What Death Teaches Us: Reward, Punishment, or Passage?
Jerry Adesewo
I was confronted again this past week with that inevitable reality we often fear or ignore—death. The passing of Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari has reopened longstanding conversations about the end of life, judgment, and legacy. As with the death of many prominent figures, the atmosphere has been filled with tributes, criticisms, and that
familiar caution: “Do not speak ill of the dead.”
READ ALSO: Do Not Speak Ill of the Dead”: Nigeria’s Culture of Eulogy and the Ghost of Buhari’s Silence
But beneath all the noise lies an opportunity for sober reflection. What is death, truly? Is it a punishment? A reward? Or simply a transition? And what lessons can we, both believers and non-believers alike, learn from it?
The Scripture and the Reality of Death
The Bible does not leave us in the dark about death. In fact, it treats it as a central theme in the story of humanity. Death entered the world through sin (Romans 5:12), but through Christ,
death lost its eternal sting for believers (1 Corinthians 15:55–57). Yet, many still view death as a punishment, especially when it happens suddenly, to the young, or to the seemingly
undeserving.
While death is indeed a consequence of the Fall, it is not always a punishment. For the righteous, the Bible calls death a ‘rest’ (Revelation 14:13), a ‘sleep’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13),
and a gain (Philippians 1:21). For the wicked, however, death could be the beginning of eternal separation from God (Luke 16:22–23). Thus, the nature of death’s consequence is determined not by how or when one dies, but ‘how one lived’.
Do Not Speak Ill of the Dead”: A Christian Caution?
There is a cultural (and often religious) impulse to speak only well of the dead. While this may stem from a desire to preserve dignity or offer comfort to the bereaved, it should not blur the
lines between truth and sentimentality. Scripture honours truth above flattery, even in death.
David mourned Saul (2 Samuel 1), but also acknowledged his flaws. Jesus called Herod a “fox” (Luke 13:32) and rebuked the religious elite for their hypocrisy, yet we have no record of
Him speaking of the dead in flattering falsehoods. Truth should not die because someone has died. That said, we are warned not to judge hypocritically or self-righteously. The balance lies in “truth spoken in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
In the case of President Buhari, reactions to his death have ranged from reverent to caustic.
While his legacy is mixed—praised by some for his anti-corruption stance and derided by others for economic woes and insecurity—death should not silence honest evaluations.
However, it should invite ‘graceful reflection’ rather than ‘gleeful condemnation’.
Lessons for Believers
For Christians, death is not to be feared but to be ‘prepared for’. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” This verse alone changes
how we must approach life and legacy. Our works, whether seen or unseen, whethera pplauded or ignored, will be brought before the Eternal Judge.
The death of a leader, no matter how powerful or controversial, should remind believers that “titles do not travel beyond the grave”. Presidents become mere names. Generals become memories. Only what is done for Christ endures.
This truth must stir us to reflect: What would people say of us if we died today? More importantly, what would God say?
Lessons for Non-Believers
To those outside the Christian faith, the death of a powerful man should dismantle any illusion of invincibility. Wealth, security details, or global influence cannot shield anyone
from the cold grip of mortality. The wise man in Ecclesiastes puts it best: “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
Let the atheist ponder. Let the agnostic reflect. Let the critic evaluate. For all of us—believer or not—will one day lie still in the earth, remembered for a while, then slowly forgotten.
So, Is Death a Punishment or Reward?
The answer is: it depends.
To the faithful servant of God, death is a glorious reward. Paul declared, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). To him, death was a
crown ceremony.
To the unfaithful or unrepentant, death marks the beginning of a sorrowful eternity. Scripture calls it a “second death” (Revelation 21:8), one worse than the first.
Hence, the meaning of death lies not in “how” one dies but in “what follows”. It is not the end but the doorway to reward or ruin.
A Final Word
Let us not be like the rich man who built bigger barns only to be told, “You fool! This night your soul will be required of you” (Luke 12:20). Instead, let us be like the wise servant, found
doing the Master’s work until the end.
Death will come to us all—pastors and politicians, prophets and presidents. But when it does, may it find us faithful, ready, and reconciled.
So, whether you mourn President Buhari with nostalgia, critique him with clarity, reconciled on your own mortality, remember this: death is not the end; it is the revealer of all ends
What Death Teaches Us: Reward, Punishment, or Passage?