The Theology of Death

There is an obnoxious trait carried by humanity in the western world. That trait is an absolute disdain for tension. The Greco-Roman way of thinking worships logic that brings solution. This way of thinking says that truth cannot exist without resolution. The algorithm must be solved and the method must be explained. This is not an inherently wrong way of thinking, but it is counterintuitive to building theology. Any attempt to completely resolve theology to our human understanding without any sense of tension will result in a vast misunderstanding. In fact, these attempts have resulted in wars, genocide, division, and hateful acts done in the name of Jesus for centuries. We have built religious principles by our own logic instead of a supernatural revelation.

I am reminded of the final verse of the B.I.B.L.E. song, written by my Old Testament professor, “The B.I.B.L.E. The book that’s reading me. The written word is Spirit heard. The B.I.B.L.E.”

As we build our theology of death, let's allow ourselves to be drawn into the tension of the Word of God and allow it to read us.

From the beginning of Christianity to modern day, theologians have attempted to explain death without any lack of understanding. No matter your denominational background, we are all guilty of attempting these explanations. We have said that people have died because they did not have enough faith. Theologians have taught that miscarriages were God’s plan to stop an unpleasant or disobedient child from being born. Some of you may walk with the belief that your loved ones died an untimely and tragic death for the Glory of God. These are just a few explanations I have heard from other brothers and sisters in Christ. You may have heard the same. You may believe in these, or maybe you are appalled that these ideologies exist. However you may feel about this list, my intention is not to argue one way or another. There is enough division in the Body of Christ for me to know better than to be more divisive. The motivation of this devotion is to implore us to not find our comfort in cheap theological answers. Instead, let's take our hurts, our anger, our bitterness, and our questions and be honest to God about our lack of faith and understanding. If we can understand that death is a promise, we can find our comfort in Him, rather than attempt to comfort ourselves with these worldly explanations.

If you possess the common misconception that God is not a father that answers your questions, I encourage you to read the book of Job. Job spends a great deal of time questioning God’s reasoning, and God takes even more time, to answer him. You may interpret His answer as angry or spiteful, but this is the tension we must walk in. You see, Job did not receive comfort in God restoring all that had been taken from him. He found comfort in the fact that the Endless and Everlasting God answered him.

My friends, we will never walk in a full understanding of tragic and painful deaths, but if we go to the Father with our, “Why?” He will comfort us.

Reflection

We must allow a resounding, “Why?” to exist in our prayer life. Though we may not receive the resolution we hope for, we will find comfort in the tension.