“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13
Grief should be very different when Christians are involved. When we lose a loved one who was a follower of Jesus, we have an absolute certainty that they really are in a better place. We appropriately mourn the loss of their company. We mourn that we can’t simply call them, text them, or sit down for coffee with them. We shed tears for ourselves and others who loved them for the void in our lives caused by their absence. However, we know they truly are better off than they were before.
If the person we mourn put their trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, then they’re already with Him. They’re enjoying eternity in the presence of God the Father and God the Son. They’re living in peace, joy, and satisfaction unlike any they ever experienced on earth. They ran the race of life and received the prize that awaits all who run in Jesus Christ. Our hope for them is absolutely certain and even as we weep we can be comforted by their present and eternal reality.
Hope is the key distinction between those who die in Christ and those who don’t. There’s no true hope for those who die apart from Christ, only certainty. Understanding this is very important amidst a culture where many assume that all who die go to a better place (or at least those who are “good people”). That’s false hope and it only hurts us and others.
If we die apart from Jesus Christ, then we go where our lifetime of choices, thoughts, words, and actions have earned us, which is an eternity separated from God. All human beings rebel against our perfect and holy Creator. All human beings do things which are clearly against His will and design – that’s called sin. No human being deserves to enter God’s heaven. If we die with only our own good behavior to justify us, we’ll fall terribly short in death, just as we have in life. Only God’s grace given through faith in Christ can bring us to God thanks to the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. Apart from Christ, there is no hope, only certainty. For those in that situation, we must all grieve terribly!