Facing Life and Death with Christ

By GFI Board Member, Nancy Pettit

I recently had a dear sixty-four-year-old church friend die after a yearlong battle with colon cancer.  What I appreciate about my friend Jill is she faced her cancer and death with confidence in Christ.  When first diagnosed, we prayed and hoped colon surgery and chemotherapy would rid her body of the cancer.  But just a few weeks ago, Jill’s body started to succumb to cancer complications.  Jill desired to honor Christ in her last days and asked for church members to come and read scriptures to her instead of providing meals.  Jill was aware that it is God who numbers her days to live (Psalm 139:16) and that God is sovereign over all things (Col 1:16, Psalm 115:3, Eph 1:4-6).  Jill was confident that after she took her last breath her conscious soul (not body) would be in the presence of our just and loving Jesus (2 Cor 5:8, Phi 1:23). Jill was confident of this because she believed Jesus was her Lord and Savior, forgiven by the blood of Jesus, and given Jesus’ righteousness, not by any works of her own (Eph 2).  In fact, as a worship leader in our church, she often sang about her victory in Jesus’ death and resurrection which defeated death, Satan, and the penalty and power of sin (Rev 1:18, Matt 28, 1Cor 15:51).

Jill was concerned about unbelieving family and friends. The Bible is clear that for the unbeliever death brings wrath and judgment (Heb 9:27, 1Thes 1:10). Everyone who has not been redeemed by Christ is forever spiritually dead (Luke 15:32, Eph 2:1-3, Col 2:13).

Ultimately, the greatest hope and joy in Jill’s death is she will be a whole person again (reunited body and soul) at the second coming of Jesus (1 Cor 15).  There will be a new earth and heaven (Rev 21, Isaiah 65:17).  There will be no death, tears, mourning, crying, or pain (Rev 21, Isaiah 65,66).  So, in reality, the best life is yet to come.  Right now, as Jill did, hopefully, you can face life and your future death confidently in Christ and His promises in Scripture.