If we love God, then why fear death?

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I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
 
People are not to presume that they will be saved. So I suppose that is where fear has its place and in fact it is written that Christians are to live out their faith “through fear and trembling.”
 
Trying2overcome said:
I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
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Because our “love” is not perfect.
Perfect love, as you suggest, drives out fear.
 
When loved ones die, we cry because we know we won’t see them again for the rest of our time on earth. We miss them, it’s as simple as that. 🙂
 
+JMJ+
Trying2overcome said:
I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
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Fear of death is one of the deepest instincts God placed in us. Of course it is not a sin to fear death if God placed it there!
Trying2overcome said:
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
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It is the right thing to do. Even Jesus, in John chapter 11, cried when He learned the death of His friend, Lazarus, even though He brought him back to life moments later.
 
It’s like starting a new job - even if it’s a better job than you have now, it’s always a bit scary to go into a new, unknown situation. We really don’t know what the afterlife is like, so of course we’re afraid. I know I am!

Is it a sin to be afraid? Of course not.
 
Death Welcome to the Christian

Cyprian of Carthage

We ought to remember that we should do not our own will, but God’s, in accordance with what our Lord has bidden us daily to pray. How preposterous and absurd it is, that while we ask that the will of God should be done, yet when God calls and summons us from this world, we should not at once obey the command of His will! We struggle and resist, and after the manner of froward servants we are dragged to the presence of the Lord with sadness and grief, departing hence under the bondage of necessity, not with the obedience of free will; and we wish to be honoured with heavenly rewards by Him to whom we come unwillingly. Why, then, do we pray and ask that the kingdom of heaven may come, if the captivity of earth delights us? Why with frequently repeated prayers do we entreat and beg that the day of His kingdom may hasten, if our greater desires and stronger wishes are to obey the devil here, rather than to reign with Christ? . . . .

Peace
 
Why? Its all part of human nature. The incarnate word and Son of God himself feared death as we know from the garden where he sweated blood and that the cup be passed from him.

Ultimately, his divine nature overtook the weakness of his human nature and he knew and readily accepted the will of the Father.
 
Trying2overcome said:
I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
Click to expand...
The more we know and love God, the less we fear death, and especially so in light of the revelation He’s given via the advent of our Lord, Jesus Christ, a revelation which included His death and ressurection, of course. Pray for the grace to believe in that.
 
It is in no way a sin to fear death.

As human beings, we are “born to be alive” and death is hideous, shameful and horrifying. It is the negation of all we are as human beings.

Even our LORD, who, when facing death, knew HE could get Himself out of it, nonetheless become so afraid that blood escaped through His skin.

ICXC NIKA
 
GEddie said:
It is in no way a sin to fear death.

As human beings, we are “born to be alive” and death is hideous, shameful and horrifying. It is the negation of all we are as human beings.

Even our LORD, who, when facing death, knew HE could get Himself out of it, nonetheless become so afraid that blood escaped through His skin.

ICXC NIKA
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I tend to think He had no doubt about His destiny, only fear of the extreme pain and suffering He’d soon be facing. JMO
 
Fear of the unknown. I don’t know exactly what is going to happen or how it is going to feel, even if it is “she died peacefully in her sleep.” Did she REALLY die peacefully?

IDK, I’m the type of person who has to have a set plan before I can even get dressed, so not knowing the plan and the ins and outs is terrifying for me.
 
If we didn’t fear death we would not struggle to live. Everyone would be trying to find a way to die quickly.
 
We generally don’t like change. Did you ever date someone you thought was “the one” but then you broke up? An even better person was waiting for you two weeks, two months, however long down the road-- but you were focused on the loss of what you once had. The same thing can be true for our lives… we love our lives here, because we recognize the shadows of God in his creation. But it’s still hard to trade out the shadow for the real thing.

Also, it’s hard to say, “The End.” That’s it. I’ve done all the good deeds on earth I’m going to do in the time God had given to me here. Is that sufficient? Do you have regret? Could you have done more? Could you have treated people better? How many missed opportunities to be loving, to be charitable, to be God’s hands on earth? Hindsight is 20/20, but you don’t get to re-do things. Is God going to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” or are you going to be the servant who was sleeping when his master came for him?
 
I am not afraid of death itself and never have been, as far as I can remember. I am afraid of going to Hell though. Going to Heaven as soon as possible and in Grace is something I wish and pray for a lot…
 
Trying2overcome said:
I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
Click to expand...
I don’t fear death - I welcome it but I think it’s more that I fear what death will be like. How will I die? Will there be lots of pain?

Otherwise I rest in Christ’s death and atonement on the cross. I live in constant pain and fatigue and I look forward to the time that I will have my new body and will not experience this anymore.

God bless!!

Rita
 
Trying2overcome said:
I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
Click to expand...
We would be afraid to die because we don’t want to leave our loved ones without us, we fear the pain of death and we love the time we have on earth with all the blessings of friends, family and gifts God gives us. It’s only natural to feel these emotions even knowing that we will find ultimate peace and love in heaven.

Why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Because we love them and miss them.
 
Simple. We fear the unknown and we’re sad that our friends and family will be left without us.

I don’t fear death per se, but I do fear dying young. There is so much I want to do with my life and so many ways God can use me.
 
Trying2overcome said:
I mean, if we truly love and trust God, why would we be afraid of death? Are you afraid of death? Is it a sin to fear death? Or is it expected since we are only frail human beings?
Also, why would we cry for loved ones who have died? Especially if they loved God, wouldn’t we be happy instead?
Click to expand...
Doubt. The fear we will never see our loved ones again.
Even if you knew for a logical fact that there is life after death, it is still something so utterly beyond our experience that it will naturally cause a sense of fear. The fear of the experientially unknown.

We all experience a fear of the unknown. Have you ever spoken in front of thousands of people before? Any normal person would be anxious for the first time until they overcome that fear through multiple encounters. Now imagine confronting a million angels for the first time or even speaking to an Extraterrestrial!!!.

I dare say that confronting God in all his glory is going to be a scary experience. It might even cause someone to pass out or have a heart attack.

Fear is a biological result of our flight or fight response and is not something that necessarily can be judged by moral or spiritual standards. Its how we deal with fear that counts. It’s only because people do not want to be thought of as cowards that we pretend that we don’t fear death. But everybody, presuming they don’t have some kind of problem physically or emotionally, fears death. There is nothing morally wrong with feeling fear; it’s a defense mechanism. Fear is what drives people to organize society and build civilizations and work together for survival. Its a sign of good emotional and physical health. If we had no fear, we could simply walk of a cliff and neither think or feel anything of it.
 
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