2 Corinthians 5 may be one of my new favorite chapters in the Bible. The entire passage is filled with numerous lessons that I need on a daily basis, most especially how I should view my life and my death. As a Christian, my view of those two things is drastically different from the world’s (just like everything else in Christianity should be). Where the world’s view of death is fear, ours is hope. Where their view of life is self-pleasing and wealth accumulation, ours is Christ-imitation.

2 Corinthians 5 gives me a beautiful picture of the Christian’s heart on these two subjects, which is why I want to share it with you today. I found it to be very encouraging, but also quite toe-stepping. Sometimes, this isn’t my view of life and it isn’t my view of death. But as I study God’s word and allow the Spirit to prick my heart with the truths, these are becoming my views. May the ever be all of our views of life and death.

DEATH:

When I stop and think soberly about death, it’s mildly terrifying. I don’t like unknowns. I am very much a planner; a control-freak person. Thankfully, God forces me to have faith when it comes to thinking about death, because I can’t know. I can’t plan. I just have to let the act of dying occur. And that’s scary. Will it hurt? Will there be a light? Will it be cold? Will I feel anything? How will the whole transfer into paradise thing happen? Will I know if my family is there? Will I experience sadness? Regret? Can I talk to others in paradise? Does my spirit talk?! Clearly thinking about death can produce a lot of weird, unanswerable questions, but it shouldn’t invoke fear. It shouldn’t terrify God’s child. It should be something we’ve groaned for (2 Cor 5:2-4) and anticipated and are excited about. Death is the moment we enter into a strictly spiritual existence. Death is the moment we see God’s plan more fully; experience His promises. Death is the moment we give up trials and temptations; we’re done with sin! And death is the gateway by which we access the Father; without death, we won’t go to heaven.

Having this view of death is what led the apostle Paul to write, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Notice the words “well pleased”. Is that how you think about dying? It’s not usually my first thought, but it needs to be. When I am anxious or stressed or bent out of shape about this life, what’s the worst that could happen to me? Death? No! Death is the best thing that could happen!! Instead of viewing it with dread and fear, a Christian gets to view death with excitement and anticipation.

LIFE:

If we’re so anxious to be in heaven with God, how do we live the rest of our life on earth? We just keep thinking about death. Notice 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, which says, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

As Christians, we live with the end in mind. We recognize that death is coming for all, that Judgment will happen. We will receive a sentence, and there will be an accounting of everything we’ve done in the body, whether good or bad. Which is why verse nine is so special: our aim, regardless of if we live a 100 more years or die tomorrow, is to be well pleasing.

A life that longs to be well pleasing to God is a life that does all within its power to obey His commands. A life that longs to be well pleasing to God is a life that shares the hope of heaven with others (2 Cor. 5:11, 14-21). A life that longs to be well pleasing to God is a life that doesn’t live in fear of death, but rather anticipates the happy day when we can be reunited with our Maker.

It is my prayer that God will mold my heart to have a better view of life and death. I want to be wellpleasing to Him in all things; to do that, I just need to think about home (heaven) more. How will I ever long to go there if I never think about it?