This is what John Calvin means when he says, “Let us, however, consider this settled: that no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection” ( Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.10.5). For these things it is appropriate to long.
To be present with the Lord is a great good. And, trusting the sovereignty of God, we always attempt to be prepared for whatever time God shall choose to call us to Himself. We also rest assured of the resurrection, when our bodies will be raised incorruptible from the grave. As believers, we do now rest assured that when believing loved ones die, they are then in the presence of the Lord, finally free from sin. The problem is a lack of biblical balance. I cringe when I think of the number of times I’ve heard completely heartless and, frankly, offensive words come out of the mouths of Reformed Christians when speaking about death. Do we sometimes speak and act in ways that give rise to such an idea? Sadly, I believe we do. But the fact that this nickname, this description of us, is so common should give us pause. We usually protest that such a nickname does not truly describe us, and of course, we all know many brothers and sisters to whom such a name would never stick. We’ve all heard the epithet “the frozen chosen” applied to Reformed believers.
Reformed Christians are often accused of being cold and callous, virtual Stoics or fatalists.
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