Category Archives: Death

John 14:6 – “No one comes to the Father except through me”

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“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV).

These words constitute the go-to text for Christians who wish to assert that Jesus Christ is the only way to God.  It is also the go-to text for those who feel that Christianity condemns itself as abhorrent and intolerant by reason of the very exclusiveness of this saying.

But does does the text actually mean what most of its friends (and, indeed, most of its enemies) think it means?…

Packer on eternal punishment

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In 1990, aware that respected evangelicals such as John Stott, Philip Edgcumbe Hughes and John Wenham had recently lent their support to annihilationism/conditionalism, J.I. Packer gave a lecture on ‘The Problem of Eternal Punishment.’

Packer began by affirming what all evangelicals should affirm, namely that our views about ultimate destiny should be shaped not by what what we might like to be so, but by what Scripture actually says is so.  Packer also observed what many before and after him have observed: that the Scriptural voice which speaks most frequently and firmly about hell is that of Jesus himself.…

Is hell for ever?

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I present here arguments for and against this difficult and disputed question.

Yes?

Traditionalists argue that the Gk words for ‘eternal’ (‘aion‘ and ‘ainios‘) often carry a clear idea of duration, Heb 13:8; Rev 4:10; 10:6; 11:15; 14:11; 20:10.  Cp Mk 3:29 w Mt 12:32.  They frequently note the parallelism between ‘eternal life’ and ‘eternal punishment’ in Mt 25:46.

The word ‘eternal’ is used over 60 times to refer to the blessings of the future state. …

What would you like to be remembered for?

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What one thing would you most like to be remembered for after you die?

According to a recent poll conducted by Avalon Funeral Plans, the most important trait is not our sophistication, good looks, intelligence, parenting skills, or even kindness, but trustworthiness.  That was the response given by 60% of the 2,000 British people who were asked.

Most people, it seems, want their funeral to be a celebration with lots of laughter, and would like guests to wear colourful clothing rather than the traditional black attire.…

To death…and beyond

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Commenting on Psalm 6:5, Derek Kidner provides an excellent summary of Old Testament teaching on ‘sheol’ (the grave; the abode of the dead) and what lies beyond:-

Sheol can be pictured in a number of ways: chiefly as a vast sepulchral cavern (cf. Ezek. 32:18–32) or stronghold (Pss 9:13; 107:18; Matt. 16:18); but also as a dark wasteland (Job 10:22) or as a beast of prey (e.g. Isa. 5:14; Jon. 2:2; Hab. 2:5). This is not definitive language, but poetic and evocative; and it is matched by various phrases that highlight the tragedy of death as that which silences a man’s worship (as here; cf 30:9; 88:10f.;

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How Scripture describes death

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1. Sleep

See Gen 47:30; Deut 31:16; 2 Sam 7:12; 2 Chron 9:31; Psa 13:3; Dan 12:2; Mt 27:52; Lk 8:52; Jn 11:11-13; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 7:39; 11:30; 15:6,18,51.

The comparison between death and sleep is apt, because:-

(a) sleep implies rest from labour, Rev 14:13.
(b) sleep implies cessation of activity in the environment of one’s wakeful life.
(c) sleep is a prelude to awakening, 1 Thess 4:16.

Notice, it is the body which sleeps in death; the person (if the Lord’s) goes to ‘be with Christ’.…

Why think about death?

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  1. Its anticipation a cause for joy, Heb 12:2; Rev 14:13
  2. Its solemnity a reason for humility, Psa 39:4; Eccle 5:15
  3. Its suddenness a spur to Christian labour, Rom 13:11ff
  4. Its contemplation a motive for evangelism, 2 Cor 5:11
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Longing for death

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But, most strange to say, many who boast of being Christians, instead of thus longing for death, are so afraid of it that they tremble at the very mention of it as a thing ominous and dreadful. We cannot wonder, indeed, that our natural feelings should be somewhat shocked at the mention of our dissolution. But it is altogether intolerable that the light of piety should not be so powerful in a Christian breast as with greater consolation to overcome and suppress that fear.
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Shall we know one another in heaven?

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For many Christians the prospect of being re-united with loved ones in the life to come is one of the greatest comforts in the face of bereavement.

Of course, this prospect ought not to overshadow that fellowship with our Lord which ought to be pre-eminent.  After all, the Psalmist could pray, “Whom have I in heaven but thee?’ (Psa 73:25), and Paul’s great desire was to depart and ‘being with Christ’, Phil 1:23; 1 Thess 4:17. …

Assisted suicide? – no thanks

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Bishop Tom Wright opposes the idea of the government setting up an independent enquiry to look at assisted suicide.  Speaking recently in the House of Lords, he said that

‘Parliament is there not to bend to every media-manipulated public whim, but to take the larger and longer view.’

It is often the case that ethics debates taking on a special meaning when individual cases are considered.  Bishop Wright drew attention to

‘The old lady who last summer told me several times that she just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up, but who eventually made a full recovery and celebrated her 63rd wedding anniversary last month and greeted her sixth greatgrandchild last week. 

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