“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13
Our passage today isn’t suggesting believers in Jesus shouldn’t grieve. Grieving the loss of a loved one is a natural and necessary process that takes time. With death can come gut-wrenching pain and heartache. But here we’re instructed to not grieve like “the rest of mankind”—nonbelievers—“who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Our grief is made more bearable because the Holy Spirit, our Comforter, is with us (John 14:15–17); and we have the assurance of being reunited with our believing loved ones and of enjoying our Savior together, forever. Believers in Jesus know this life is not all there is. We have the promise of eternal life (3:16). Our loved ones are safe in Christ’s arms, and one day we’ll be reunited in that place where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4) and where “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
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