talk about hell with cruelty, arrogance, or delight. Eternal judgment is not something to joke about, and it should not be used merely as a device for emotional manipulation. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and Paul spoke with deep sorrow about people who rejected Christ. If we really believe what Scripture teaches about eternity, the appropriate response is compassion and urgency rather than self-righteousness.

At the same time, compassion does not require us to deny judgment. God is loving, merciful, gracious, and patient, but He is also holy and just. Those attributes are not contradictions. In ordinary life we recognize that a judge who continually ignored terrible evil would not be considered good. We want justice when people are abused, exploited, murdered, or oppressed. Scripture teaches that God sees evil perfectly and will ultimately judge with perfect justice.

The uncomfortable part is that the problem of sin cannot be limited to particularly evil people. Scripture says all of us have sinned. We may not have committed the same sins or experienced the same consequences, but none of us can stand before a holy God on the basis of our own righteousness. The doctrine of judgment therefore does not merely give us something to say about other people. It forces each of us to consider our own standing before God.

The Cross Shows Both the Seriousness of Sin and the Love of God

The reality of judgment helps us understand why the cross was necessary. If sin carried no eternal consequence and everyone automatically entered heaven regardless of his or her response to God, it would be difficult to explain why the Son of God endured the cross. Christianity does not teach that God simply decided to overlook evil. At the cross, Jesus bore the judgment our sin deserved.

This is where God’s justice and love meet in the gospel. Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s love is not demonstrated by pretending sin does not matter. His love is demonstrated by providing at tremendous cost the Savior sinners need.

John 3:16 is rightly one of the most familiar verses in Scripture because it expresses this hope so clearly. God loved the world and gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Yet the verses that follow are also important. John 3:18 says that whoever believes in Christ is not condemned, while whoever does not believe stands condemned already because that person has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. The good news of Christianity is not that judgment has ceased to exist. The good news is that God has provided a way of salvation through Christ.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NIV)

This verse holds together truths we should not separate. Sin leads to death, but God offers eternal life. Judgment is real, but so is grace. We cannot save ourselves, but Christ has done what we could never do. The biblical teaching about hell should therefore lead us not merely to fear judgment, but to understand more deeply why the gospel is such extraordinarily good news.

What Can We Say About Someone Who Has Already Died?

Pastors are sometimes placed in a difficult position after someone dies because grieving people understandably want reassurance about the person they loved. Someone may ask directly whether I believe that person is in heaven. When there has been clear evidence of faith in Christ, I am grateful to speak about the promises Scripture gives to believers. There are other situations, however, where I simply do not know.

I think this is an area where pastors need both compassion and humility. God knows the human heart in a way I do not. I cannot know every conversation a person had with God, and I do not know everything that may have occurred in someone’s final hours or moments. At the same time, a funeral is not the place for me to manufacture assurance that Scripture does not give. Saying something comforting does not make it true.

When I do not know a deceased person’s spiritual condition, I can still speak truthfully about God’s character, care compassionately for the family, acknowledge what was good in the person’s life, and clearly explain the hope of the gospel to those who are living. I do not have to pronounce a verdict that belongs to God, nor do I need to pretend to possess knowledge He has not given me.

This also redirects the question in an important way. We may spend a great deal of time wondering about someone who has already died, but we can no longer change that person’s response to God. Those of us who are still living can respond to Christ today. Scripture consistently calls people to respond to God in this life rather than assuming that eternity can be sorted out after death. Second Corinthians 6:2 says, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

None of us knows how much time remains. One person may live many more decades. Another may receive an unexpected diagnosis. Another may die without warning. The biblical response is not panic but readiness. If you do not know Christ, you do not need to wait until you understand every theological question or become religious enough to approach Him. Jesus receives sinners. He died for sinners and rose from the dead. The reality of judgment is not a reason to hide from God; it is another reason to recognize how desperately we need the Savior God has provided.

9. The Resurrection: What Will Happen to Our Bodies?

When Christians talk about eternal life, we often speak about “going to heaven” when we die. That is certainly an important part of our hope, but it is not the whole biblical picture. As we have already seen, Scripture teaches that believers who die are with Christ. Yet the New Testament consistently looks beyond that immediate experience to another great event: the resurrection of the body.

This matters because Christianity does not teach that the physical body is simply a temporary container from which the soul is finally liberated. God created human beings as embodied persons, and the original creation was good. Sin brought death into the human experience, but God’s plan of redemption ultimately includes the body. Jesus did not merely survive death spiritually. He rose bodily from the grave, and His resurrection becomes the pattern and guarantee of the future resurrection of His people.

First Corinthians 15 is the most extensive discussion of resurrection in the New Testament. Paul compares our present bodies with seeds that are planted in the ground. There is continuity between the seed that is planted and the plant that eventually emerges, but there is also dramatic transformation. In the same way, Paul says that the body is sown perishable but raised imperishable, sown in dishonor but raised in glory, and sown in weakness but raised in power. The resurrection body is genuinely our body, but transformed for eternal life.

“So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.” 1 Corinthians 15:42–43 (NIV)

This promise becomes particularly meaningful when we have watched someone’s body deteriorate. Disease can change a person’s appearance and abilities. Aging can gradually take strength, mobility, memory, eyesight, hearing, and independence. Some people live for years with disabilities or chronic pain. Others experience devastating injuries. At a funeral we eventually confront the reality that the body itself has died. The Christian promise is not merely that we will somehow learn to forget those losses. God promises resurrection.

First Thessalonians 4 connects this resurrection directly with the return of Christ. Paul was writing to Christians who were grieving believers who had died, and he did not want them to think those people would somehow miss what God was going to do. He explained that when the Lord returns, “the dead in Christ will rise first.” Believers who are still alive will then be gathered with them to meet the Lord. Paul concludes by telling Christians to encourage one another with these words.

The resurrection also helps us understand why Christian hope is larger than the statement that someone’s soul is now in heaven. That statement may be true for a believer who has died, but God has promised more. Death temporarily separates the body from the believer who is with Christ, but resurrection reverses that separation. The final Christian hope is embodied life in God’s restored creation.

There are many questions about resurrection bodies that Scripture does not answer in detail. We may wonder what age we will appear to be, precisely how our bodies will look, or how particular physical characteristics will carry into eternity. I do not think we need to pretend the Bible answers questions it does not address. What Scripture does tell us is far more important: our resurrected bodies will no longer be subject to the corruption, weakness, disease, aging, and death that characterize our present bodies.

Paul concludes his discussion of resurrection by declaring that death will finally be swallowed up in victory. He even taunts death: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Christians still experience the sting of death now, but we know that death’s victory is temporary. Jesus rose, and because He rose, those who belong to Him will rise as well.

10. What Will Heaven Be Like?

People naturally have many questions about heaven. We wonder what we will see, what we will do, what relationships will be like, and whether the things we enjoy now will somehow be reflected in eternity. Some questions are understandable but impossible to answer with certainty because Scripture simply does not give us all the details. I think we should be careful not to present imagination as revelation. At the same time, the Bible tells us enough to know that the future God has prepared for His people is extraordinarily good.

Jesus spoke of preparing a place for His followers. In John 14, as His disciples faced the confusion and grief surrounding His approaching death, He told them not to let their hearts be troubled. They could trust God and trust Him. Jesus then assured them that He was going to prepare a place for them and that He would come back and take them to be with Him. Once again, the heart of the promise is not merely the place itself but the relationship: “that you also may be where I am.”

Revelation 21 and 22 provide some of Scripture’s richest descriptions of our eternal future. John sees a new heaven and a new earth and hears the announcement that God’s dwelling place is now among His people. The direction of the biblical story is important. The final picture is not humanity permanently escaping God’s creation. God renews creation and dwells with His redeemed people.

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3 (NIV)

The next verse describes what will no longer exist: God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Think about how much of human life is shaped by those realities. Hospitals, funeral homes, cemeteries, cancer treatments, chronic pain, devastating diagnoses, dementia, war, violence, grief, and the painful separation caused by death all belong to the present fallen world. Scripture says they will not continue forever.

Sometimes heaven is imagined as an endless church service in the clouds, with people sitting around doing very little except playing harps. That picture owes more to popular culture than to Scripture. The Bible presents our eternal future as full life in the presence of God. God’s people worship Him, serve Him, reign with Him, enjoy His renewed creation, and experience life without the curse of sin and death. Whatever we do in eternity, we will not experience the boredom, frustration, exhaustion, selfishness, brokenness, and limitations that distort our experience of good things now.

