What Happens to a Christian when They Die?

January 22, 2025

What will happen to us when we die?  It’s an important question that many Christians are unsure about.  I myself have questions about death, the resurrection, the second coming, the judgment, what our eternal state will be like, and exactly how and when all of the scriptures on these topics will be fulfilled.  Despite these questions, one thing I have become convicted of is this:  When a Christian dies, they will go to be with the Lord.  Our bodies will be in the ground until the return of Christ, but our souls will go to be with Jesus.  Let’s examine some scriptures about this.

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 NASB95) Here we see that those who have died as Christians will be coming with Jesus at His return.  This strongly implies that they have been with Jesus since their death.  Paul goes on to say that Christians who are alive when Jesus returns will be caught up together with those who have died, and we will meet the Lord in the air (verse 17).

In another passage, we learn what Paul expected to happen when he died.  Listen to his words, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better…” (Philippians 1:21–23 NASB95) Paul wrote these words as a prisoner.  He didn’t know whether he would live or die. But he saw death as “gain.”  Why?  Because he knew that when he died, he would be with Christ. Being with Christ was something he expected and was longing for.

Yet another verse that shows us that Christians go to be with the Lord when they die is found in the fifth chapter of 2 Corinthians.  As Paul encourages the saints he says, “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NASB95) For the Christian, being absent from the body means being at home with the Lord.  When we die, our bodies will return to dust, but our soul will be with Jesus.  It seems that we will continue in this state until the last trumpet sounds at the return of Christ.  At that time, our bodies will be raised, and they will be changed, in the twinkling of an eye, from perishable to imperishable (see 1 Corinthians 15:50-58).

We have so much to look forward to!  Are you ready to be with Jesus?  Let’s remain faithful to Him, and look forward to being with Him forever.

—Scott Colvin

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Letting the Word Work in You (and Your Family)

January 22, 2025

“For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB95)

The word of God is alive and powerful.  In the above verse, we see that the word of God will go to work in anyone who: 1) receives the word, 2) accepts it as the words of God and not man, and 3) believes the word.  What exactly will the word of God do within us?  It will transform us.  It will enlighten us.  It will strengthen us.  It will comfort us.  What blessings await us if we will diligently take the word of God into our hearts and unite it with faith!

Given all of this, isn’t it true that there is nothing more important for us to do than to infuse the word of God into our home life?  Won’t the word of God work powerfully within our spouses and children?  Won’t it bring blessings to our families? Won’t it set our children onto the best path in life?

I want to encourage you to spend time in the word with your family.  One of the best and simplest ways to do this is to listen to the word together.  This is something that my own family has started to do in a more systematic way.  We gather in the living room after dinner for 15-20 minutes (most evenings) and listen to the word via a Bible app.  We do have a goal of reading through the Bible this year, but that is not the main goal. Our main goal is this: to fill our minds with God’s word on a regular basis so that He can work in us. 

We hope to make this a lasting family tradition.  I encourage you to start a similar tradition with your family, if you haven’t already. I know it will be time well spent, and it will create fond memories for everyone.  I believe your children will enjoy it, and you will enjoy hearing their questions about God.  You can and should tailor this to your own needs:  perhaps you want to take turns reading aloud instead of using an app; perhaps your children would benefit from shorter or longer readings; perhaps you would like to start with the New Testament only.  Do what will work best for your family.  If you miss some evenings here and there, don’t fret about it.  Don’t give up.  The goal is not sticking exactly to the schedule, but to be in the word regularly, together.                   

May God bless us and work in us as we take in His holy word.

—Scott Colvin

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Encountering God in the New Year

January 9, 2025

I would like to encourage each of us to be Bible readers in 2025.  In a world where there are always things eagerly competing for our attention (many of them good things), it is important to commit ourselves to hearing the voice of God clearly and often.  There is nothing more important that we could do.

The word of God is eternal.  “Surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:7-8 NAS95)   When we pick up the word of God, we hold the eternal in our hands.  When we read the word of God and reflect on it, we fill our minds and hearts with everlasting truth. 

The word of God is transformative. If we will give ourselves to hearing and heeding the word, it will change us (as God allows).  Sometimes it causes in us a radical, immediate change, and other times it molds and shapes us steadily over time as the words take root in our hearts. 

Don’t you want this in your life?  Is something holding you back from regular Bible reading?

Setting a reading schedule is a great idea, but don’t get overly focused on the schedule.  What I mean is, if you have determined to read every day, don’t get discouraged and quit if you miss a day (or a few of them).  Just start back up again.  Reading at a pace slower than we intended is infinitely better than not reading at all.  And don’t get discouraged if you come upon sections of scripture that you don’t understand right away.  You are reading the words of God—some things are going to be hard to understand.  Also, don’t be deterred from reading because you feel overwhelmed at the thought of reading the entire Bible.  If you struggle with this, why not determine to read the New Testament?  Or the Psalms?  Or one chapter of Proverbs each day for a month?  Or perhaps you could choose a book of the Bible and get into it very deeply by slowly meditating on every word.

And in all of our reading, allow me to encourage you to not see it as a checklist to accomplish each day.  It is much more than that.  It is an encounter with the Living God.  It is time spent in the heart of God.  It is building a relationship with Him.  Let me also encourage you, as you read, to ask the Lord to be your teacher.  Let us pray as David did, “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25:4-5 NAS95) May God lead each of us in His truth and teach us His ways.

