Death is about separation. Our hope is about reunion. Soul and body will be forever reunited, gloriously. The believing dead and believers who are alive at the second coming will be reunited, and all believers will be gathered to Christ, forever. Our hope reminds us that death is not the final word. In the providence of God, it is one step toward the grand accomplishment and realization of God’s purpose to gather His people to Himself in Jesus Christ. This hope cannot but transform our experience of grief. We certainly grieve in view of the tremendous loss that death has brought into our lives, but we grieve in view of the blessings that are sure to come.

When considering death, what is our hope? Strictly speaking, our hope is not a what but a who. It is Christ Himself and all the benefits that we enjoy in Him. Hebrews tells us that we have a “hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf ” (Heb. 6:19–20a). Ralph Wardlaw’s well-known hymn praises “Christ, of all my hopes the ground.” Our hope is in Christ, and our hope is Christ.
In particular, the “blessed hope” of the believer is the “appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:13–14). Our great hope is the return of Christ in glory. Every Christian eagerly awaits the return of Christ and the full experience of eternal life in Him—this is our “blessed hope.”
Encourage One Another with These Words
What does this hope look like when we mourn the loss of believing loved ones? How does this hope give us comfort and strength in such times? How can we help our fellow believers to lay hold of this hope in their grief?
Paul’s words to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 answer these questions. While it is difficult to sort out all the details of what was troubling the Thessalonians, the main lines are clear. This is a young church, and many of its members have been recently converted from gentile paganism. Their believing loved ones have died, and they do not know how to respond biblically. Paul is concerned that they will lapse into the familiar cultural response of “griev[ing] as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13).
In this passage, Paul applies the truth of the gospel to the Thessalonians’ mourning. The gospel does not do away with our grief, but it transforms our grief. Paul is going to explain how that is so. There is a direct, practical component to Paul’s teaching. Paul expects the people of the church to “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). He wants them to take what he says in verses 14–17 and to share these truths as means of comfort to fellow believers in need. This duty does not belong simply to the elders, deacons, or especially mature Christians. It belongs to all believers. We need to gather up the truth of these verses so that we may minister that truth to hurting believers.1
Paul offers at least five lines of comfort and encouragement to grieving believers.

“We believe that Jesus died and rose again” (1 Thess. 4:14).

The first comes in verse 14: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again.” Paul here makes three points. First, Jesus has died. In His death, He conquered death. Jesus paid the penalty of sin that merits death, bore the curse of the law on behalf of sinners, and propitiated the wrath of God. Second, Jesus rose again. After three days in the grave, Jesus was raised to newness of life. His body, transformed by the Spirit, is glorious and fit to dwell in heaven. Possessed by the Spirit and possessing the Spirit, our risen Savior shares the Spirit with us, giving blessing, life, and glory to us by the Spirit. Raised from the dead, Jesus gives us every assurance that we will one day be powerfully and gloriously raised from the dead also. Third, Paul reminds us that “we believe”—that Jesus has died and been raised. Paul is saying more than that we assent to these historical facts as facts. We do assent to them, but we have also placed our trust in Christ as Savior and Lord to accomplish the same for us. Our whole lives are lives of faith in Christ, crucified and raised from the dead (2 Cor. 5:7; Gal. 2:20). Because it is true that Jesus died and was raised from the dead, and because we have put our trust in Him as Savior, we have the comfort we need to grieve in hope and to help our brothers and sisters do the same.

Believers who have predeceased us are “the dead in Christ” (1 Thess. 4:16).

The second line of comfort and encouragement is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Believers who have predeceased us are “the dead in Christ.”2 Even in death, the believer remains united to Christ. Death has not destroyed the bond between that person and Jesus Christ. The whole person remains united to Christ—soul and body. His soul has immediately entered the presence of Christ, which is “far better” (Phil. 1:23) than even life in Christ on earth. He has entered his reward and rest. His body rests in his grave as in his bed, awaiting resurrection dawn. Surely our union with Christ affords us great hope and comfort when we mourn the loss of believing loved ones.

“The dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16).

Paul’s third line traces a timetable of future events. He says that “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16) and that this will happen immediately after the return of Christ (“for the Lord himself will descend from heaven,” (1 Thess. 4:16).
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Living with Christ-esteem takes time to master. Negative habits, toxic playlists, and even over­confidence can hijack us for months or even years. Healing is not overnight. It takes conscious, gospel-centered action to step out in faith. My reflex is still sometimes to slip into negative thinking, but we err with grace, and then we get back up and lead with faith.