I also think it is important to remember that the greatest attraction of heaven is not the absence of suffering or even the restoration of things we have lost. The greatest blessing is God Himself. Revelation repeatedly emphasizes that His people will see His face and live in His presence. Everything else that makes eternity wonderful flows from that reality.

This is why Christians should be careful about allowing speculation to overshadow what Scripture clearly promises. We may not know exactly what every activity will look like, but we know who will be there. We may not know how every aspect of the renewed creation will function, but we know that the curse will be gone. We may not understand how eternity can continue without becoming monotonous, but we know the God who created every good thing we have ever enjoyed. I do not think we need to worry that eternal life with Him will somehow be disappointing.

Craig Groeschel reflects on the glory and hope of heaven in this message from the Facing Death with Hope playlist.

11. Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

One of the most common questions people ask about heaven is whether we will recognize the people we knew and loved on earth. The Bible does not give us a chapter specifically answering every question about relationships in heaven, so I want to be careful not to claim more than Scripture says. Nevertheless, there are good biblical reasons to believe that we will retain our personal identities and recognize one another.

Scripture consistently portrays people in the life to come as identifiable persons rather than anonymous spirits who lose their individual identities. At the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus and remain recognizable as Moses and Elijah. Jesus’ resurrection also provides an important pattern. He was transformed, yet He remained Jesus. His disciples recognized Him, spoke with Him, touched Him, and ate with Him. Resurrection did not erase His identity.

Paul’s language about Christian reunion also points in this direction. In 1 Thessalonians 4, he comforts grieving believers by describing the resurrection and the gathering together of God’s people when Christ returns. The comfort of the passage makes the most natural sense if those relationships have not become meaningless. Paul elsewhere speaks of believers as his joy and crown in the presence of Christ, suggesting that the relationships formed through ministry retain significance in eternity.

This does not mean relationships will function exactly as they do now. Jesus specifically taught that marriage as we know it in this present age will not continue in the resurrection. Eternal life is not simply the present world extended forever with every social arrangement left unchanged. God is creating something greater. Yet the transformation of relationships does not require the destruction of personal identity or memory.

When someone we love dies in Christ, it is therefore reasonable to look forward to reunion. I would still place the emphasis where Scripture places it. Our greatest hope is being with Christ, not merely recovering everyone and everything we have lost. But being with Christ does not mean loving relationships suddenly become meaningless. The God who created us for relationship is not preparing an eternity in which we become less personal or less capable of love.

There is also an important pastoral qualification. Sometimes people speak as though everyone they have ever known will automatically be reunited in heaven. Scripture does not give that assurance apart from Christ. Our hope of eternal reunion is connected to the larger biblical promise of salvation through Jesus. This is another reason the gospel matters so deeply. We want the people we love not merely to have happier lives now but to know the Savior who gives eternal life.

12. Christians Still Grieve

Christian hope does not eliminate grief. Sometimes well-meaning believers say things to grieving people that make sorrow sound almost like a spiritual failure. A person may be reminded that the deceased is “in a better place” or told that Christians should rejoice rather than cry. Those statements may be intended to help, but they can overlook the biblical reality that faith and grief can exist at the same time.

First Thessalonians 4 is especially important here. Paul does not tell Christians that they should not grieve. He says they should not grieve “like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” The distinction is not between grief and faith. It is between grief with hope and grief without hope. Christians cry at funerals because someone important is missing. We feel the absence in holidays, family gatherings, familiar routines, anniversaries, and ordinary moments when we instinctively want to call or talk to the person who is no longer there.

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (NIV)

Jesus Himself gives us permission to grieve. At Lazarus’s tomb, He wept even though He knew resurrection was moments away. His tears demonstrate that sorrow over death is not incompatible with confidence in God’s power. Death is an enemy, and separation hurts. If we love people, their absence matters.

Grief also does not follow a predictable schedule. People sometimes expect themselves or others to “move on” after a certain amount of time. In reality, grief often comes in waves. A person may function well for days or weeks and then encounter a song, smell, photograph, location, anniversary, or ordinary experience that brings the loss back with surprising intensity. There is no spiritual virtue in pretending those moments do not hurt.

At the same time, Christian grief has a future orientation. We acknowledge the loss without believing that death has won. For believers, the cemetery is not the end of the story. The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that those who belong to Him will also be raised. That does not erase today’s tears, but it changes what those tears mean. We grieve while looking forward to resurrection.

One of the most helpful things Christians can do for grieving people is often simply to be present. Job’s friends were at their best before they began trying to explain everything. They sat with him in his suffering. There are times when a grieving person needs Scripture, prayer, practical help, meals, conversation, or encouragement. There are also times when the most loving response is simply to listen.

The promise of Revelation 21 is especially meaningful in grief because it does not tell us that tears are insignificant. It says God Himself will wipe them away. The Christian story does not end with human beings becoming better at coping with loss. It ends with God eliminating death itself.

13. Why Does God Allow Suffering and Pain?

One of the most difficult questions Christians face is why a good and powerful God allows suffering. The question becomes especially difficult when it is no longer theoretical. It is one thing to discuss suffering when life is going well. It is quite another to ask why God allows pain when someone has received a frightening diagnosis, lost a loved one, experienced a broken relationship, watched a family member suffer, or prayed repeatedly for something that has not changed. At those times we may wonder why God did not prevent what happened, why He has not taken the problem away, or whether He is really listening to our prayers.

The Bible does not give us a simple explanation for every individual tragedy, and we should be careful about claiming to know exactly why God allowed a particular person to suffer. Scripture does, however, give us a framework for understanding suffering. The Bible begins by showing us that suffering was not part of the goodness of God’s original creation. Sin entered the world through human rebellion against God, and death came through sin (Romans 5:12). Romans 8 describes creation itself as groaning under the effects of the Fall. We now live in a world where bodies become sick, people grow old, relationships break down, natural disasters occur, people hurt one another, and eventually everyone dies.

Some suffering is connected to our own choices. Foolish financial decisions can create financial hardship. Sinful behavior can damage relationships. Neglecting our bodies can sometimes contribute to physical problems. Other suffering results from the actions of someone else. An innocent person may be injured by a reckless driver, betrayed by a spouse, abused by another person, or financially harmed by someone’s dishonesty. Still other suffering cannot be traced to anything a person deliberately did. Cancer develops. A child is born with a serious disability. A storm destroys a home. Someone we love dies unexpectedly. Jesus warned His followers that suffering would be part of life in this world. He said, “In this world you will have trouble,” but He immediately added, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

This is why we should resist the temptation to assume that every painful circumstance is a direct punishment from God. Jesus corrected that kind of thinking in John 9 when His disciples encountered a man who had been blind from birth. They wanted to know whether the man’s blindness resulted from his sin or his parents’ sin. Jesus rejected both explanations in that particular situation. Likewise, the book of Job warns us against confidently explaining someone else’s suffering when God has not given us the explanation. Job’s friends believed they understood why Job was suffering, but much of what they told him was wrong.

At the same time, the fact that God does not cause every painful event does not mean He is absent from our suffering. Scripture repeatedly shows that God can take circumstances He does not call good and accomplish something good through them. James tells believers, “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2 NLT). James does not say that the trouble itself is good. Cancer is not good. Death is not good. Betrayal is not good. Pain does not become good merely because God can accomplish something through it. Instead, James explains that the testing of our faith can produce endurance and that endurance can contribute to spiritual maturity (James 1:3–4).

Our joy, therefore, is not found in the pain. Our joy comes from knowing that God can work through the pain. Trials test what is genuine about our faith. It is relatively easy to say that we trust God when life is going according to our plans. Faith is tested when circumstances become difficult and we continue trusting Him. Like physical strength developed through resistance, spiritual endurance grows as our faith is exercised under pressure. After we have walked with God through difficult circumstances, we can look back and recognize that He sustained us through something we once thought we could never endure.

Suffering can also reveal what we have been trusting. We may believe that our security comes from our health, savings, career, family, intelligence, plans, or ability to control our circumstances. Then something happens that we cannot fix. Suddenly we realize that we were never as self-sufficient as we imagined. Deuteronomy 8 explains that God used Israel’s wilderness experience to humble His people, test them, reveal what was in their hearts, and teach them to depend upon Him. God provided what they needed, but He also taught them that their ultimate security was found in Him.

Pain has a way of bringing us to the end of ourselves. That can be frightening, but it can also become spiritually significant. We may begin praying differently. We recognize our need for God’s wisdom. We become more conscious of how quickly life passes. Things that once seemed extremely important can suddenly seem insignificant. We begin thinking about eternity. Most importantly, we can discover whether our faith rests primarily in the blessings God gives us or in God Himself.

