Are pious Christians afraid of death?

Mathemagician · Jul 27, 2025

Do true Christians, who have lived their lives in accordance with the Bible, need to fear death? After all, if they were good, they can be certain of going to Heaven.

Maria Billingsley · Jul 27, 2025

Christians love Jesus Christ of Nazareth and await their final union with their Lord and Savior after their death. We all fear the events leading up to death. If one fears death because of hell, then there is no love in them for Jesus Christ of Nazareth because perfect loves casts out all fear.
Blessings

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

BCP1928 · Jul 27, 2025

Pious Christians aren't afraid of death, they are only afraid that their piety might be discredited here below,

Michie · Jul 27, 2025

I think there is fear of the process. Even Jesus experienced anxiety before crucifixion. We are still human and experience all sorts of of emotions right up till the very end.

2PhiloVoid · Jul 27, 2025

Define "true Christian" for us please. I'm requesting you do this since you identify as an atheist and I have to ascertain what your qualifications are for asking this question (which is a quite loaded question, obviously).

I'm also requesting your clarification here because, as a philosopher, I don't see the operative psychological processes of "being Christian" as some sort of concrete, "EITHER you have faith / OR you don't" contrived baloney.

If there is a legitimate, qualified answer to be given to your question, I think it'd be semantically contingent on how well we understand the human plight that all of us live in, realistically and existentially considered, and juxtaposed against some New Testament concepts like the following for further contrast:

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

In other words, depending on our current level of sanity, it should be enough to say that anyone who is a Christian should have some amount of hope in their thinking that will defray to varying degrees his/her concern over death.

FreeinChrist · Jul 27, 2025

ADVISOR HAT

This thread is off topic to the forum it is in. It has been moved and a clean up done.

Only Christians may respond to this thread, and the OP.

ViaCrucis · Tuesday at 11:23 PM

It'd be pretty awesome if being a Christian meant a total eradication of all trepidation and anxiety about one's own mortality, but that's not how that works. Christians are still people, and that means facing one's own mortality is still not easy.

Also, it's not about being "good", though Christians ought to live just, pious, and godly lives in accordance with God's will; but we're just as sinful as anyone else. The Christian hope is not that one has been good enough; but that God is merciful, and in Christ God reveals Himself as merciful--who forgives us our sins and who calls us to a life found in Him. That life in God, based on Jesus Christ and trust in Jesus, we believe is the basis for our future life. That even as God raised Christ from the dead, so He will raise us up from the dead. And since we believe Christ has destroyed death, then we do not have to look at death with hopelessness and despair--for God will raise us up even as He raised up Christ.

But faith isn't easy. Even the most devout person experiences the ordinary anxieties and sufferings of this life--and that includes looking at death as it approaches us, and finding ourselves with uncertainty, trepidation--even as we believe that we shall pass through death to life.

Faith is not a joyride to coast through this life. It is an invitation to look at everything differently--to look at everything on the basis of what God has done in and through Jesus. And that invitation comes to us throughout our lives, each day we are called to trust in God, each day we are called to follow Jesus, each day we are called to repent, to change our ways, to change how we think and see the world. Faith in Jesus is not an easy way, but a hard way.

-CryptoLutheran

Ain't Zwinglian · Tuesday at 11:44 PM

Three months ago I faced my second heart attack in as many months...and my response to death wasn't what exactly what I thought it would be like inches from death.

I lost the ability to breath and take in oxygen....this was terrifying and passed out while on the phone with EMS services. Mine you, I have never experienced not being able to breath...to the point of death. I was scared, but not scared concerning "length of time or days" for living.

It is extremely difficult for me to imagine what is it like not having 'HOPE' during death. How can one have comfort in death when one believes all there is ......is time, space, energy and matter? as the evolutionists believe.

David Lamb · Wednesday at 6:13 AM

True Christians don't believe that their own goodness will get them to heaven. If their own goodness was sufficient, they wouldn't need a perfectly good/sinless Saviour.

Dave G. · Wednesday at 6:22 AM

1 Peter 1, the whole chapter,
gives a beautiful narrative of the " Living Hope" we have. It's assurance but we have not yet met our Savior face to face. Meanwhile we with pure spirit, live in sinly flesh. Not that I want to be on the next bus but I can't wait to be free of this particular flesh and free to fly to Him. I'm not pious, I know I'm a sinner saved only by the pure Grace of God through faith in His Son.. I have no fear of death but dying, if that makes sense to anyone. What awaits beyond these sin walls called our bodies, is something said by God himself, something beyond our comprehension in the physical present state. I want to be a part of that !

I think of piousness as a nature in someone who thinks they are special beyond someone else's salvation. Usually very legalistic, looking down on fellow Christians.

As far as the term real Christian, that is someone blood bought born again, as Jesus describes with Nicodemus. Plenty of folks call themselves a Christian, even can be sitting in churches. Being there doesn't make the cut, you Must Be Born Again, Jesus stated.. This is evidenced by the changed heart that comes by the way of the fruit of the Holy Spirit we receive the moment it happens. It's not that you say you are Christian but you must be changed through the believing of the Gospel message and proclaiming Jesus is Lord. You will then begin to take on the attributes of the fruit of the spirit.

rebornfree · Wednesday at 9:00 PM

Only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour have nothing to fear after death. The thing is that, compared to God, none of us are good enough to go to Heaven. He is good, loving, pure and holy but we are not. So He sent His Son Jesus to take the punishment which we deserved. When we realise this, accept Jesus's death in our place and turn aside from sinful behaviour, then we are forgiven our sins and have Jesus's righteousness imputed onto us. So it's Jesus's goodness, and our acceptance of it, which saves us from hell. Although we should live the right way, that is a result of salvation not the means of obtaining it.

RileyG · Friday at 2:02 PM

Amen! Drives me nuts when someone claims all good people will go to heaven because they’re a good person! That’s NOT how salvation works according to Christianity!

RileyG · Friday at 2:02 PM

Absolutely! Not to mention he was sweating drops of blood in the agony in the garden!

timf · 2025-08-02T06:19:36-0500

1Jn_4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Biblical love is selflessness

1Co 13:4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Essentially biblical love is selflessness. This is the life Christians are called to. Sadly, most of us still walk largely in the flesh (selfishness) as a result fear can be a large component. One can see that as one transitions to selflessness, one would be less fearful.

throughfiierytrial · 2025-08-02T19:13:21-0500

The pysical act of death can frighten some Christians… an unknown. However some, maybe many, Christians do not fear death nor its unknown quality. Leaning on the Lord, our Rock and our Shield, comes to them readily… years of training.
We have the patriarchs as examples of bravely dying while fully confident and full of faith and trust in the LORD. Look at Jacob/Israel’s deathbed.

Are pious Christians afraid of death?

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18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.​

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1 John 4:18​

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.​

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1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.