It Is Not Death to Die
Why should we be afraid of death? … Of itself, [death] is an enemy indeed, but now it is harmless, nay, now it has become a friend. (Richard Sibbes, Christ is Best, quoted in Refreshment for the Soul, David McKinnon, p186)
We never sang this song with Pastor Walt Barrett—but it was one of his favorites. He spoke of it with me often, for it expresses a passage of Scripture that working pastors cling to in hospital rooms and funeral homes. Paul writes, “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:23, ESV) Here’s the hymn:
It is not death to die, to leave this weary road,
And join the saints who dwell on high, who’ve found their home with God.
That phrase, “home with God,” is not just sentimental imagery. Paul uses it with the Corinthians to describe a heavenly eternity, “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8, ESV). Take courage…
It is not death to close the eyes long-dimmed by tears,
And wake in joy before Your throne, delivered from our fears.
That, right there, is the whole Christian hope in a phrase, is it not? Death, the great equalizer of all flesh, cannot be a delivering grace to the unbeliever. No, only a Christian can endure that mournful hour with gladness… because Jesus did first. The hymn’s refrain continues:
O Jesus, conquering the grave,
Your precious blood has pow’r to save.
Those who trust in You will in Your mercy find…
That it is not death to die.
Looking then, to Jesus, in a Hebrews 12:1 kind of way, sees straight through death, just like Jesus saw straight through the cross, “for the joy set before Him.” The hymn drives us to praise God here, longing for 10,000 more years to sing God’s grace.
We often think of singing in this way as a foretaste of heaven. It is right that we do! As you lay to sleep, lead your family in worship, or prepare for tomorrow’s discipleship, let this (expanded) question challenge and exhort your heart.
What else, besides singing, has God called me to in order to prepare me for Heaven? How can I so die to myself, live unto God, and look with longing to a city whose builder and architect is God?
Richard Sibbes asks sharp questions about death and heaven:
“Heaven is perfect holiness, can one desire heaven that hates holiness here?
Can one desire the communion of saints in heaven, yet hate Christian fellowship now?
Can one desire to be free from sin, who engulfs himself continually in sin?”
I leave you to those questions with this most precious of promises, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7–8, ESV)