Paul’s experience with his “thorn in the flesh” provides an important example. Paul asked the Lord three times to take it away. God did not give Paul the answer he wanted. Instead, the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul did not fail to receive his desired answer because he lacked faith. God had another purpose. Rather than removing Paul’s weakness, God promised to provide sufficient grace in the middle of it.

Sometimes God demonstrates His power by removing the problem. Sometimes He demonstrates His power by sustaining us while the problem remains. We naturally prefer the first kind of miracle, but we should not overlook the second. There are Christians who have endured cancer, chronic pain, disability, grief, persecution, financial loss, or heartbreaking family circumstances while continuing to love and serve Jesus. God’s sustaining grace in their lives is also evidence of His power.

This does not mean that Christians should stop praying for healing or simply accept sickness without asking God to intervene. Scripture encourages us to pray. James instructs Christians who are sick to call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:14–16). We can pray boldly for healing while seeking appropriate medical care and trusting God with the outcome. I have written more specifically about cancer, prayer, treatment, healing, and trusting God through serious illness in my article The Fear in Cancer and the Hope in Faith. That article includes additional Scripture and resources for people facing cancer or walking alongside someone who is.

Suffering can also prepare us to minister to other people. Paul calls God “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” in 2 Corinthians 1:3. He explains that God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Some of the most effective encouragement we can give another person grows out of experiences we never would have chosen for ourselves. Someone who has grieved deeply can often sit beside another grieving person with an understanding that cannot be learned from a book. Someone who has endured serious illness may understand the fears of another patient. Someone who has experienced financial hardship may become unusually sensitive to a family struggling to make ends meet. God can use the places where we have hurt to make us more compassionate and useful to others.

Our response to suffering can also demonstrate the reality of our faith. This does not mean Christians should pretend everything is fine. Biblical faith does not require us to deny pain. Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb. The Psalms contain honest expressions of grief, confusion, fear, loneliness, and questions about why God seems distant. Job expressed tremendous grief and asked difficult questions. Faith does not mean pretending that something does not hurt. It means continuing to turn toward God even while it hurts.

Suffering also reminds us that this life is not all there is. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:16–18 that although outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we can be renewed day by day. He describes present troubles as temporary when compared with an eternal glory that outweighs them. Those words did not come from someone who lived an easy life. Paul experienced imprisonment, beatings, rejection, persecution, physical hardship, and repeated threats against his life. He could describe earthly suffering as temporary because he viewed it from the perspective of eternity.

That eternal perspective is essential to a Christian understanding of suffering. Christianity does not promise that God will remove every painful circumstance during our present lives. It promises something much greater. Revelation 21:4 describes a future when God will wipe every tear from the eyes of His people and “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” God does not merely promise to help His people cope with suffering forever. He promises that suffering will eventually end.

The greatest Christian answer to suffering, however, is not merely an explanation. It is Jesus Christ. God did not remain distant from human suffering. Jesus entered it. He experienced hunger, exhaustion, rejection, betrayal, grief, injustice, physical pain, and death. Isaiah describes Him as “a man of suffering, and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3 NIV). At the cross, Jesus experienced suffering more profound than we can fully understand.

The cross also reminds us that we cannot always determine what God is doing by looking at our immediate circumstances. On the day Jesus was crucified, His followers could easily have concluded that everything had gone terribly wrong. Their Messiah had been killed and their hopes seemed destroyed. They could not yet see what God was accomplishing through the cross, and they could not yet see the resurrection that was coming.

We often cannot see what God is doing either. There may be circumstances for which we never receive a satisfying explanation during this life. We may never understand why one person was healed while another died, why one family experienced tragedy while another was spared, or why God allowed something we desperately prayed He would prevent. The Bible does not require us to invent explanations where God has not given us one. Sometimes “I don’t know” is the most truthful answer we can give.

But there is an important difference between saying, “I don’t know why,” and saying, “I don’t know whom I trust.” We may not know God’s reasons, but we can know His character. We know that He loves us because He demonstrated His love through Christ. We know that He understands suffering because Jesus suffered. We know that He can use hardship because Scripture repeatedly shows Him doing so. We know that He is able to sustain His people because generations of believers have experienced His grace. And we know that suffering will not have the final word because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

When we are suffering, therefore, we can continue to pray for God to change our circumstances. We can ask Him for healing. We can ask Him for wisdom. We can ask other Christians and the elders of the church to pray with us. We can seek appropriate medical and practical help. We can also ask a question that becomes increasingly important when the circumstances do not immediately change: “Lord, how do You want me to live faithfully while I am going through this?”

Sometimes faith means confidently asking God for a miracle. Sometimes faith means continuing to trust Him when the miracle we requested has not come. Sometimes it means getting up in the morning and taking the next faithful step while we still do not understand what God is doing.

God may remove the difficulty. He may provide healing. He may unexpectedly change the circumstances. We should continue praying and trusting Him to do those things. But He may also strengthen our faith, develop endurance, deepen our dependence upon Him, give us compassion for other people, create opportunities for ministry, or demonstrate His strength through our weakness.

The Christian hope is not that everything painful will eventually make sense during this life. Our hope is that Jesus Christ has overcome sin and death, that He remains with His people in their suffering, and that He will ultimately make all things new. For now, we walk by faith. One day faith will become sight. The suffering will end, our bodies will be restored, death will be defeated forever, and God’s people will be with Him.

Until then, we do not have to understand everything God allows in order to trust the God who has promised that suffering will not have the final word.

14. Praying for Healing and Trusting God With the Outcome

When you or someone you love becomes seriously ill, it can be difficult to know how to pray. Should you confidently ask God for healing, or should you simply pray for His will to be done? Should you call the elders of the church, seek medical treatment, fast and pray, or begin preparing for the possibility that healing may not come? I believe Scripture gives us good reasons to pray boldly for healing while also trusting the outcome to our sovereign God. Those two things are not opposites. We can sincerely ask God to heal while recognizing that He knows what we do not know and may have purposes we cannot yet see.

I believe God still heals people. Jesus showed great compassion toward people who were sick, and physical healing was an important part of His earthly ministry. He restored sight, enabled the lame to walk, cleansed lepers, healed diseases, and even raised the dead. Those miracles demonstrated His compassion and authority, but they also pointed beyond the immediate physical need to His identity as the Son of God. John explains that the signs of Jesus were recorded so that people might believe that He is the Messiah and have life in His name (John 20:30–31). Biblical healing should therefore lead us to trust God rather than simply focus on the miracle itself.

I also believe our hope for healing is connected to the larger work of redemption Jesus accomplished for us. Christ came to deal with everything sin has damaged, and that ultimately includes our bodies. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus with Isaiah’s description of the suffering Servant bearing our infirmities (Matthew 8:16–17), while Romans 8 says that believers are still waiting for “the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). Philippians 3:20–21 promises that Christ will one day transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. I do not take those passages to mean that every Christian is promised complete physical healing during this present life. I do believe they give us reason to see bodily healing as part of the larger redemption Christ has secured and will ultimately complete.

R. A. Torrey made a similar distinction when he wrote about the redemption of the body through Christ while recognizing that believers are still waiting for its fullness. Charles Stanley also taught that our ultimate healing is found in the redemptive work of Christ, even though we do not experience every benefit of that redemption completely in this life. I find that balance helpful. It allows us to pray with real hope without making promises Scripture does not make. God may give us a foretaste of coming restoration through healing now, but the complete restoration of the body is still ahead.

I have experienced times in my own life when I prayed for healing and believe God answered those prayers. I have also prayed for people and circumstances that did not change the way I hoped. That is where our understanding of faith becomes especially important. Faith does not mean convincing ourselves that God must give us the outcome we want. Faith means believing that God can heal, asking Him to heal, and continuing to trust Him when we do not understand what He has chosen to do.

Asking the Church to Pray

James gives Christians very practical instructions when serious sickness comes. He writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14 NIV). James continues by speaking about prayer offered in faith, confession, forgiveness, and believers praying for one another. The passage places prayer for the sick within the life of the local church. A Christian facing serious illness does not have to carry that burden alone.

I have prayed for people this way and have used oil in accordance with James 5. I do not believe there is anything magical about the oil, nor do I believe that pastors or elders possess healing power. God is the healer. The anointing is a tangible act of obedience as spiritual leaders gather around someone, acknowledge the seriousness of the need, and ask God together to intervene. It can also become an important spiritual landmark for the person who is sick because there was a specific time when the church deliberately brought that need before God.

