Topical Bible: The Death of Saints: God Preserves Them To

Bible > Topical > The Death of Saints

◄ The Death of Saints: God Preserves Them To ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the death of saints in Christian theology is deeply intertwined with the belief in God's providential care and preservation. Throughout Scripture, the death of the faithful is portrayed not as a defeat but as a transition into eternal life, where God's preservation is fully realized.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible consistently affirms that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. Psalm 116:15 states, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints." This verse underscores the value God places on the lives and deaths of His faithful ones, indicating that their passing is significant and honored by Him.

God's Preservation in Life and Death

God's preservation of His saints is a theme that runs throughout Scripture, emphasizing His sovereign care over their lives and their deaths. In life, God promises protection and guidance. Psalm 121:7-8 declares, "The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore." This assurance extends beyond physical life, suggesting that God's preservation continues even in death.

Eternal Life and Resurrection

The New Testament further elaborates on the preservation of the saints through the promise of eternal life and resurrection. Jesus Himself assures believers of their eternal security in John 10:28 : "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand." This promise highlights the ultimate preservation of the saints, as they are kept safe in the hands of Christ, even beyond physical death.

The Apostle Paul echoes this assurance in Romans 8:38-39 , where he writes, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." This passage emphasizes that not even death can sever the bond between God and His saints, affirming their eternal preservation.

The Hope of Glory

The death of saints is also portrayed as a gateway to glory. In Philippians 1:21 , Paul expresses this hope, saying, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The apostle views death as a gain because it brings the believer into the presence of Christ, where God's preservation is fully realized in the joy of eternal communion with Him.

Revelation 14:13 further reinforces this hope: "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.'" This verse highlights the blessed state of those who die in the Lord, as they enter into rest and reward, preserved by God for eternity.

Conclusion

The death of saints, from a biblical perspective, is not an end but a continuation of God's faithful preservation. Through the promises of eternal life, resurrection, and the hope of glory, Scripture assures believers that their deaths are precious to God and that they are preserved by Him into eternity.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 48:14
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even to death.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Perseverance of the Saints
... cleave even to the best works of the saints. ... length, delivered from this body of
death, they shall ... But God is faithful, who, having conferred grace, mercifully ...
/.../anonymous/synod of dort/the perseverance of the saints.htm

The Canons of Dort.
... This death derives its infinite value and dignity from these ... Of the Perseverance
of the Saints."Whom God calls ... But God is faithful, who having conferred grace ...
/.../creeds of christendom with a history and critical notes/ 67 the canons of.htm

God's Inheritance in the Saints
... are 'partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light ... whom inheritance means
possession by the death of another ... of the communicated will of God operating upon ...
/.../gods inheritance in the saints.htm

That Love not Only Makes Sons Out of Servants, but Also Bestows ...
... of God sinneth not, but his birth of God preserves him, and ... an impossibility for
any one of the saints not to ... sin which is said to be unto death, still cannot ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter ix that love not.htm

Daily Blessings for God's People
... Unto God belong the issues from death; that is, the coming up from death again.
We place the bodies of the saints in the territory of death, but they are ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/daily blessings for gods people.htm

Thou Anointest My Head with Oil; My Cup Runneth Over.
... "Precious in the sight of God is the death of His Saints." As they have lived for
Christ, they gladly welcome the summons that calls them home to rest. ...
/.../callan/the shepherd of my soul/x thou anointest my head.htm

How Love Spreads Its Excellence Over the Other virtues, Perfecting ...
... One may suffer death and fire for God without charity ... Thus the little virtues of
our Blessed Lady, of S. John, of other great saints, were of better worth ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter v how love spreads.htm

The Creed
... I believe that Jesus Christ is truly God, born of ... just as He is risen from death,
lives and ... holy Christian Church, the community of the saints, the forgiveness ...
/.../luther/the small catechism of martin luther/ii the creed.htm

God's Inheritance and Ours
... by such a transient and physical incident as what we call death. ... for ours, and 'are
heirs with God, and joint ... be meet for the inheritance of the saints in light ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/gods inheritance and ours.htm

The Second Helvetic Confession, AD 1566.
... to the magistrate of Zurich after his death, which he ... Nor do we swear by saints,
since it is forbidden ... believe that the wise, eternal, and almighty God by his ...
/.../ 55 the second helvetic.htm