On Death—and Life

On May 19, Pastor Tim Keller entered into the radiant presence of Jesus.  I’ve often referred to Keller’s writings—he’s been a helpful guide for interpreting both Scripture and culture.  In 2020 he pub­lished a short book entitled, On Death. Here are some key points:

• Our death-denying, medicine-driven modern culture “is the worst in history at preparing its members for the only inevit­ability—death” (p. 11).
• While our today’s secular culture gives us little to help us deal with the looming fact of death, “the Christian faith has some astonishing resources for us…. Rather than living in fear of death, we should take it as smelling salts that will awaken us out of our false belief that we will live forever” (25).
• To believers:  “Everything in this life is going to be taken away from us, except one thing:  God’s love, which can go into death with us and take us through it and into His arms.  It’s the one thing you can’t lose” (26).
• From 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14:  “Christians can and must both grieve profoundly and fully and yet do so with hope” (37).
• We should truly grieve.  “Death is not right.  It’s not the way it ought to be.  It’s not the way God made the world…. We were created to last” (42).
• The centerpiece of our hope beyond the grave is that we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17) (56).
• “Anything wonderful or great in this world is only an echo or foretaste of what is present in the Vision of God and in the New Heaven and New Earth, the world of love” (63).
• Keller sums up:  “Grieve with hope; wake up and be at peace; laugh in the face of death, and sing for joy at what’s coming.  If Jesus Christ has you by the hand, you can sing” (72).