Shall All Men Die? A Devotional on Westminster Larger Catechism 84, Death as the Wages of Sin

We plan our weeks as if tomorrow is guaranteed. We make lists, set goals, and talk about “someday” as if the time were already ours. Most of the time, death stays at the edge of our thoughts. Just far enough away to ignore. But we are inevitably forced to confront it. Sometimes it is a funeral. Sometimes it is a close call. Sometimes it is nothing dramatic at all. It’s just the quiet weight that comes when you realize you are not young anymore, and life is moving faster than you expected. In those moments, we don’t need clever words. We need truth.

That is one of the strengths of the Westminster Larger Catechism. It does not flatter us. It shepherds us. It takes us by the hand and leads us to the questions we avoid, because those questions are often the very doorway to comfort in Christ.

In question 83, the Catechism spoke about communion in glory with Christ in this life. Believers, even now, receive “first-fruits” of glory: the sense of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, and hope of glory. But question 83 also ended with a sober contrast: the wicked may taste even now the beginning of judgment—avenging wrath, horror of conscience, and a fearful expectation of what is coming after death.

That ending sets the stage for the next question. If both comfort and dread lean toward what comes after this life, then one reality stands in front of every person—believer and unbeliever alike. The Catechism now asks the question we all live with, whether we admit it or not:

“Shall all men die?”

“Death being threatened as the wages of sin, it is appointed unto all men once to die; for that all have sinned.”

Westminster Larger Catechism 84: What Does “Shall All Men Die” Mean?

Question 84 gives a short answer with a straight line of Bible logic. Death is not treated as a random event or a natural friend. It is explained in three simple truths:

• Death is the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23).

• Death is appointed (Heb. 9:27).

• Death is universal because sin is universal (Rom. 5:12).

  
  

This matters because if we misunderstand death, we will soften sin, and if we soften sin, we will shrink the cross. But if we tell the truth about death, we will begin to understand why Jesus came and why we need Him.

Death as the Wages of Sin (Romans 6:23)

Paul says it plainly: “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Wages are earned. They are paying you for what you have done. That means death is not only painful; it is a warning. It tells the truth about sin.

This does not mean we should look at every death and assume God is punishing one specific sin in that person’s life. Jesus warned against that kind of shallow judgment in Luke 13:1–5. But it does mean something deeper: death exists in our world because sin exists in our world. Death is tied to our fall, tied to guilt, tied to a broken relationship with God.

And yet Romans 6:23 does not end with wages. It turns sharply to hope: “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” That contrast is the gospel in one sentence.

• Death is a wage.

• Eternal life is a gift.

  
  

If you are trying to “be good enough” to escape death and judgment, you are trying to earn a gift. You cannot earn it. You receive it through faith in Christ.

It Is Appointed Once to Die (Hebrews 9:27)

Question 84 also says death is appointed. Hebrews uses the same word: “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Death is not a maybe. It is not a rumor. It is an appointment. That word “appointed” cuts against our pride. We do not control our lives the way we think we do. We can make wise choices, and we should, but we cannot schedule our last day. God has not told us when it will be. He has only told us it will come.

Then Hebrews adds a second truth: after death comes judgment. That is not meant to produce nervous speculation. It is meant to produce sober readiness. Life is not meaningless. Your choices matter. God is not far away. You will stand before Him. If you live as if judgment is not real, you will live lightly with sin. But when judgment becomes real to the heart, repentance becomes urgent, and Christ becomes precious.

Death Spread to All Because All Have Sinned (Romans 5:12)

Romans 5:12 explains why death is universal: “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Question 84 echoes that last phrase: “for that all have sinned.”

This is not just saying, “Everyone makes mistakes.” Scripture’s claim is heavier. Sin is not only something we do; it is the condition we are born into, and it shows itself in what we choose. That is why death reaches every family. No one escapes because no one is clean.

This truth levels us. Death does not care about status. It does not wait for the “right time.” It comes to the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the moral and the immoral. Death is universal because sin is universal. The point is not to make you feel doomed. The point is to stop you from pretending you are fine without Christ.

How Question 84 Teaches Us to Live Today

Question 84 is not written to make believers gloomy. It is written to make believers wise. Scripture says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). Death helps us see what matters. It changes the questions we ask. Instead of “What do I want next?” we begin to ask, “What will matter when I stand before God?” Instead of excusing sin, we confess it. Instead of living for what fades, we learn to live for what lasts.

This also helps us read question 83 rightly. If the believer’s “first-fruits” in this life include peace of conscience and hope of glory, those gifts are meant to steady us as we face the reality question 84 names. Death is real, but it is not ultimate for those who are in Christ.

The Christian Hope: Christ Meets Us in Death and Beyond

Question 84 tells the truth about death, but it does not leave us without hope. The same Bible that says death is the wages of sin also says eternal life is God’s gift in Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:23). Christ did not come to teach us how to cope with death. He came to defeat it.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). He entered death willingly, not because He deserved the wage, but because sinners did. He took sin’s payment upon Himself, and He rose again as the living proof that death will not have the final word (1 Cor. 15:20–22). For the believer, death is still an enemy, and it still hurts. But it is a defeated enemy. It is no longer the doorway into condemnation. It becomes the passage into the presence of Christ, and the waiting place for resurrection.

Conclusion: Face Death Honestly, Cling to Christ Fully

Question 84 is simple on purpose. It speaks the way Scripture speaks: death is the wages of sin, it is appointed once, and it comes to all because all have sinned. The Catechism is not trying to scare you into despair. It is trying to wake you into reality so you will run to the only safe refuge.

If you belong to Christ, let this truth sharpen your priorities and deepen your repentance. If you do not belong to Christ, do not hide behind distraction. The appointment is real. Judgment is real. But so is mercy. And the mercy of God is not an idea. It is a Person.

Soli Deo Gloria