Adrian Rogers taught James 5 with a balance I appreciate. He believed strongly in supernatural healing and testified that he believed God had healed him and that he had seen God heal others in answer to prayer. At the same time, he rejected the idea that every Christian who remains sick must lack enough faith. He pointed to Paul, Timothy, Trophimus, and Elisha as faithful servants of God who experienced sickness and physical weakness. Rogers encouraged Christians facing serious illness to call the elders, be anointed with oil, pray in faith, and genuinely seek God for healing while recognizing that the outcome remains in God’s hands. I think that is an important balance. We should not be afraid to ask God for a miracle, but neither should we turn healing into a formula or place an additional burden on someone who is already suffering.

In a particularly serious situation, I also believe fasting can appropriately accompany prayer. Fasting is not a way to earn God’s attention or make a prayer powerful enough to force a miracle. Biblical fasting is a voluntary setting aside of food or another normal activity for a period of focused prayer and dependence upon God. Someone facing a major diagnosis, surgery, or life-threatening illness may find it helpful to set aside time for fasting and prayer, and other believers may choose to fast while the elders gather to pray. Someone whose health makes fasting from food unsafe should not place himself or herself at additional risk. The purpose is not the physical act itself. The purpose is to deliberately seek God.

Prayer and Medical Treatment

Seeking God’s healing does not require rejecting medical care. I see no conflict between praying for a miracle and going to a doctor. God can work directly in ways medicine cannot explain, but He can also work through physicians, medication, surgery, physical therapy, and other forms of treatment. Scripture itself gives us examples of practical care. Paul advised Timothy concerning his recurring stomach problems in 1 Timothy 5:23. Timothy was a faithful servant of Christ, yet Paul did not treat the use of a practical remedy as evidence of weak faith.

Charles Spurgeon wrote that “God is the best Physician, even for our bodily infirmities.” His point was not that Christians should avoid doctors. His concern was that we should not forget God while seeking medical help. That is an important distinction. There is nothing wrong with seeing a physician, but our ultimate confidence should remain in the God who created us and who can work through whatever means He chooses.

Adrian Rogers made essentially the same point in his message on James 5. He said that God often uses doctors and physical means to bring healing. His concern was not that Christians seek medical care, but that they place their ultimate confidence in a doctor rather than in God. I think that is a helpful approach. We can ask God to give doctors wisdom, lead them to the correct diagnosis, make a medication effective, guide a surgeon’s hands, protect us from complications, and also ask Him to do what medicine cannot accomplish. Prayer and good medical treatment do not have to compete with each other. God may work through ordinary medical means, extraordinary intervention, or both.

If Healing Does Not Come

One of the most harmful teachings about healing is the claim that every Christian would be physically healed if only he or she possessed enough faith. Scripture does not allow us to make that promise. Paul asked the Lord three times to remove his thorn in the flesh, but instead of removing it, the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV). Timothy apparently lived with recurring physical problems, Paul left Trophimus sick in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20), and Elisha eventually became sick with the illness from which he died (2 Kings 13:14). These were not people who simply needed to learn how to have faith.

This matters pastorally because serious illness already places a tremendous burden on a person and family. We should not add spiritual condemnation to physical suffering. Someone with cancer, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, disability, or another serious condition should not be told that continued sickness proves a lack of faith. Rogers was particularly strong on this point. He warned against healing ministries that blame the sick person when healing does not occur, recognizing the spiritual damage that can do to someone who is already suffering.

We should also be careful about assuming that a person’s sickness is punishment for a particular sin. Scripture does show that sinful choices can sometimes damage our bodies, and there are circumstances where God disciplines His children. But Jesus challenged the assumption that every illness can be traced directly to someone’s personal sin. In John 9, the disciples asked whether a man’s blindness was caused by his own sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus rejected both explanations in that particular case. Sometimes we simply do not know why a particular person is suffering.

There may also be times when God has purposes in allowing sickness that we cannot immediately see. Paul discovered that God’s strength could be displayed through his weakness. Illness can change our priorities, deepen our dependence on Christ, repair relationships, develop compassion for others who suffer, and open opportunities for ministry that would never have existed otherwise. Hospital rooms, cancer centers, rehabilitation facilities, and long drives to medical appointments can become places where faith is demonstrated and meaningful conversations occur. That does not make sickness good, but it does mean sickness is not beyond God’s ability to use.

This does not mean we stop praying for healing. Paul asked God three times to remove his thorn. There was nothing wrong with asking. The lesson came when God’s answer was different from the one Paul wanted. Sometimes God removes the problem. Sometimes He works through treatment. Sometimes He gives grace and strength to live faithfully with a condition we desperately wanted Him to remove.

Trusting Our Sovereign God

There is an important difference between believing God can heal and believing we can tell God what He must do. Faith is not a way of controlling God. Faith trusts God. Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane, “Yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NIV). That was not weak faith. It was complete trust in the Father.

We can pray with that same confidence and humility. We can ask God to heal, ask Him to give doctors wisdom, ask Him to let a treatment work, and ask Him to give us more years with the people we love. At the same time, we can place ourselves in His hands. There may eventually come a point when the prayer begins to change from “Lord, give me more years” to “Lord, help me finish well.” That change does not mean we have stopped believing God can heal. It means we continue trusting Him even when the road ahead becomes clearer.

There is one statement about Christian healing that I can make with complete confidence. Every person who belongs to Jesus Christ will ultimately be completely healed. I cannot promise that God will remove someone’s cancer today, cure a chronic illness this year, or restore every physical ability before death. Scripture does promise, however, that Jesus Christ will raise His people and transform their bodies.

Philippians 3:20–21 says that Christ will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. First Corinthians 15 describes the resurrection body as imperishable, glorious, and powerful. Revelation 21:4 looks ahead to the day when there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. The Christian who dies from cancer has not ultimately been defeated by cancer. The believer whose body has been weakened by disease will not remain in that condition forever. Our present bodies are not our final bodies.

That is why Christians can pray for healing with both hope and humility. Ask God specifically. Ask Him repeatedly. Ask other believers to pray with you. If the illness is serious, call the elders of the church and ask them to pray over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. Consider setting aside time for fasting and focused prayer. Seek wise medical care, and pray that God will work through it. Do not be afraid to ask God for something miraculous.

Then trust Him with the outcome. God may heal through medicine. He may heal in a way that medicine cannot explain. He may give many additional years of life. Or He may give sufficient grace to walk faithfully through an illness He chooses not to remove. Whatever happens, sickness does not have the final word for the Christian. Because Jesus died and rose again, complete healing and the redemption of our bodies are still ahead.

15. What If I Am Afraid to Die?

Christians sometimes feel guilty admitting that they are afraid to die. We read Paul’s statement that “to die is gain,” hear stories of believers who approached death with remarkable peace, and wonder whether fear means our faith is weak. I do not think that conclusion is necessary. There are many reasons a Christian may experience fear when thinking about death, and not all of them represent unbelief.

Sometimes the fear is really about the process of dying rather than what comes afterward. A person may trust Christ and still wonder whether death will involve pain, loss of independence, difficulty breathing, confusion, or a long illness. Others are less afraid of physical suffering than of leaving a spouse, children, grandchildren, or unfinished responsibilities behind. These concerns reflect our attachment to people and to the life God has given us.

There can also be fear of the unknown. Even when we believe what Scripture teaches, none of us has personally experienced death and returned to describe the process. We live by faith rather than sight. The fact that we cannot see everything ahead can make the transition unsettling.

The biblical response to fear is not pretending that we possess more courage than we actually do. Our confidence rests in the presence and promises of God. Psalm 23 does not say that the valley of the shadow of death is imaginary. David’s confidence comes from knowing that he will not walk through it alone: “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Hebrews 2 adds another important dimension by explaining that Jesus shared in our humanity so that through His death He might break the power of the one who holds the power of death and free those who were held in slavery by their fear of death. Jesus did not overcome death by avoiding it. He entered it. The Savior Christians trust at the end of life is One who has Himself experienced death and emerged victorious.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14–15 (NIV)

There is a difference between experiencing fear and being controlled by fear. A Christian may honestly say, “I do not know exactly what this experience will be like, and parts of it frighten me,” while still trusting the promises of Christ. Courage is not always the absence of fear. Sometimes courage is continuing to trust God while fear is present.

