Let me ask you two simple questions that reveal more about your walk with God than you might expect:
No matter whether your answer to the first question is “yes” or “no,” the second question remains the same. And your “why” speaks volumes about the depth of your faith.
Years ago, in my previous marriage, I tried to express my love by telling my former wife, “I would die for you.” She responded with surprise: “You would die for me? I wouldn’t die for you.” When I insisted that I truly would protect her with my life, she said, “I love you very much, but I wouldn’t die for anyone.”
That led to a deeper conversation. I asked if she was afraid of dying. “Absolutely,” she replied. “Aren’t you? Don’t you want to live?” I explained that while I didn’t want to die prematurely, death itself didn’t frighten me—everyone dies eventually. But if someone threatened her, I would lay down my life without hesitation.
Over time, I realized her fear of death ran deep. She didn’t want to leave this world. She also dreaded aging. As an attractive woman, much of her identity was tied to her appearance. She did everything possible to slow the aging process—treatments, diets, routines. In the end, I found myself married to someone whose greatest attachments were to her looks and to this temporary life.
Fear of death often points to deeper spiritual issues. It can stem from uncertainty about eternity, unresolved sin, or a lack of complete trust in God’s promises. That kind of fear holds us in bondage—it keeps us clinging to this world, anxious about losing it, and hesitant to live fully for God’s Kingdom.
Scripture speaks directly to this:
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV
Key Themes
- Jesus’s Incarnation: Since humans are made of flesh and blood, Jesus shared in that humanity so He could relate to us and accomplish His work.
- Conquest of Death: Through His own death, Jesus broke the power of the devil, the one who held the power of death over humanity.
- Liberation from Fear: The ultimate purpose was to free people from the lifelong bondage and terror of death, a fear that held them captive. – Athanasius of Alexandria
Many people fear the process of dying, especially if it involves pain or suffering—and that’s understandable. But true believers, while not eager to suffer, are not ultimately afraid of physical death itself. In certain circumstances—prolonged illness, loss of dignity, or severe limitation—some even welcome it as release. Is it truly a blessing to linger so long that you outlive your spouse, friends, or even some of your children?
Fear of death is slavery—slavery to unbelief, and ultimately to the enemy Jesus came to defeat. Fear and faith cannot fully coexist. Where fear reigns, there is little room for the confidence that comes from being filled with God’s light and resting in His promise:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
–John 3:16
A genuine believer sees death not as the end, but as a doorway to eternal life with Christ—something to anticipate rather than dread. Physical death simply means being “absent from the body and present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Our bodies become empty vessels; our true essence—our soul, our spirit—enters the fullness of joy in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Common Thread: The “Why”
Regardless of whether you answered “yes” or “no” to the first question, the second question cuts to the heart. Your “why” reveals where your trust truly lies: in this temporary world or in God’s eternal promises.
My former wife placed her trust in this life—its pleasures, its opinions, its appearances. To her, death meant losing everything that mattered. Yet ironically, everyone loses this world eventually. The believer, on the other hand, sees death not as loss but as gain—trading the temporary for the eternal.
So let me ask you again:
How about you? Be honest—what does your “why” say about your relationship with God today?
If fear lingers, take heart. It’s an invitation to turn toward Him, to draw nearer to Him, to surrender more fully and be filled with His light, and to experience the freedom Jesus died to give you.
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