—Scott Colvin

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Growth in the New Year

January 1, 2025

My hope and prayer for all of you, and for myself, is that we will grow spiritually in the new year.  I pray that you will pursue spiritual growth with renewed focus and vigor, resulting in a rich, intimate communion with the Lord.  Spiritual growth is something that must be pursued—it doesn’t just happen on its own.  I want to encourage you to pursue an intentional program of growth in the year ahead. 

What might this look like?  First of all, we need to dedicate ourselves to being in the word of God.  Reading the Bible is not just reading any other book; it is actively taking in words of life that flow from the very mouth of God.  The word of God will change us!  It will transform us from the inside out, if we will allow it.  The word of God will bring light to our path and life to our souls.  I encourage you to begin (or begin again) a plan of reading and reflecting upon the word of God in your daily life in 2025.

Second, I encourage you to heed the words of the apostle Peter, who showed us how to grow.  “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence…” (2 Peter 1:5a NASB95) With this statement Peter begins what is sometimes called the ladder of spiritual growth.  It is a list of qualities all Christians should pursue.  Each quality builds on the previous one and leads us to growth.  But notice where the process begins.  It all starts with making every effort to supply moral excellence.  What is moral excellence?  It is an uncommon, excellent, virtuous character.  Moral excellence is doing what is right and good in every situation.  It is choosing to do what is right even in the “little things.” It is choosing to do what is right even when no one is watching.  If we commit ourselves to moral excellence, we will grow, but if we don’t, growth will be stopped in its tracks.  I encourage you to decide that in 2025 you will pursue what is excellent with all your heart.

Think of where the Lord will take us in the new year if we will seek Him and stay near to Him!  The future is very bright, no matter what challenges lie ahead.  May God grant that each of us will grow in our faith in 2025.   

—Scott Colvin

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You are Light in the Lord

January 1, 2025

When we came into Christ Jesus, each one of us was fundamentally changed.  We became new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17) There are many ways in which this is true:  We were freed from sin, we died to the Law, we became a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, we were transferred out of darkness, we were made alive in Christ.  And to me, one of the most profound things that happened to us is this: we became light.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” (Ephesians 5:8 NASB95)

We were formerly darkness.  Sin darkened our inner being and controlled our thoughts and actions.  But that was before we came to Jesus, the light of the world.  Now that we have been enlightened by Him, we have taken part in His nature.  We have become light. 

This is the reality of who we are.  Now we must ask ourselves what we are going to do with this profound truth.  Paul is urging us to be what we are—to walk (live our lives) as children of Light. 

How does one do that?  Paul goes on to say, “… (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them…” (Ephesians 5:9-11 NASB95) The fruit of the light is expressed in goodness, righteousness, and truth.  To walk as light, we must be about pursuing these qualities. This means we must live a life concerned for the welfare of others (goodness), we must pursue moral and holy behavior (righteousness), and we must relentlessly pursue what is true in a world filled with lies. 

What else must we do to walk as children of light?  We must stop participating in the darkness.  This world is full of darkness, and it is very easy to continue in it.  But now you are light in the Lord!  Don’t practice the things of darkness, but expose them.  Our new nature as light (if we will walk in it) will naturally do that as we light up the world around us with His light.  Some people will hate you for that, for darkness naturally hates the light. But others will see the light of the Lord emanating from you and move toward it.

You are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light!

—Scott Colvin

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When a Sinner Comes Home

January 1, 2025

In the parable of the prodigal son, can you relate to the feelings of the older brother?  Let us attempt to step inside the older brother’s head for a moment and hear the accusations he makes.  The older brother had served his father dutifully his whole life.  He never neglected one command of his father.  He did everything he was supposed to do.  In stark contrast, his younger brother insulted his father and devoured his wealth with wild living and prostitutes.  The younger brother made an absolute wreck of his life.  And when he finally came home, he was given a party!  The older son never got a party!  How is that right?  How is that fair?

If you can relate to the feelings of the older son, it may be time for a serious heart check.  I must confess that his complaints seemed valid to me at one time, and that’s a problem!  You see, when we sympathize with the older son’s feelings, our feelings are running entirely counter to the feelings of our Father!  Rather than standing with our Father, we find ourselves in league with the Pharisees and scribes who, when they saw the tax collectors and sinners coming to Jesus “began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’” (Luke 15:2 NASB95) But what were the feelings of the father when this sinner returned?  Pure joy!He ran to his wayward son and embraced him!  He celebrated!  This is the attitude of our Heavenly Father, and of our Lord Jesus when a sinner comes home.  So, why would we not feel the same?

Why, indeed.  Perhaps we need to ponder the grace of God again.  Perhaps we need to remind ourselves where He brought us from and where we could have been.  Perhaps we need to realign ourselves with the purpose of God and of Jesus Christ, who came not to the righteous, but to the spiritually sick—to sinners like you and me.  And when a sinner comes to Jesus, there is great joy in heaven.  If we’re not taking part in that joy, then we have lost the fundamental meaning of the gospel and have forgotten his marvelous mercy and grace that we ourselves have received. 

The Father rejoices when a sinner comes home.  May we always be ready to celebrate with Him!

—Scott Colvin

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