For someone who knows that death may be near, I would encourage returning repeatedly to the clearest promises of Scripture rather than trying to solve every mystery about eternity. Jesus said He is the resurrection and the life. Paul said that to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord. Jesus promised that He was preparing a place for His people. Romans 8 says that nothing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ. Those promises provide something solid to hold onto when emotions fluctuate.

It can also help to remember that Christians do not need to manufacture dying grace years before they need it. God has repeatedly given His people strength for circumstances they once thought they could never face. The grace needed for today is given today. If the day comes when we must walk through the valley of death, we can trust the Shepherd to provide the grace needed for that day as well.

Erwin Lutzer’s teaching on what happens after death has been one resource that has influenced my own thinking and preaching about eternity. In this excerpt he considers what Scripture teaches about the believer’s experience beyond death.

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16. When You Know Your Time May Be Short

There is a significant difference between knowing intellectually that everyone eventually dies and being told that your own death may be approaching. A serious diagnosis can suddenly change the way a person thinks about time. Plans that once seemed important may become less important, while relationships, faith, unfinished conversations, and questions about eternity move to the foreground. I have had opportunities as a pastor to spend time with people facing that reality, and those conversations have reminded me that preparing to die is not necessarily an expression of hopelessness. For a Christian, it can be an expression of wisdom and faith.

One of the most important things a person can do when facing death is to become clear about his or her relationship with Jesus Christ. This is not the time to rest eternal confidence on vague memories of religion, church attendance, family background, or the hope that a generally good life will be enough. The promises we have considered throughout this resource are promises for those who are in Christ. If there is uncertainty about salvation, I would rather address that question directly than cover it with comforting language.

For the person who has trusted Christ, approaching death can also become a time to return repeatedly to the promises of God. Physical strength may diminish, concentration may become more difficult, and there may be less energy for lengthy Bible study. In those circumstances, a few familiar passages can become especially meaningful. Psalm 23, John 11:25–26, John 14:1–6, Romans 8, 2 Corinthians 5:1–9, Philippians 1:20–23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, and Revelation 21:1–5 provide truths worth reading, hearing, praying, and remembering.

There may also be important conversations that should not be postponed. If there is someone we need to forgive, someone from whom we need to seek forgiveness, someone we need to thank, or someone we need to tell that we love them, the knowledge that time is limited can give those conversations greater urgency. Not every broken relationship can be repaired, and reconciliation requires more than one willing person, but Romans 12:18 wisely tells us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” There is value in doing what we can while we still have the opportunity.

Practical preparation can also be an act of love for the people who will remain. Making sure family members know where important information is located, communicating wishes clearly, and discussing funeral or memorial preferences can remove unnecessary uncertainty later. These matters should not become the center of preparing for death, but neither should they be ignored simply because they are uncomfortable. Thoughtful preparation can allow a person’s final season of life to focus more fully on relationships, faith, and the things that matter most.

There is also an opportunity to leave something more important than possessions. The way a Christian faces suffering, speaks about Christ, expresses gratitude, offers forgiveness, prays for family members, and demonstrates confidence in God’s promises can become part of a spiritual legacy. None of us will leave behind a perfect record. What we can leave is a testimony that God’s grace was sufficient and that Jesus remained faithful.

Preparing for death does not mean that we stop praying for healing or stop valuing the days that remain. Scripture gives us freedom to ask God for healing while also entrusting the outcome to Him. Medical treatment, prayer for recovery, and preparation for death are not necessarily contradictory. We can ask God for more time while also being prepared if His answer is different from the one we desire.

Paul demonstrated something of this perspective in Philippians 1. He could see reasons why remaining alive would be fruitful, yet he also knew that departing and being with Christ would be “better by far.” The Christian does not have to choose between appreciating earthly life and anticipating eternal life. We can do both. Every additional day is a gift to receive and use faithfully, while Christ remains our hope when those days come to an end.

17. Planning Your Own Funeral: A Final Testimony of Faith

Most people would rather plan a vacation, a retirement party, or almost anything else than plan their own funeral. I understand that. Thinking about our own death can feel uncomfortable, especially when we are healthy and expect to have many years ahead of us. Yet Scripture repeatedly encourages us to recognize that our earthly lives are temporary. Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Preparing for death is not the same as being preoccupied with death. It can actually be part of living wisely.

As a pastor, I have walked with families through the days surrounding the death of someone they love. Those days can be emotionally exhausting. Family members may suddenly find themselves making decisions about funeral homes, burial or cremation, cemeteries, music, Scripture readings, photographs, obituaries, memorial gifts, meals, and dozens of other details. At the same time, they are trying to process the reality that someone they love is gone. One of the kindest things you can do for your family is make some of these decisions before they have to.

Planning your funeral does not mean controlling every detail of what happens after you die. Your family will still need some freedom to grieve, remember, and make decisions appropriate to their circumstances. But leaving clear information about your wishes can remove unnecessary uncertainty. Instead of wondering, “What would Mom have wanted?” or “What would Dad have chosen?” your family can have some guidance.

For a Christian, however, funeral planning can be about much more than making things easier for our families. It can become one final testimony of what we believe.

Decide What You Want Your Funeral to Say

Every funeral communicates something. Sometimes the primary emphasis is on accomplishments, hobbies, career, military service, family relationships, or memorable stories. Those things can appropriately be celebrated. A funeral should help people remember the person who died. But if you belong to Jesus Christ, your earthly accomplishments are not the most important thing about you.

I would encourage Christians planning their funerals to ask a deeper question: What do I want people to hear about Jesus when my life is over?

You may have relatives, neighbors, coworkers, or friends who would rarely attend church but would attend your funeral. Some may have heard the gospel many times. Others may know very little about what Christians actually believe. Your funeral may place people you have prayed for in a room where they will hear Scripture and be reminded of eternity.

You can tell your pastor that you want the gospel clearly presented. You can choose Scripture passages that explain the hope you have in Christ. You can select songs that direct attention toward God rather than merely toward yourself. You can even leave a brief written statement explaining your faith and why you trusted Jesus Christ.

There is an important distinction here. A Christian funeral should not pretend that someone earned heaven by being a wonderful person. I have heard people describe the deceased as kind, generous, hardworking, devoted to family, or helpful to others. Those are wonderful qualities to remember, but none of them is the basis of salvation. Our hope is Jesus Christ.

If my funeral tells people anything about me, I would want it to make clear that my confidence about eternity was not based upon how well I performed as a pastor, husband, father, friend, or Christian. My confidence rests in what Jesus Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection.

Write Down the Story of Your Faith

Consider leaving behind a short written testimony. It does not need to be dramatic. In fact, some of the most meaningful testimonies are remarkably simple.

Write about how you came to understand the gospel. Explain when you began trusting Christ. Describe some ways God has been faithful to you. Include a favorite Scripture passage and explain why it became important to you. If there were difficult seasons when God carried you through grief, illness, disappointment, or uncertainty, you may want your family to know that too.

You could also write directly to the people you love. Tell them that you love them. Tell them what you are thankful for. If you know Christ, tell them why you are not afraid to entrust your eternity to Him. Encourage them to trust Christ themselves.

Years from now, your family may treasure those words far more than you imagine today.

Choose Scripture Before Someone Else Has to Choose It

I encourage people to identify several passages of Scripture they would like used at their funeral or memorial service. You do not have to plan an entire sermon. Simply give your pastor and family passages that have been important in your life.

Psalm 23 remains meaningful because it speaks about God’s presence even while walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Psalm 90 reminds us of the brevity of earthly life. John 11 records Jesus’ declaration that He is the resurrection and the life. John 14 records Jesus comforting His disciples with the promise that He was preparing a place for them. Romans 8 speaks powerfully about the security believers have in Christ. First Corinthians 15 explains the resurrection. Second Corinthians 4 and 5 contrast our temporary earthly troubles with eternal glory. First Thessalonians 4 reminds Christians that we grieve, but not as people who have no hope. Revelation 21 describes the day when death, mourning, crying, and pain will finally be gone.

You may have other passages that have become especially meaningful during your life. Write them down and, if possible, explain why you chose them. That explanation could become valuable material for the pastor conducting your service.

Choose Music That Reflects Your Faith

Music can be one of the most memorable parts of a funeral. Songs often express truths and emotions that are difficult to communicate in ordinary conversation.

If there are hymns or Christian songs that have been important to you, make a list. You might select a song about God’s faithfulness, the cross, resurrection, heaven, or the hope believers have in Christ.

At the same time, give your family some flexibility. A song that becomes especially meaningful during your final years may not even have been written when you originally made your plans. Your goal does not need to be controlling every minute of the service. You are providing direction.

