How to Die in Christ

Several years ago, I stumbled upon a documentary called How to Die in Oregon. I did not know what I was in for, but I pressed play, and soon I was drawn into the profoundly human, deeply complicated stories it told. The film explores Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, a law that allows terminally ill patients to self-administer medication prescribed by a doctor to end their lives. The heart of the story is Cody Curtis, a 54-year-old wife and mother facing terminal liver cancer. Knowing she only had months left, Cody decided to obtain life-ending medication to avoid the prolonged suffering she feared.

Watching her journey was like standing on the edge of an emotional abyss. I felt her pain, her fear, her love for her family, and her determination to maintain some semblance of control in the face of death. It was impossible not to wonder: What must it feel like to suffer so intensely that ending your own life seems like the only way out, especially with loved ones in the room? But as the credits rolled for How to Die in Oregon, I found myself asking a different question: How do we, as Christians, die in Christ?

It’s not an easy question, especially in a world where views on death and suffering have shifted dramatically. Surveys show that more than 70% of Americans believe doctors should be allowed to end a patient’s life painlessly if both the patient and their family request it.[1] Even among Christians, who make up a significant portion of the U.S. population, support for this practice has grown. But for those of us who follow Christ, the answers to such ethical dilemmas can’t come from public opinion or personal feelings alone. They must be rooted in Scripture.

Life as a Sacred Gift

The Bible is clear: life is a sacred gift from God. Genesis tells us we are created in his image, and throughout Scripture, God is described as the giver, sustainer, and sovereign Lord of life. Job acknowledged this truth when he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21). And Deuteronomy reminds us that God alone holds the power over life and death (Deuteronomy 32:39).

This perspective makes the idea of taking one’s own life—or even asking a doctor to help—deeply problematic for Christians. It contradicts the understanding that life belongs to God. But what about the pain? What about the suffering that makes people desperate enough to consider such a choice? Does God expect us to endure it without purpose?

Finding Purpose in Pain

Scripture does not shy away from the reality of suffering. It acknowledges its weight but offers a perspective that transforms it. Suffering, it teaches, isn’t meaningless. It can draw us closer to Christ, deepen our hope for eternity, and even equip us to encourage others.

1. Suffering Draws Us Closer to Christ

In Philippians, Paul speaks of knowing Christ through suffering (Philippians 3:10). It’s a strange paradox, but through pain, we often experience God’s presence most profoundly. Paul himself knew this when he pleaded for relief from his own suffering, only to hear God say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Suffering strips us of self-reliance and opens our hearts to the strength and grace of God.

2. Suffering Points to Glory

Paul also reminds us that earthly suffering pales in comparison to the glory awaiting us. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). The pain we endure now is temporary, but it prepares us for something eternal—something unimaginably beautiful. As 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

3. Suffering as a Witness

One of the most powerful aspects of suffering is its ability to become a testimony. When believers endure pain with faith, they show the world the sustaining power of God. Paul says it best: “God comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Our trials give us the tools to comfort others and point them toward the hope we have in Christ.

A Compassionate Response

I do not pretend to have all the answers, and I cannot imagine the agony faced by those who suffer from terminal illnesses. My heart aches for them, and I know their struggles are overwhelming. But as Christians, we are called to respond with both compassion and faith.

If that moment of suffering ever comes for me—if I am ever faced with pain so deep it feels unbearable—my prayer is that I will cling to God’s grace and the hope of eternal glory. This life is not the end. The afflictions we endure now, as heavy as they are, cannot compare to the joy waiting on the other side. As Charles Spurgeon reminds us “your dying hour will be the best hour you have ever known. Your last moment will be your richest moment. Better than the day of your birth will be the day of your death.”[2]

Until then, I hope to be a living testament to God’s work in the midst of suffering. May my life—and even my pain—reflect His sustaining grace and the transformative power of faith.

[1]   https://news.gallup.com/poll/648215/americans-favor-legal-euthanasia.aspx

[2] Spurgeon, Charles. “Christ with the Keys of Death and Hell” – Revelation 1:18. Sermon (October 3, 1869).

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