Podcast Summary: Renewing Your Mind

Episode: How Do I Prepare for Death? This-Worldly Preparations
Host: Nathan W. Bingham (Ligonier Ministries)
Guest Teacher: Dr. Guy Waters
Date: August 28, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the practical, “this-worldly” preparations Christians should make as they face the reality of death. Dr. Guy Waters explains how such preparations, though practical and often legal or financial, are profoundly spiritual when approached with Christian wisdom and love. Drawing on biblical examples, Waters outlines how thoughtful end-of-life planning can be a testimony of faith, a relief to loved ones, and an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel even beyond the grave.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recognizing the Inevitability of Death

• Timestamps: 00:00, 22:47
• Waters begins by stressing that no human effort can indefinitely prevent death. Accepting this reality is the first step toward wise preparation—for ourselves and our families.

“There will come a point where we have to acknowledge, I am dying. My loved one is dying.”
— Dr. Guy Waters [00:00]

2. Spiritual vs. Worldly Preparations

• Timestamps: 01:31–03:05
• Spiritual preparation focuses on faithfully living in Christ; “this-worldly” preparations involve practical arrangements that are not less spiritual but pertain to our current life and relationships.

“There is nothing unspiritual about what we're going to speak of... these matters become ways to testify to our faith in Jesus Christ.”
— Dr. Guy Waters [01:51]

3. Preparing Our Families

• Timestamps: 03:10–09:55

• Sharing Parting Words:

  • Drawing on biblical “farewell addresses” (Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Jesus, Paul), Waters highlights the value of leaving words of encouragement, faith, and testimony for loved ones.
  • Three consistent themes in biblical farewells:
    1. Reminder of God’s faithfulness
    2. Pointing to God’s promises
    3. Calling others to walk in fellowship with God

• Means & Methods:

  • Can be formal or informal, in person, by letter, or at any time—not just at death’s door.
  • The focus should always be to point to God and His faithfulness, not to ourselves.

“Here is an established biblical pattern to leave something with the generation to come, our loved ones, pointing them not to ourselves, but to God.”
— Dr. Guy Waters [08:34]

• Reconciliation:
  • Waters urges listeners to seek reconciliation with those they’re at odds with long before death approaches, taking Romans 12:18 (“live peaceably with all”) as a guiding principle.

4. Preparing Our Worldly Estates

• Timestamps: 09:56–13:30

• Necessity of Order:

  • Dying without a will or estate plan creates additional burdens for mourning families (legal issues, costs, family strife).
  • Scriptural principle: Providing for one’s own is an act of love (1 Timothy 5:8).

• Actionable Wisdom:

  • Prepare estate plans while still healthy; consult professionals for legal security.
  • Plan for dependents, especially minors or those with special needs.
  • Consider legacy giving to church and ministries.

“Think of this as a way to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
— Dr. Guy Waters [11:15]

5. End of Life Medical Decisions

• Timestamps: 13:31–19:35

• Biblical Basis:

  • Root decisions in the Sixth Commandment: preserve life; do not unjustly take life.

• Practical Steps:

  • While healthy, study resources from trusted evangelical and Reformed sources.
  • Seek advice from pastors, Christian doctors, and elders.
  • Make legal arrangements known (e.g., durable power of attorney for healthcare).

“Gather counsel early and often and then you'll want to formulate your wishes and make them legal and official in your state.”
— Dr. Guy Waters [15:44]

• Principles in Decision-Making:
  • Unjust killing (euthanasia) is prohibited.
  • Medicine’s goal is to promote health; weigh benefits and burdens of treatments.
  • Recognize when death is inevitable; withholding futile treatments is not the same as killing (“letting die is not the same as killing”).

6. Funeral and Burial Planning

• Timestamps: 19:36–23:15

• Relieving Loved Ones:

  • Advance planning relieves families from added stress and guesswork.
  • Record preferences: Scripture readings, hymns, officiants, burial arrangements.

• Burial vs. Cremation:

  • Cremation is not a sin, but Christian tradition favors burial, echoing biblical practices and hope in resurrection.

“There is something powerful about the lowering of the body into the ground. It confirms the finality of death, even as it testifies to the hope of the resurrection.”
— Dr. Guy Waters [21:22]

• Funeral as Gospel Opportunity:
  • Funerals can be a rare but potent occasions for Gospel testimony to unbelievers present.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We call them this worldly because they relate to this age and to the body. But the Bible speaks to them.”
  — Dr. Guy Waters [01:46]

• “Are there any people we have sinned against or have sinned against us? … We ought to take the initiative in reconciliation.”
  — Dr. Guy Waters [09:29]

• “This is not a violation of the sixth commandment. This is not killing. As one puts it, letting die is not the same as killing.”
  — Dr. Guy Waters [18:55]

• “When we plan properly and in advance in these four areas… we are demonstrating love to those around us… that expression of Christian love will point others not to ourselves, but to the love of God in Jesus Christ.”
  — Dr. Guy Waters [23:18]

Important Timestamps by Topic

• Accepting Death's Inevitability — 00:00
• Biblical Farewell Addresses — 03:41–08:15
• Reconciliation and Relationships — 09:00
• Estate Preparation — 09:56–13:30
• End of Life Medical Choices — 13:31–19:35
• Funeral and Burial Planning — 19:36–23:15

Conclusion

Dr. Guy Waters articulates that thorough, thoughtful “this-worldly” planning for death is both a spiritual duty and a profound act of Christian love. Whether in our relationships, legal affairs, medical wishes, or final arrangements, such preparations bring peace to families, avert unnecessary suffering, and open the door for the Gospel to be proclaimed—even in our absence. Listeners are encouraged to begin planning early, to seek biblical counsel, and to see these acts not as burdens, but as enduring testimonies of faith and care.