Leave Information for Your Obituary

Writing an obituary while grieving can be surprisingly difficult. Dates and details that everyone thought they knew suddenly have to be verified.

You can make this much easier by keeping a simple record of important information. Include your full name, birth date and birthplace, parents’ names, marriage information, children and grandchildren, education, military service, employment, churches you have attended, ministries or organizations that mattered to you, and other important parts of your life.

You might also identify accomplishments or interests that you would like remembered. Perhaps you loved fishing, restoring cars, gardening, music, coaching, volunteering, traveling, or simply spending time with your grandchildren. These details help people remember the life God gave you.

Keep the information somewhere your family can find it, and update it periodically.

Make Your Practical Wishes Known

There are practical decisions that should be discussed before a death occurs. Do you prefer burial or cremation? Do you already own a cemetery plot? Is there a particular cemetery where you would like to be buried? Would you prefer a traditional funeral, a memorial service, a graveside service, or some combination?

If you have strong preferences concerning a funeral home, visitation, casket, urn, flowers, memorial gifts, military honors, or other arrangements, write them down.

You may also want to discuss these matters with your spouse or children while you are healthy. A written document discovered after your death is useful. A conversation beforehand is even better.

Christians sometimes ask whether burial or cremation is more biblical. Historically, Christians have often practiced burial, in part because burial beautifully pictures the biblical hope of resurrection. However, our future resurrection does not depend upon the preservation of our present bodies. Bodies return to the earth through decomposition regardless. God who created us is fully capable of raising the dead. Christians can therefore think carefully about burial and cremation without treating the method of disposition as the basis of our resurrection hope.

Do Not Leave Your Family Searching for Important Information

Funeral planning also exposes a larger issue. Would your family know what to do if you died unexpectedly?

Make sure someone you trust knows where important documents can be found. That may include your will, insurance information, financial accounts, property records, vehicle titles, cemetery information, military records, advance directives, and contact information for your attorney, financial adviser, pastor, and funeral home.

Digital information has become increasingly important as well. Most of us now leave behind email accounts, social-media accounts, photographs stored online, subscriptions, websites, and other digital property. Think about how your family could appropriately gain access to what they need.

This information should be stored securely. You do not need to place passwords or sensitive financial information in your funeral instructions. You simply need to make sure the appropriate person knows how to locate what will be needed.

Think About the People You Are Leaving Behind

Preparing for your funeral can also prompt conversations that should not wait until someone is dying.

Are there people you need to forgive? Is there someone from whom you should ask forgiveness? Is there something you have always wanted to tell your children or grandchildren? Are there family stories that will disappear if you do not write them down? Are there photographs that nobody else will be able to identify someday?

We often assume there will be another opportunity. Scripture warns us against that assumption. James describes our life as “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We do not know how many days God will give us.

Preparing for death can therefore become an invitation to live better now.

Make the phone call. Have the conversation. Say “I love you.” Forgive. Ask forgiveness. Share your testimony. Tell your children and grandchildren what God has taught you. Do not save all your important words for your funeral.

Make Sure Your Family Knows What You Believe

One of the greatest gifts you can leave your family is clarity about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Families sometimes arrive at a funeral desperately searching for evidence that their loved one knew Christ. They remember a church membership, a baptism, a confirmation, a prayer prayed many years ago, or something the person once said. Those memories may be meaningful, but you can give your family something much clearer.

Talk about your faith while you are alive.

Tell your family why you believe the gospel. Tell them that you are trusting Jesus Christ for salvation. Tell them where your confidence comes from. Let them see that your hope is not merely that you have been “good enough,” but that Christ died for your sins and rose again.

First John 5:11–12 says that God has given us eternal life and that this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Verse 13 then explains that believers can know that they have eternal life.

That kind of assurance changes the way we approach death.

Your Funeral Cannot Save Anyone, but the Gospel Can Be Heard There

I believe a Christian funeral should offer genuine comfort while also speaking honestly about eternity. People do not need manipulation when they are grieving, but neither should we hide the hope of the gospel from them.

Death reminds us that something is wrong with our world. Scripture teaches that sin brought death and separation from God. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Eternal life is God’s gift, received through faith in Christ.

That means a funeral does not have to end merely with, “Wasn’t this a wonderful person?”

It can point beyond the person who died to the Savior who conquered death.

If you are planning your funeral, you can specifically ask your pastor to explain how a person can know Christ and receive eternal life. You cannot determine how everyone attending your funeral will respond, but you can make sure they are given an opportunity to hear the truth that gave you hope.

Do Not Wait Until the Funeral to Prepare for Eternity

There is something even more important than planning your funeral. You need to be prepared for what comes after it.

A perfectly planned funeral cannot prepare someone for eternity. Neither can church attendance, religious activity, charitable giving, baptism, family heritage, or simply trying to be a good person.

Our hope is Jesus.

If you realize that you have never personally trusted Christ, you can turn to Him now. There are no special words that earn salvation, and repeating a prayer does not save someone apart from genuine faith. A prayer can, however, be a helpful way of expressing to God the faith and repentance that are in your heart.

You might pray:

“God, I know that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from trusting myself and place my trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. Please forgive me, give me eternal life, and help me follow You from this day forward. Thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus. Amen.”

The confidence is not in having said the right words. The confidence is in Christ.

A Simple Funeral Planning Record

You do not need an elaborate funeral-planning binder to begin. A few pages kept with your important papers can be enormously helpful.

Consider recording:

Your preference for burial or cremation
Cemetery information and any arrangements already made
Funeral home preference
Funeral, memorial, visitation, and graveside preferences
Pastor, church, and people you would like involved
Scripture passages you would like read
Hymns or Christian songs you would like considered
Important information for your obituary
Military honors, memorial organizations, or other special arrangements
People who should be contacted
Location of your will, insurance information, advance directives, and other important documents
Instructions for locating important digital information
A short testimony explaining your faith in Jesus Christ
Anything you especially want your family to hear
A request that the gospel be clearly shared at your funeral

Then tell someone where you put it.

Review the information every few years. Relationships change. Pastors retire. Churches change. Funeral homes change ownership. Songs that once seemed important may be replaced by others that become more meaningful. Funeral planning should be useful guidance for your family, not an inflexible set of demands.

Plan Your Funeral, Then Go Live Your Life

The purpose of thinking about death is not to become consumed with dying. Scripture uses the reality of death to teach us how to live.

Knowing that our days are limited should make today’s relationships more valuable. Knowing that possessions are temporary should help us hold them more loosely. Knowing that we will stand before God should affect our priorities. Knowing that Christ has conquered death should give believers courage. Knowing that eternity is real should make sharing the gospel more urgent.

So plan your funeral. Put your important information somewhere your family can find it. Tell them what you want. Write down your testimony. Choose some Scriptures. Make your wishes clear.

Then go live.

Love your family. Serve Christ. Give generously. Forgive quickly. Share the gospel. Make memories. Use the abilities and opportunities God has given you. Invest your life in things that will matter beyond your lifetime.

Someday someone else may stand at your funeral and talk about the life you lived. You cannot control everything they will say. But you can live today in such a way that the most important thing will already be clear.

Your hope was in Jesus Christ.

Practical Resources for Getting Your Affairs in Order

Planning your funeral is only one part of preparing well. Your family may also need information about finances, insurance, medical care, household matters, important contacts, documents, and other practical details. You do not have to organize everything at once, but having important information together and making sure someone you trust knows where to find it can spare your family considerable confusion during an already difficult time.

Leaving Your Legacy Organizer

In this FamilyLife Today conversation, Brian Kluth discusses the importance of putting vital information in one place so a spouse or other family members know what to do if you die or become unable to handle your affairs. It is a helpful starting point for thinking beyond the funeral itself and considering the practical and personal information your family may need.

Listen to Leaving Your Legacy Organizer at FamilyLife

Get Your House in Order

Brian Kluth’s Get Your House in Order material provides practical forms and guidance for organizing information involving your household, family, finances, retirement, medical concerns, funeral arrangements, and other matters. It can help turn the general advice to “get your affairs in order” into specific steps you can actually take.

Visit Brian Kluth’s Get Your House in Order resource

You do not have to complete everything at once. The important thing is to begin. Write down what you know, organize important information, tell someone you trust where it can be found, and review it periodically. A little preparation now can be a significant gift to the people you love.

