Cancer Blog #19
By Brian Zimmerman
Begun on July 31, 2021
Email: dyingman1@yahoo.com
My Dying Words
Entry #19
January 2, 2022
A Positive View of Death, Part 2
What consequences are there if we have a positive view of death? Let’s consider some of those:
1. First and foremost, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5: 6-8: “6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord– 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight– 8 but we are of good courage and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”
Twice in this passage Paul says we are to be of courage, indeed of good courage, as we consider our death, for we “prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” Death is not be feared, but embraced as we will only then be at home. For, where is our home? Where are our heart is, viz, with the Lord. What a great hope! Our whole life can be summed up in that one statement – we prefer to be at home with the Lord. Our greatest hope and joy is to die, for then we will be with Him for whom we have lived. What is there to fear then from death? There is nothing in this world to the unbeliever more frightening than death, but, the Christian is not afraid of death. It is his entrance into the presence of Him whom we love more than anything in this life. We have no greater desire or destination than our death.
2. Second, Paul gives another consequence of this positive view of death. In this same passage, earlier he says in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner [person] is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Our troubles, sorrows, and sufferings in this age stand as nothing compared to the great weight of glory that they produce for us, if we bear them as God intended. Don’t be distracted by all the siren calls of money, possessions, looks, accomplishments, or accolades of this age. Realize that from birth, your outer man is decaying, your years are numbered and they are short, though they don’t feel so at first. But, inwardly, if you seek to be filled with the Spirit, you are realizing His fruit, and are being renewed not occasionally, but daily. Look at your sins honestly and see where you need to repent and change. Bear your afflictions with grace, with patience, kindness, and compassion for your brethren who are also suffering. Don’t complain in your troubles and sufferings. Rather, rejoice that they will bring you a weight of glory that is very great compared to the light afflictions you bear now.
Let me close by saying that obviously a positive view of death doesn’t’ mean that we will seek for death. Quite the opposite. Hear Paul as he extols the joy of death in Philippians 1:21-25: “21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if [I am] to live [on] in the flesh, this [will mean] fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both [directions,] having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for [that] is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sakes. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith”.
Paul very much wants to die. Why? To be with Christ, which is far better than to remain in this age. But, as it is better for those in his care, he will not seek death, but life so as to care for those whom he loves.
This is certainly has been my intention. When I was diagnosed with a terminal disease, I was stunned but elated as I was finally going to get what I had wanted for so many years, viz., to die. When I was in high school, I had contemplated suicide (though not that seriously) from simple despair. What hope was there in this world of pain, suffering, and sorrow? There seemed no hope, no plan or purpose to life. But, as a Christian, I learned that there was all the hope, plan, and purpose that I had ever dreamed of. And, in Philippians 1:21, I saw that in reality, as I had moved from a life lived in the illusion of hopelessness and chaos to a leap into the reality of the order and comfort of the kingdom of God, death was not to be feared, and was not an act of despair, but an event of the greatest hope, because I would be with the one I loved most. Yet, as Paul shows in Philippians 1:21-25, Jesus expects us to live here to be with, to care for the ones that He cares for. So, when I received that diagnosis that first day, my first thought was: how can I care for my wife, whom I love more than anyone in the world? I knew what it meant. It meant to seek to live and to fight against my death. So, now I endure chemo and immuno therapy and all their side effects in order to care for, as best as I am able, for her and the ones I love, and whom Jesus loves, as Paul did for those whom he had in his care.
Next: Death is positive for the dier, but not the diee. What comfort is there for those who are left behind in a person’s death?