Christians and Grieving (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

From the heart of Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible Expositor & Teacher. The Bible says, “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” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Here, Paul begins to address some of the concerns plaguing these Thessalonian Christians. These mostly involve their misconceptions about the end times and what will happen when Jesus returns to earth. Paul begins his explanation of what happens to Christians who die before Jesus returns for His church. He calls death a sleep. This word “sleep” comes with particular implications in a biblical worldview. When a person goes to sleep, he expects to awake. So, when a believer’s body dies, it “sleeps” in the grave, but it will awake at the return of Jesus! Paul provides this explanation about the death of a believer so believers will not grieve the deaths of fellow believers in the same way as unbelievers grieve the loss of their friends and loved ones. Unbelievers have no hope, but believers have a firm hope of life beyond the grave. For that reason, Christians can and do grieve a fellow believer’s death as a sad, but temporary separation, rather than a permanent loss based on the hope of resurrection and the belief that they will be reunited in heaven! Be encouraged!