18. Living Today With Eternity in Mind

Thinking about heaven should change more than the way we approach death. It should change the way we live. Biblical teaching about eternity was never intended merely to satisfy our curiosity about the future. Again and again, Scripture connects future hope with present faithfulness. Knowing where history is going should influence our priorities, relationships, character, use of time, and response to suffering now.

Colossians 3 begins by telling believers to set their hearts and minds “on things above, where Christ is.” That instruction can be misunderstood if we imagine that heavenly-minded Christians should withdraw from ordinary responsibilities. Paul immediately demonstrates the opposite. Thinking about things above leads him to address sexual morality, greed, anger, slander, dishonesty, compassion, kindness, humility, patience, forgiveness, love, peace, gratitude, worship, and the way Christians speak and act. An eternal perspective should make us more faithful in earthly life, not less.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1–2 (NIV)

When we remember that our time is limited, some things begin to look different. Arguments that once seemed worth winning may lose their importance. Resentments we have carried for years become harder to justify. Possessions we worked so hard to accumulate are revealed as temporary. Opportunities to love people, serve Christ, share the gospel, encourage someone, give generously, and invest in things with eternal significance become more valuable.

An eternal perspective can also change the way Christians endure suffering. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 that our present troubles are achieving for us “an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” He is not minimizing suffering. Paul experienced beatings, imprisonment, rejection, physical hardship, and repeated danger. His point is that present suffering is not the entire story. Christians can acknowledge how difficult something is while also recognizing that the suffering will not last forever.

This perspective is especially important as we grow older. Our culture often treats aging primarily as a problem to resist. Scripture allows us to see it differently. Aging certainly brings losses, and there is nothing wrong with caring for our health and wanting to remain active. Yet every stage of life can be lived faithfully. A person who can no longer do what he or she once did can still pray, encourage, love, give, testify to God’s faithfulness, and influence younger generations. Our usefulness to God is not measured only by physical strength or productivity.

Living with eternity in mind also protects us from becoming too attached to this present world. That does not mean we should stop enjoying God’s gifts. Christians should be among the most grateful people on earth because we recognize good things as gifts from God. We can enjoy family, friendship, food, work, recreation, creation, and countless ordinary blessings without pretending they can ultimately satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart. Every earthly gift is temporary. God Himself is eternal.

There is an opposite danger as well. A person can become so preoccupied with the future that he neglects what God has called him to do today. I do not believe God wants us sitting around waiting to die so that we can finally begin enjoying eternal life. If God has left us here, there is still a reason to live faithfully. Paul wanted to be with Christ, but he also recognized that remaining alive meant fruitful labor. The hope of heaven should give us greater purpose in this life rather than less.

A healthy Christian perspective therefore holds two truths together. We can genuinely enjoy and faithfully use the life God has given us while refusing to treat this present life as though it were all there is. We can make plans without assuming we control tomorrow. We can grieve without losing hope. We can grow older without believing our best future is behind us. We can face death without pretending it is harmless, because we know Christ has defeated it.

19. Are You Ready to Meet God?

After all the questions we can ask about death and heaven, there is one question that matters more personally than the others: Are you ready to meet God? We can spend a great deal of time wondering what heaven looks like, whether we will recognize people there, what our resurrection bodies will be like, and what happens in the moments immediately after death. Those are worthwhile questions, but none is as important as whether we have eternal life through Jesus Christ.

The message of the gospel begins with God. He created us and gave us life, and He is holy, loving, and just. Human beings were created for relationship with Him, but sin has separated us from God. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That includes religious people and irreligious people, respectable people and obviously broken people. None of us can solve the problem of sin by becoming good enough to deserve eternal life.

The consequences of sin are serious. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death.” Yet the verse does not end there. It continues, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Christianity is not primarily the story of human beings working their way toward God. It is the story of God coming to rescue people who could not save themselves.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived the sinless life we have not lived. He died on the cross for our sins and rose bodily from the dead. His resurrection demonstrated His victory over sin and death. Because of what Jesus has done, forgiveness and eternal life are offered as a gift rather than a reward we earn.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

To believe in Christ means more than agreeing that Jesus existed or knowing facts about Christianity. Biblical faith involves trusting Him as our Savior. We stop relying upon our own goodness, religion, accomplishments, or moral record as the basis of our acceptance before God and place our confidence in Jesus Christ. The New Testament describes this response with words such as faith, repentance, receiving Christ, and calling upon the Lord.

Repentance does not mean that we make ourselves perfect before God will receive us. If we could repair ourselves sufficiently, we would not need a Savior. Repentance involves a change of mind and direction in which we acknowledge our sin and turn toward God. Genuine faith receives Christ rather than merely adding Jesus to a life we have no intention of surrendering to Him.

Romans 10:9 says that if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Verse 13 adds, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The emphasis is not on finding a complicated religious procedure. Salvation is found in Christ.

I sometimes return to 1 John 5 because it states the issue with remarkable clarity. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Eternal life is not ultimately found in a denomination, a church building, a religious ritual, or a record of good deeds. Eternal life is found in Jesus Christ.

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11–12 (NIV)

If you realize that you have never personally trusted Christ, you can turn to Him now. Salvation does not come from merely repeating the words of a prayer. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not because we found the right words to say. At the same time, prayer can be a helpful way to express genuine faith, repentance, and trust in Christ. What matters is not simply saying these words, but sincerely placing your faith in the One to whom you are praying.

If this expresses what you genuinely believe and desire, you can pray something like this:

“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I know that You died on the cross for my sins and rose again. Please forgive me of my sin. Come into my life and save me. Make me the person You created me to be. I want to follow You and learn Your ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed that sincerely, your confidence should not rest in the prayer itself, how strongly you felt something when you prayed it, or whether you said every word perfectly. Put your confidence in Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), and, “Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). Salvation rests in Christ.

Then begin following Him. Read His Word, talk with Him in prayer, connect with a Bible-believing church, and continue learning what it means to trust and obey Jesus. These things do not earn your salvation. They are part of beginning a life of following the Savior who has saved you.

If you already belong to Christ but struggle with fear about whether you are saved, return to the promises of Scripture. Do not place your confidence in the strength of your emotions or in your ability to remember a particular spiritual experience perfectly. Look to Christ. Examine whether your faith is genuinely in Him, recognize the evidence of His work in your life, confess sin rather than making peace with it, and trust the promises of the God who is faithful.

The goal is not to become careless about eternity because we once made a profession of faith, nor is it to spend the rest of our lives terrified that one failure might erase the saving work of Christ. Biblical assurance allows us to take both sin and grace seriously. We continue following Christ because we belong to Him, trusting that the Savior who began His work in us will remain faithful.

20. Conclusion and Further Resources

The Hope I Want People to Have

After years of preaching funerals, visiting people near the end of life, and walking alongside grieving families, I have become increasingly convinced that Christians need more than vague optimism about death. We need a hope strong enough to face a hospital room, a terminal diagnosis, a funeral home, a cemetery, and eventually our own final hours. That hope cannot rest on pretending death is insignificant or assuming that everyone automatically goes to a better place. It must rest on something God has actually promised.

The hope Scripture gives us is centered on Jesus Christ. Because Jesus died and rose again, the Christian can know that death is not the end. Those who die in Christ go to be with Him. Christ will return. The dead in Christ will rise. Our present bodies, now subject to weakness and decay, will be transformed. God will judge justly. Evil will not continue forever. God’s people will live in His presence, and death, mourning, crying, and pain will finally be gone.

This hope also changes the way we live before death comes. If our lives are temporary but our relationship with God is eternal, then today matters. How we love people matters. Whether we forgive matters. How we use our time matters. Sharing the gospel matters. Faithfulness matters. The people around us matter. We do not know how many days God will give us, but we can receive each one as a gift and use it for His purposes.

I want to live with that perspective, and I want to help other people live that way as well. I want to enjoy the life God has given me without pretending it will last forever. I want to remain useful and faithful for as long as God leaves me here. When the time eventually comes to leave this life, I want my confidence to be where it has always needed to be: not in my accomplishments, not in my goodness, and not in my ability to face death bravely, but in Jesus Christ.

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Death is real, and unless Jesus returns first, each of us will eventually face it. But for the person who belongs to Christ, death does not have the final word. Jesus does.

Video Teaching

The videos distributed throughout this page include teaching from Erwin Lutzer, Craig Groeschel, Billy Graham, Allen Parr, GotQuestions.org, and teaching about assurance of salvation. I have placed the videos alongside the subjects they address so that you can watch them as you work through the material rather than collecting all of them at the end.

