What will happen to you when you die?

“According to the US Census Bureau (for 2009), there are 1.8 deaths per second worldwide, meaning that there are over 100 deaths per minute. There are over 150,000 deaths per day and over 55 million deaths per year” (Burtit.com).

Take a minute to think about the above quote. Fifty-five million people die every year. To put that in perspective, the entire population of Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States, would have to die almost 19 times to equal that number.

Death is certain, and it is imminent.

What will happen to you when you die?

Are you going to Heaven? Hell? Are you simply going to cease to exist? Will you reincarnate into another being? What do you believe?

Most, if not all, human beings wrestle with questions like these sometime before they die. As Christians, what are we supposed to believe?

The Bible speaks of Heaven and Hell as literal places. In John 14:2-3, Jesus tells His disciples He is leaving them to go to His Father’s house (Heaven) to prepare a place for them:

“In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

In Luke 16:19-26, the Bible tells the story of a man who was actually in Hell:

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”

If Heaven and Hell are real places, how does one get to Heaven and avoid Hell? The Bible says in Acts 4:10-12 it is only by the power of Jesus’s salvation:

“It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

So, to recap: Heaven and Hell are real places. The only way to get to Heaven is through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Where will happen to you when you die?

Where are all the sanctified people?

In my last blog, I touched on the idea of sanctification and whose responsibility it is for our own personal sanctification.

Ultimately I believe our personal sanctification is dependent on the work of three different entities: the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and us.

So then, where are all the sanctified people? Where are all the holy people set apart by God to do His work? Where are all the people in close, personal relationships with Jesus that live their lives in a way that exemplifies His character?

There are some people who live sanctified lives. Billy Graham is a good example. He lives in a close personal relationship with Jesus and consistently acts according to the Word of God.

But what about the scores of people who aren’t living righteous lives? What about the preacher’s wife who has an affair with a deacon? Or the Sunday school teacher who cheats on her taxes? And what about the worship pastor who secretly purchases pornography?

First of all, I must say none of us are not finished products. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Just because we make mistakes doesn’t mean we automatically fail at being Christians. Jesus died for us because He knew we were going to mess up. Even Billy Graham sins and needs Jesus’s grace and mercy to wash him clean.

Our mortality is what keeps us from living sanctified lives. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are immortal and are holding up their end of the bargain. We are the cause of our own unrighteousness.

How then are mortals like Billy Graham who have the same fallen nature we have living sanctified lives? They do it by turning their eyes constantly toward Jesus.

Being sanctified doesn’t mean being perfect. Perfection is impossible for humans. Being sanctified means living in a close, personal relationship with Jesus and being holy because of His blood. Yes, we will sin. Yes, we will fall short. But if we consistently turn to Jesus, He will lift us out of our sin and into holy harmony with Him.

Is Sanctification God's Responsibility or Ours?

As I began to think about the idea of sanctification, I realized I had never really heard someone define it. I had heard my preacher talk about sanctification, but I couldn't really pinpoint exactly what it meant. Therefore, I would like to begin by giving a definition of sanctification.

Sanctification is being set apart as a holy and sacred person of God in the name of Jesus Christ. When we are sanctified, it as if we are washed clean of our old self and made into a new creature.
I believe that the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are responsible for our sanctification.

The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is responsible for our sanctification. Romans 15:16 says,

"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God"
(NIV). (emphasis added)

Titus 3:5 says,

"he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" (NIV). (emphasis added)

The Bible also makes reference to the fact that we are sanctified by the Word of God. John 17:17 says,

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth" (NIV).

Having said all this, I do believe that we cannot be truly sanctified if we do not take part in the process. God calls us to examine ourselves and get rid of all that is not of Him.

2 Corinthians 7:1 says,

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" (NIV).

It is only when we join with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that we can experience complete sanctification.