Will You Be Ready?

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cott was an intern at the C.S. Lewis Institute during his final semester in college. He was a fine young man and a committed follower of Jesus. He was also a bright and accomplished student and was planning to start a doctoral program at Princeton in the fall. During the summer, he would need surgery to correct a problem with his heart, then he would be all set to pursue his academic career. But the fall never came for Scott. Unexpectedly, he died on the operating table.

More recently, death came unexpectedly to Dr. Harry Reeder, the highly respected and greatly loved senior pastor of the 4,100 member Briarwood Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Birmingham, Alabama. He was a prolific servant of Christ, described as “a towering oak of a pastor.” On the morning of May 18, 2023, as he returned home from leading a prayer service, he crashed into the rear of a dump truck and was killed instantly.

And while I was completing this article, the C.S. Lewis Institute staff was shocked by the unexpected death of Dr. Randy Newman, our much-loved Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism. He collapsed one evening with a heart issue and was taken to the hospital, where he died the next day.

The Bible reminds us often of the brevity of life and the certainty of death. Three thousand years ago, King David observed, “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more” (Psalm 103:15–16).¹  James asks, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (4:14). And the writer to Hebrews says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (9:27). But the Bible also reminds us, as C.S. Lewis put it, that “there are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”²

At a date certain, you are going to die and so am I. God knows exactly when and how, but we do not. What we do know is that when that time comes, it will be too late to go back and take care of things we overlooked, neglected, or postponed. This sobering reality calls for serious and sustained reflection. And it raises the question: How can we be ready for our departure from this world, which is getting closer each day?

The apostle Paul’s example can stimulate our thinking and preparation for how to die well. When Paul wrote the following words, his death was near. He was in prison in Rome, probably in the dark, gloomy Mamertine dungeon, just off the Forum. He had presented his case before Nero and was awaiting the emperor’s decision. In his final letter, he said to Timothy,

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6–8)

As Paul looked back and assessed his life since meeting Christ thirty years earlier, he could say that he had fought the good fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil; that he had finished the mission Jesus had given him “to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15); and that he had held fast to the faith in his own mind and heart, kept it pure and unadulterated, and accurately passed it on to others. This gave him great hope as he faced death and the sure expectation of being awarded a crown of righteousness on the day of judgment.

As you and I ponder how to prepare for our own departure from this world, I hope we too can say that we have been a good soldier of Jesus Christ and fought the good fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil; that like a well-trained athlete, we have faithfully run the race in serving God; and that we have held firm our faith in Jesus and His teachings to the end. And I trust we are eagerly awaiting His return. If so, we can look forward to receiving the crown of righteousness that Paul says will be awarded “not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). What a glorious hope!

But what if we haven’t lived like that? What if we have failed God in some way—maybe many ways? Is there any hope for us? Can we somehow get back on track? Paul would say yes, and he can help us see how.

Three or four years before penning these final words to Timothy, Paul told the Philippians that his passion was, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). After three decades of knowing and following Jesus, Paul says that he longs to know Him more intimately and become more like Him.

But Paul is not yet where he wants to be with Christ, and he goes on to say:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:12–16)

Paul is telling us that he has not arrived at perfection, and he repeats himself to emphasize the point. Many—perhaps most of us— can identify with him on this. Neither have we arrived at the intimacy with Christ and the Christlike life to which God calls us. We fall short. In some cases, very short. We may even have lived for a long time in sin and compromise. Facing this can bring discouragement or even despair.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a way forward, and Paul demonstrates it. He doesn’t let his past failures and defeats discourage and hold him back. Instead, like a marathon runner, he strains vigorously to press toward the goal. And he encourages the Philippians to follow his example, saying “join in imitating me” (3:17) and “what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (4:9).

If we will heed Paul’s exhortation to faithfully pursue Jesus in daily discipleship and run the race ahead with perseverance, we will be ready to face the hour of our death as Paul did his, with confident hope!

Carol is an example of someone who is doing that. She was a successful business woman and lifelong church member. But while participating in the C.S. Lewis Fellows program, she came to see that she had never given herself fully to God. She surrendered wholeheartedly to God and has been living for Him ever since. She pursues Jesus daily and uses her gifts and abilities to serve Him and others.

Ken is another example. In the midst of a successful career in politics, he came to see that even though he had been raised in the church and thought he was a Christian, he was living for himself and not for God. On retreat, he committed himself fully to Christ and began seek to grow and mature spiritually. He transitioned into the business world, became active in serving the Lord, and has been serving Him for years with significant impact.

How do we make our own fresh start? Paul would tell us to start with prayer and sober self-examination. This is a crucial first step in being awakened to where we stand with God. From there, we can move into heartfelt repentance, confession of our sins, and return to God wherever we have strayed. That is, confessing any sins that God brings to our attention and asking His forgiveness, with a firm intention to forsake them, surrender ourselves fully to Him and walk in obedience to His will.

Paul would go on to remind us that when by God’s grace we were born of the Holy Spirit and united to Christ, the Spirit broke our enslavement to sin and freed us to obey God (Romans 6:1–11). “Never forget that,” he would say. “Reckon it true every day and live accordingly! You are no longer a slave to sin! You are able to obey God. Therefore . . .”

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12–14)

The members of our bodies—eyes, ears, tongue, hands, feet, genitals, etc.— are the instruments by which we carry out the intentions of our hearts, whether good or ill. Since God’s grace has freed us from bondage to the law and to sin and has liberated us for obedience, we must refuse temptations to use our bodily members for sinful purposes and instead use them for righteous purposes. We must choose God as our master and act on our choice repeatedly throughout the day.

This is such an important matter that Paul returns to it with urgency a few chapters later:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

In other words, out of gratitude to God for His wonderful mercy and grace toward you, give yourself wholeheartedly to Him for His purposes, no matter the cost, for as long as you live. Then put your self-surrender into day-by-day action by refusing to be conformed to the values, attitudes, and behaviors of the fallen world—a world which is constantly trying to ‘squeeze you into its mold.’ Simultaneously, you must start (or resume) the process of being transformed into Christlikeness by the renewal of your mind (Romans 12:2). How to do that is beyond the scope of this article, but at a minimum it involves commitment to a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church and community, as well as daily prayer and reading of the Bible and being filled with the Holy Spirit daily.

From that point on, Paul would have us prepare daily for our departure by following his example: “one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 13–14). Straining forward is a very strong word in the Greek—picture an Olympic runner straining with all of his or her might to cross the finish line first. This kind of effort can now be successful because by giving ourselves fully to God, the Holy Spirit is able to continuously fill (Ephesians 5:18) and empower us to resist the flesh and walk in obedience (Galatians 5:16–18).

Paul would also stress—and this is essential—that for these choices to bear fruit and be sustainable over the long haul, we must, as noted above, be actively engaged in a Bible-believing, Christ-centered church, where we can be nurtured through Bible teaching and preaching, fellowship with other committed believers, worship, and prayer (Acts 2:42).

These guidelines can help us live in joyful anticipation of Christ’s return. We can make changes in our lives that will put us on track to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

Notes:
¹ Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from English Standard Version.
² Letter to Mary Willis Shelburne, June 17, 1963, The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, vol. 3, ed. Walter Hooper (London: HarperCollins, 2006), 1430. Lewis died five months later.