You can also find these and additional videos in my YouTube playlist Facing Death with Hope: What the Bible Says About Heaven and Eternal Life.

Watch the Facing Death with Hope Playlist

Scripture Passages to Read or Listen to

For further study, I encourage you to read these passages in their larger context. Together they provide a much richer biblical understanding of life, death, salvation, resurrection, judgment, heaven, and eternal hope. Choose a translation below each passage to read the chapter online.

Psalm 23 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Psalm 90 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Ecclesiastes 3 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Ecclesiastes 7 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
John 3 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
John 11 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
John 14 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Romans 5 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Romans 6 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Romans 8 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
1 Corinthians 15 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
2 Corinthians 4 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
2 Corinthians 5 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Philippians 1 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Philippians 3 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
1 Thessalonians 4 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
1 Thessalonians 5 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Hebrews 2 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Hebrews 9 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Hebrews 10 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
1 John 5 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Revelation 21 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV
Revelation 22 — NLT | NIV | ESV | KJV

As helpful as books, sermons, and videos can be, our confidence about eternity should ultimately rest on Jesus Christ and what God has revealed in His Word. I encourage you to use these resources as aids to studying Scripture rather than substitutes for it.

Books for Further Reading

The following books are helpful resources for going deeper into questions about death, heaven, resurrection, and eternity. They are available from many bookstores, Christian retailers, libraries, and online sources. Because someone reading this page may be facing death personally or walking alongside someone whose time may be short, I have included Amazon links for immediate-access audiobook and Kindle editions where available. Print editions are listed afterward for those who prefer a physical book.

One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination

Erwin W. Lutzer

Lutzer examines what Scripture teaches about the moment of death, heaven, hell, judgment, and our eternal destination. This book has influenced some of my own thinking and preaching about what happens after death and is a helpful resource for someone wanting a focused treatment of these questions.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

Heaven

Randy Alcorn

Alcorn provides an extensive study of what Scripture says about heaven, resurrection, the new earth, and the eternal future of God’s people. He addresses many of the practical questions Christians ask about what eternity will be like while emphasizing the biblical hope of bodily resurrection and God’s renewed creation.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

On Death

Timothy Keller

Keller offers a shorter and more pastoral treatment of mortality and Christian hope. He considers our fear of death, the promises of the gospel, and how faith in Christ changes the way Christians understand and face the end of earthly life.

Get it: Kindle | Print editions are also widely available from booksellers.

The Heaven Answer Book

Billy Graham

Written in an accessible question-and-answer format, this book addresses many common questions about heaven, salvation, eternal life, and what happens after death. It can be especially useful for someone who wants straightforward answers without beginning with a lengthy theological study.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

Introducing Christian Doctrine

Millard J. Erickson

This is not primarily a book about heaven but an introduction to Christian theology. It places death, resurrection, judgment, and the final state within the larger framework of biblical doctrine. It is particularly useful for readers who want to understand how Christian teaching about eternity fits together with the rest of the Christian faith.

Get it: Audiobook | Digital Edition | Print Book

We Shall See God: Charles Spurgeon’s Classic Devotional Thoughts on Heaven

Randy Alcorn and Charles H. Spurgeon

Randy Alcorn brings together fifty selections from Charles Spurgeon’s sermons about heaven and adds his own devotional insights. This is a helpful resource for personal reflection and encouragement, focusing on the Christian’s future hope, the joy of heaven, and ultimately being in the presence of Christ.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

The Gift of Heaven: Exploring Hope in the Life Beyond

Charles F. Stanley

Stanley offers a pastoral and encouraging look at the Christian hope of heaven, addressing questions such as what heaven will be like, how a person can know they are going to heaven, and who will be there. With its emphasis on Scripture, assurance, and the hope of eternal life, this is an especially appropriate resource for someone facing difficult circumstances, grief, or questions about what lies beyond this life.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

Answers to Your Questions About Heaven

David Jeremiah

Jeremiah addresses common questions people have about heaven and eternity in an accessible question-and-answer format. This is a helpful choice for someone who may not want to work through a lengthy book but has specific questions about what Scripture teaches concerning heaven and the believer’s eternal future.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home

David Jeremiah

Jeremiah presents thirty-one short reflections on the biblical hope of heaven and what our eternal home means for life right now. With an emphasis on hope, confidence, and looking beyond the burdens and disappointments of this life, this is an especially accessible resource for someone facing suffering, grief, or the reality of death.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death

Lee Strobel

Strobel approaches questions about death and eternity from an investigative and apologetic perspective. He considers arguments for the existence of the soul, near-death experiences, competing beliefs about the afterlife, and the Christian case for heaven and eternal life. This can be especially helpful for readers who are wrestling with whether there are good reasons to believe that death is not the end.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

The Real Heaven: What the Bible Actually Says

Chip Ingram

Ingram examines common ideas and misconceptions about heaven and compares them with what Scripture actually teaches. The book focuses on the reality of heaven, what believers can know about it, and how the promise of eternity should affect the way Christians live today.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

What Every Christian Needs to Know

Greg Laurie

This practical introduction to the Christian life covers foundational subjects including understanding the Bible, prayer, sharing your faith, and growing as a follower of Jesus. It is especially appropriate for someone who has recently placed their faith in Christ and wants help taking the next steps in following Him.

Get it: Audiobook | Kindle | Print Book

About this Resource

This resource grew out of my sermons, funeral messages, pastoral ministry, experiences with grief, and study of Scripture. Scripture is the foundation for what I teach here, and Erwin Lutzer’s One Minute After You Die has also influenced some of my thinking. I used technology-assisted tools to help organize and edit more than 120,000 words of my own transcripts, articles, and website material into this free resource. I personally reviewed and revised the final content, with the goal of making it clear, biblically faithful, and helpful to anyone facing questions about death and eternity.

Biblical answers about life, death, heaven, hell, resurrection, assurance of salvation, and eternity

Facing Death with Hope Video Playlist

Contents

1. Life Is a Gift, but Our Days Are Limited

2. Death Is Real, but Death Is Not the End

3. What Happens When We Die?

4. For the Christian, Death Means Being With Christ

5. Can You Know You Have Eternal Life?

Our Confidence Begins With What Christ Has Done

God Brings Believers Into His Family

The Holy Spirit Gives Assurance

Assurance Is Not the Same as Presumption

6. Being a Good Person Is Not How We Get to Heaven

7. Jesus Is the Only Savior

8. What About Judgment and Hell?

Hell Should Never Be Treated Casually

The Cross Shows Both the Seriousness of Sin and the Love of God

What Can We Say About Someone Who Has Already Died?

9. The Resurrection: What Will Happen to Our Bodies?

10. What Will Heaven Be Like?

11. Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?

12. Christians Still Grieve

13. Why Does God Allow Suffering and Pain?

14. Praying for Healing and Trusting God With the Outcome

Asking the Church to Pray

Prayer and Medical Treatment

If Healing Does Not Come

Trusting Our Sovereign God

15. What If I Am Afraid to Die?

16. When You Know Your Time May Be Short

17. Planning Your Own Funeral: A Final Testimony of Faith

Decide What You Want Your Funeral to Say

Write Down the Story of Your Faith

Choose Scripture Before Someone Else Has to Choose It

Choose Music That Reflects Your Faith

Leave Information for Your Obituary

Make Your Practical Wishes Known

Do Not Leave Your Family Searching for Important Information

Think About the People You Are Leaving Behind

Make Sure Your Family Knows What You Believe

Your Funeral Cannot Save Anyone, but the Gospel Can Be Heard There

Do Not Wait Until the Funeral to Prepare for Eternity

A Simple Funeral Planning Record

Plan Your Funeral, Then Go Live Your Life

Practical Resources for Getting Your Affairs in Order

Leaving Your Legacy Organizer

Get Your House in Order

18. Living Today With Eternity in Mind

19. Are You Ready to Meet God?

20. Conclusion and Further Resources

The Hope I Want People to Have

Video Teaching

Scripture Passages to Read or Listen to

More Questions About Death, Heaven, and Eternity?

Books for Further Reading

One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination

Heaven

On Death

The Heaven Answer Book

Introducing Christian Doctrine

We Shall See God: Charles Spurgeon’s Classic Devotional Thoughts on Heaven

The Gift of Heaven: Exploring Hope in the Life Beyond

Answers to Your Questions About Heaven

The Promise of Heaven: 31 Reasons to Get Excited About Your Eternal Home

The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death

The Real Heaven: What the Bible Actually Says

What Every Christian Needs to Know

About this Resource

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