Applying the Gospel Study Bible
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5 Reasons Why Paul Tells Us That “To Die Is Gain”
Number Your Days
For every morbid person who thinks pathologically about death, there are probably a million people who don’t think about it enough. When Moses contemplated the brevity of life, he prayed, “Teach us to number our days” (Ps. 90:12 RSV). It is good to ponder our death. We should live well so that we might die well. Part of living well is learning why death is gain. Here are five reasons, but they represent only a few of the glories. For example, they do not contemplate the greater glory of resurrection, but even short of that great day, there is enough to take our breath away, which caused Paul to say, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
First, at the moment of death, our spirits will be made perfect. There will be no more sin in us. We will be done with the inner war and the heartrending disappointments of offending the Lord who loved us and gave himself for us:
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the [righteous] made perfect. (Heb. 12:22–23)
A Godward Life
John Piper
A Godward Life features 120 meditations by John Piper that focus on the radical difference it makes when we choose to live with God at the center of all that we do.
Second, at the moment of death, we will be relieved of the pain of this world. The joy of the resurrection will not yet be ours, but the joy of freedom from pain will be. Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man to show the great reversal that is coming:
[The rich man] cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.” (Luke 16:24–25)
Third, at the moment of death, we will be given profound rest in our souls. There will be a serenity beneath the eye and care of God that surpasses anything we have known here on the softest summer evening beside the most peaceful lake at our happiest moments:
I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, say ing, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer. (Rev. 6:9–11)
The whole human race is homesick for God without knowing it.
Fourth, at the moment of death, we will experience a deep at-homeness. The whole human race is homesick for God without knowing it. When we go home to Christ, there will be a contentment beyond any sense of security and peace that we have ever known: “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).
Fifth, at the moment of death, we will be with Christ. Christ is a more wonderful person than anyone on earth. He is wiser, stronger, and kinder than anyone you enjoy spending time with. He is endlessly interesting. He knows exactly what to do and what to say at every moment to make his guests as glad as they can possibly be. He overflows with love and with infinite insight into how to use that love to make his loved ones feel loved. Therefore Paul says,
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better. (Phil. 1:21–23)
With these five reasons for counting death gain, we have only scratched the surface of wonder. There is more—so much more!
This article is adapted from A Godward Life: 120 Meditations on the Supremacy of God by John Piper.
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