We live. We will die. By nature we are mortal, yet the contemporary mindset is that we are immortal. Death remains a great mystery, a flickering indistinguishable shadow behind a billowing curtain. Yet amongst the buzz and cacophony of daily life, we find, though shrouded in a misconstrued veil, Death in all its fullness. When we wrench away that curtain from the decay we are left with a gravestone, tears as they flow from the cheeks, and many lives that will never be the same. Doubtless right now, even as you are reading these words, someone, somewhere, is about to die or has literally mere seconds ago taken their last breath. All people face death, even the Saints. Given this reality we are going to look at how Christian from (Pilgrims Progress)
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Christian is remembering all his past misdeeds and this is weighing him down as he hits a crucial part in his journey. For Christian believes that the men before him are only there for his companion, Hopeful, and that he will be rejected forever. So when Hopeful realizes this he quotes Psalm 73:4, 5 “For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.” Hopeful is making a point that Christian is being tested in his hour of death to see if he will remember what he has received from God which is life even through death. As he passes through the water (of the valley of the shadow of the dead) he receives this promise from Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume …show more content…
The garden is a picture of the struggle for autonomy. The question that was asked and answered in Eden was who is judge, God or man. Death is not what God wanted. However, mankind decided that they were better than God and determined to knock the Almighty off His pedestal. We all know how that turned out. Now that we’ve looked at how Christian, from Pilgrims Progress, and our culture faces death, we will now look at what Scripture says about the right and proper way for Gods people to experience and confront death. Paul, in Philippians 1:19-26 explains his attitude towards dying and living. Verse 21 puts it this way: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Perhaps at first reading you might have considered Paul a bit stoic, however he does make say some profound statements. This was coming from a man who was captivated by Christ. Moreover, he believed (as quoted above) that living meant Christ, and dying meant Christ, too. Paul, faced death with the mindset that dying meant that he would be with his Lord. In fact, although he knew that it would be better to die and be with Christ now, he clearly states that he would willingly do either. So Philippians 1:19-26, explains Paul 's attitude towards dying and living. Now later in Philippians 4:13-18, Paul addresses how we should face death. We are not to face death “as those who have no hope.” Meaning, simply that Christians and non-Christians experience death
Christian is remembering all his past misdeeds and this is weighing him down as he hits a crucial part in his journey. For Christian believes that the men before him are only there for his companion, Hopeful, and that he will be rejected forever. So when Hopeful realizes this he quotes Psalm 73:4, 5 “For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.” Hopeful is making a point that Christian is being tested in his hour of death to see if he will remember what he has received from God which is life even through death. As he passes through the water (of the valley of the shadow of the dead) he receives this promise from Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume …show more content…
The garden is a picture of the struggle for autonomy. The question that was asked and answered in Eden was who is judge, God or man. Death is not what God wanted. However, mankind decided that they were better than God and determined to knock the Almighty off His pedestal. We all know how that turned out. Now that we’ve looked at how Christian, from Pilgrims Progress, and our culture faces death, we will now look at what Scripture says about the right and proper way for Gods people to experience and confront death. Paul, in Philippians 1:19-26 explains his attitude towards dying and living. Verse 21 puts it this way: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Perhaps at first reading you might have considered Paul a bit stoic, however he does make say some profound statements. This was coming from a man who was captivated by Christ. Moreover, he believed (as quoted above) that living meant Christ, and dying meant Christ, too. Paul, faced death with the mindset that dying meant that he would be with his Lord. In fact, although he knew that it would be better to die and be with Christ now, he clearly states that he would willingly do either. So Philippians 1:19-26, explains Paul 's attitude towards dying and living. Now later in Philippians 4:13-18, Paul addresses how we should face death. We are not to face death “as those who have no hope.” Meaning, simply that Christians and non-Christians experience death