After creating all living things, including humans, animals, and plants, God declared that everything was excellent. His invention was flawless. It was unaware of pain or death. However, this perfect scenario was short-lived. The first people, Adam and Eve, disregarded God’s command not to eat from a certain tree. Their transgression had far-reaching effects that are still felt today. Adam and Eve died because they disobeyed, just as God had previously warned them. Not just for themselves, but for their children and for all of creation. “For death is the price of sin” (Romans 6:23).
Mourning is normal and natural
Grieving the loss of a loved one is healthy since death is a dreadful thing. Death is referred to in the Bible as “the last enemy” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Numerous instances of people lamenting the death of a loved one may be found throughout the Bible. I’ll just highlight a handful here:
- At Sarah’s deathbed, Abraham sobbed in grief for his wife (Genesis 23:1-2).
- After learning of his son Joseph’s passing, Jacob ripped his garments, covered himself in sackcloth as a show of grief, and cried for Joseph for several days (Genesis 37:34).
- In response to Saul and Jonathan’s passing, David wrote a lament (2 Samuel 1:17–27).
- At the tomb of a dear friend, Jesus himself shed tears (John 11:33-35). He made no attempt to repress or conceal his grief. We don’t have to either.
How should we mourn?
How mourning is expressed can be very different depending on the culture and the person. There are no rules about this in the Bible. There are examples in the Bible of people lamenting and weeping publicly (Mark 5:38) and of the custom of weeping at the grave of someone who has died (John 11:31). When Moses died, the Israelites lamented for him for thirty days (Deuteronomy 34:8). When Jesus died, His disciples withdrew to a house and wept and mourned (Mark 16:9-10). Mordecai, on the other hand, sought publicity when he learned that his people were about to be killed: “Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.” (Esther 4:1)
Additionally, some people today choose to publicly express their mourning by, say, dressing in somber colors. Some people grieve by themselves at home. There are no guidelines for grieving in the Bible. God gives the Israelites instructions in Leviticus 19:28, saying, “You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.” This prohibition most likely refers to the [idolatrous] mourning traditions of the pagans. To the dead, one offered his own blood as a sacrifice. Christians have to avoid this.
It is our duty to provide consolation to those in grief. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep,” reads Romans 12:15. As a result, we can help others who are in need.
We mourn, but we have hope
The good news is that death is not final for people who believe in Jesus. This last enemy will be destroyed! (1 Corinthians 15:26). Therefore: “… you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Just as Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will raise all who died in faith. For believers, physical death actually is just a transition phase. As Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). When believers die, they go to be with the Lord. And one day, they’ll be raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).
Death and grief will end
Grief did not originally belong to God’s creation. And it won’t belong to His new creation either! God will bring an end to sin and death, and instead He offers us eternal life on a new earth. Just as the trespass of one man (Adam) led to the death of all humans, so the atoning death and righteousness of one man (Jesus Christ) leads to the gift of eternal life for whoever believes in Him (Romans 5:15; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). This is possible because Jesus Christ has defeated Satan, and has borne God’s wrath for our sins. So, since the punishment for sin has been borne, its consequences will no longer exist on the new earth. Everything will be restored to the perfection of God’s initial creation. It will be “very good” again. Or even better than it has ever been, since God will dwell with man. Think about that!
The only “requirement” to be admitted into this lovely future is to confess your sins to Jesus and accept Him as your Lord. For “you will be saved if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that he is Lord” (Romans 10:9).
Will you live with God forever?
