Since I married my lovely wife nearly forty years ago, I’ve been asked to comply with some unusual requests. Few as strange, however, as asking me to allow her to be the first one of us to die. Such a request can catch you by surprise and leave you a bit confused. What should I say? “Sure, no problem. I’ll see what I can do about that.”? Or, “I’ll see if I can get that on the prayer list at church.” I understand what she is saying—she does not want to be left alone. I can relate to that because I feel the same way. We joke about it. But, we both know that we are not in control of such matters. While it is appointed once to die, the time of our departure is unknown (Hb. 9:27). Besides, the Lord may come first and we may be among those “who are alive and remain” (1 Th. 4:15). Either alternative is acceptable to the one who is in Christ.
When it comes to being in Christ, death is a prerequisite. We must die before we can come into Christ. Death describes our relationship to sin. We must die to sin (Rm. 6:2). Essentially, death is separation. In coming to Christ, we turn away from sin in repentance—a process that continues in a life of devotion to the Lord. We are crucified with Christ—a long, lingering and painful death (Rm. 6:6). One cannot go through the conversion process—the process of coming into Christ—unless he or she dies to sin in repentance. We must die first.
Baptism is a burial. Burial follows death. We are baptized into Christ’s death. Our sins are washed away and we are raised to walk in newness of life (Rm. 6:3-4; Acts 22:16). What a blessing to be in Christ! (Eph. 1:3). What hope! What assurance! But, we must die first—we must die to self—we must die to sin. Are you afraid to die? You won’t be alone. God has promised: “‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid’ (Hb. 13:5-6). Remember, that it is in dying that we live and it is in surrender that we are set free (Rm. 6:7).