There’s a temperamental teeter totter between the pastor’s ears. On one side is the desire to give all glory to Christ, and on the other is the weight of self-importance. This back-and-forth tension is stronger than we acknowledge.
Sometimes, while squirreled away in our offices right before the early service, we think, “Who am I to preach God’s Word to all these people? ” For others, the pendulum of esteem can quickly edge toward over-confidence: “Why wouldn’t they want to hear God speak through me?” The back and forth can be nauseating and frustrating for the tenderhearted pastor.
For nearly two decades now, I’ve walked with fellow pastors through the feelings of not being ‘good enough’ and the inverse sense of arrogance. Low self-esteem is my burden at times, too, and it’s led to complex, necessary conversations washed in the grace of our Savior.
How do we, as pastors, handle this idea of self-esteem? What is self-esteem? Is it sinful for a pastor to have high self-esteem? Most importantly, how do we see ourselves in the context of Christ’s redemptive work and our sacred calling as shepherds of God’s flock?
Understanding Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is dynamically connected to our perceived worth as followers of Christ, leaders, and pastors. We all have an innate sense of value and calling. Knowing God has accepted us gives us the strength we need to resist Satan’s attacks and engage our critics. How we feel and what we believe to be true about ourselves is often a fractured lens in light of God’s grace. The Apostle Paul cautions us in his words to the Roman believers that we are to “think soberly” when considering our worthiness (Rom 12:3).
Can we dismiss the term “self-esteem” altogether as outside the goal of the gospel? When we focus on ourselves, we take our eyes off our Savior. We start building our identity on our perspective, not on our Solid Rock. When we allow others to assess and convince us of a different value or significance compared to God’s view, we rely on their opinion. What drives us to make such a change?
Pastors are in danger of unhealthy self-esteem, whether low or overly high, when we place undue value on the feedback of others. Did I do well with today’s sermon? Why do the elders want to meet on Monday night? Do you think people forgot last week’s trainwreck-of-a-message? What did so-and-so mean when they made that comment?
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America’s decline, along with growing defiance against the Almighty, now warrants a change in prayers. No longer can we appeal for God to bless America. Our circumstances now prompt a cry for mercy. Due to our collective decay now bearing fruit, a more urgent prayer is for God to spare America.

A repeated appeal to the Almighty has echoed throughout America’s existence from citizens, military, and political leaders alike. From professional sporting events to standup comedians and musicians ending their shows to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” the phrase remains uttered in every part of the country – every day. Yet, “God Bless America” took an unexpected turn when then-President Obama invoked it when ending one of his speeches by asking God to bless Planned Parenthood.
As this familiar phrase perfunctorily continues in America’s public life, one can’t help but wonder to whom people are praying.
If the deity entreated is the God of the Bible, then specific questions might be in order – the main of which is “do we even know this God so regularly asked to bless America?”
“God” arrives in our language and subsequently in our English Bibles from the Proto-Germanic “Gudan.” Yet the God of the Bible was not referred to as such. Surprisingly to some, neither Moses nor the Apostle Paul read from the King James Bible. Considered so holy, the Jews used a shorthand reference to keep the name of the God of the Bible separate and avoid breaking the second commandment:
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7
The God of the Bible seems serious about His name – and invoking that name. It seems hard to imagine the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob getting fired up at the Super Bowl, NASCAR, or other events where Americans wax sentimentally. Would the “Great I AM” who made Himself known to Moses – spared during Pharoah’s genocide of infants – be pleased when entreated to bless the nation’s largest provider of abortion services?
Glibness towards the Almighty implies disrespect, as well as a dismissive contempt of an omnipotent being who “…brought forth the heavens and the earth.” Even if merely a higher power, there remains a deplorable ignorance from a culture cheekily referring to Him as the “Man Upstairs.”
America’s concept of and relationship with God claims roots in the framers and founders of the country. As they knew and described Him, God was indeed the God of the Bible. Their understanding of God is far from this caricature – this “good luck charm” – that many superficially mention.
With so many mocking His word, His followers, and His tenants, why would He dismiss such behavior to bless something His word clearly abhors? Scripture remains clear on God’s principles: same-sex relationships, mass genocide of the unborn, immorality, and lawlessness. Yet America flagrantly disregards at best or worse rewrites to accommodate the desires du jour – while still asking for God’s approval and blessing.
The prayer must change. The people of God can no longer appeal to the Alpha and Omega for blessings in good faith. “In God, we trust” no longer applies to our culture. In the act of wry honesty, America could change the motto to “In a manufactured god we trust.” That’s what Moses’ brother, Aaron did with the golden calf – and for centuries after, the people of God seemed pre-disposed to repeat Aaron’s idolatry and appeal to a created diety that accommodates unbridled desires.
Contrary to pop culture, the character of human beings remains unchanged over the eons – we’re not becoming better people. Societies that divorce themselves from the authority of the God of the Bible prove that point each day. Yet, even those who adhere to that authority still find themselves coming up short due to our systemic failings. The Biden administration is correct to recognize a systemic evil in America – but they miss the mark by identifying it as racism. The failure is far more profound – and none are immune.
Jeremiah, as well as the framers of our Constitution, knew this when describing human beings.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9
America’s decline, along with growing defiance against the Almighty, now warrants a change in prayers. No longer can we appeal for God to bless America. Our circumstances now prompt a cry for mercy. Due to our collective decay now bearing fruit, a more urgent prayer is for God to spare America.
Peter Rosenberger hosts the nationally syndicated radio program Hope for the Caregiver. www.hopeforthecaregiver.com