WLC85

The WESTMINSTER LARGER Catechism

WLC 85. Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death,
seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ?

A. The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day,
and even in death are delivered from the sting and curse of it;¹ so that, although they die, yet it is out of God’s love,² to free them perfectly from sin and misery,³ and to make them capable of further communion with Christ in glory, which they then enter upon.⁴

Proofs
^{11 Cor 15:26, 55–57; Heb 2:15;²Isa 57:1–2; 2 Kgs 22:20;³Rev 14:13; Eph 5:27;⁴Lk 23:43; Phil 1:23
We saw in our last study that though believers still die, death is no longer a punishment for sin. Their sin has already been paid for. God will not require them to pay for their sins again, for that would be injustice.
But today believers will still die. The Scripture does not state why this must be so. It states it as a fact that all must die. Our catechism, therefore, does not answer why we must still die. We can only say that death is a consequence of sin, and it is in the wisdom of God that we should expect to die. Although we may not fully understand why, we must believe that God has good reasons to retain death in our experience; and we must believe that ultimately the experience of dying and death is for our good.
The Scripture, however, does teach us several truths about the death of the righteous that encourages us to face death with confidence and not to fear it the way that the world fears it (Heb 2:15).
First of all, we are taught that we will be delivered from death at the last day. As Christ rose from the dead, so we who are united with Him will rise at the last day, to die no more (1 Cor 15:20, 52). Death would finally be destroyed (1 Cor 15:26).
Secondly, it is clear that the sting and curse of death has been removed from the righteous (1 Cor 15:55-57). Death can be a joyous experience for the believer because he is not dying for his sin. He is not being punished for it.
Indeed, thirdly, the righteous should realise that his death is an expression of God’s love or a reward for His saints. This is so because God, through death, free His saints from the sin and misery of this present world. Isaiah puts it beautifully when he says:

"… the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness" (Isa 57:1-2).

The book of Revelation, likewise speaks about the death of the righteous as a blessing:

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them" (Re 14:13).

But finally, the death of the righteous is a means by which we may enjoy further and fuller fellowship with Christ our Lord. What a glorious experience that will be! It is no wonder the apostle Paul exclaims:

"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Php 1:23).

Thank God for the experience of death for the righteous. It is painful when we have to go through it. It is painful when a loved one departs from us. But we must never forget what death is for those who belong to Christ. Therefore we must say with David:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Ps 23:4). W}