People Agree, They Hope there is Life After
Death
In this post,
we will continue the series titled, The
Bridge Less Traveled with a third article. The notion that we will discuss
is one that many people feel, that is, there must be something beyond this
life. For many there is a deep hope that there is life after death. For others,
there is a deep fear that there is a time of reckoning to come after death. The
Bible offers a reason for people’s feelings on this subject. In fact,
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (which comes just after the famous passage which says, “To
everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heave”) asserts,
“[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in
their hearts. . . .” Men and women, Christians or not, have a strong urge to
understand things that are beyond themselves. God has planted this mindfulness
of eternity into the human heart. People want to know that their lives matter.
They want to know how their lives and activities extend beyond their own
lifetimes. There is a longing within our hearts. This life is brief. This life
is only, “. . . a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away”
as James says in 4:14. Are we only here today and gone tomorrow? Should we eat,
drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die and that is the end? There is nothing
more? The proposal of this third article is that the seemingly universal notion
of a post-existence is a bridge for conversation between the church and the
world.
If men and
women wonder or, at the very least, have a sense deep inside that there may be
a post-existence, then there must be many answers offered. Because this is a
seemingly universal notion, almost all religions offer some kind of doctrine
about an afterlife. For example, Buddhism and Hinduism, among others, speak of
reincarnation, that this life directly effects the next in the sense that one
may continue to progress in spiritual awareness as one begins a new, physical
life after each death. The goal, then, is to eventually become released from
this physical sequence because one has come to the superior state of
spirituality. When the doctrine gets to this point, it starts to become fuzzy?
Is there a heavenly existence that one is born into? Does the person cease to
exist at the point of nirvana? This author does not know. On the other hand,
Mormons teach that good Mormon men in this life become gods in the next age. As
gods, they have their own planets to then fill by procreating with the
wife/wives that they married for eternity in this life. Thus, mortal men become
immortal gods. There are many religions that may be surveyed on this issue, but
may the consideration of one last religion suffice for now. Islam teaches that
there is a heaven which has many different levels of happiness and enjoyment.
Likewise, their doctrine of punishment has differing layers of hell as well. In
their paradise, Muslim men will be given many virgins for pleasure. On the
other hand, women will be given one man and will be satisfied.
Now, do you
notice any similarities between all of these religious proposals for the
afterlife? There are many differences, but a few things stand out to me from
these perspectives. First, all of the major religions of the earth (as well as
most all religions) offer some doctrine of an afterlife. Second, in many
religions, “paradise” focuses on the rewarding and pleasuring of worthy men. Third, all of these prospects are
based on human, religious performance. How is a Muslim man welcomed into
paradise? His good must outweigh his bad on the day of reckoning (or he must
give his life as a martyr by killing infidels). How is a Mormon man rewarded
with paradise (and the status of an immortal god)? He must perform well as a
Mormon. How does a Hindu progress from one existence to the next in the cycle
of rebirth through reincarnation and ultimately “released” from that cycle to
nirvana? He/she must function well and master karma. These are all
works-righteousness means of salvation. Even Roman Catholicism teaches that one
must do all of the right things in
order to enter heaven. The arrival in “paradise” of each of these religions is
dependent on how well one can perform in the system of the given religion. One
must perform, achieve, work, realize, and do. Now, how well are you doing with
all of that? Does your good outweigh your bad? Do you know? Is there any way of
knowing? You feel like you are a good person, but are you sure it is enough?
How can you know? Is there any assurance of salvation/paradise/heaven?
And what
does the Bible teach? Do Christians have an answer that is altogether different
from what these other religions have to say? Like many other major doctrines,
the Bible’s answer does stand exclusively on the subject of the end-times and
the things to come after this present life and age. Let us briefly consider
what the Bible says about these things. Maybe the most famous verse in all the
Bible is John 3:16. It says, as if you did not already know, “For God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.” We can learn many things from
this one, well-known verse. Maybe that is why it is so popular. Let us ask and
answer of this verse some of the questions we have asked of other religions.
First, is
there an afterlife? Yes, the Bible teaches that there is a promise of “everlasting life.”
Second, is
there a day of reckoning, a judgment day? Yes, we may not be able to see it explicitly
in this verse, but a judgment day is obviously implied that some will “perish.”
Third, how
can one enter into this everlasting life? One must “believe” in the “only begotten
Son” whom God “gave” in order to enter into everlasting life.
Fourth, is
there assurance of salvation for the Christian? Yes, there is great assurance of
salvation and safety given to the believer because “God so loved the world” and
because salvation is not dependent on religious performance, but on the plan of
God. God does not thump His own plan and promises; that would make no logical sense.
Fifth, is
this salvation only or primarily for the reward of worthy men, that is, males? No,
salvation is not primarily for men, but for “whoever believes” be they men or
women.
*Therefore,
you see, the Bible proclaims something altogether different about the afterlife
and how this present age is connected to it. This can be seen from only one New
Testament verse, but consider more of the Bible story with some summarizations
and a few Scripture references for each (this is not exhaustive, but may be
helpful):
1. God
created both male and female in His image and likeness (Genesis 1-2);
2. Adam,
Eve, and all human beings have sinned against God and fallen miserably short of
the glory of God (Genesis 3; Romans 3);
3. God has
put the longing for eternity into our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11);
4. There
will be a Judgment Day because God is perfect, righteous, holy, and just and is
required by those personal attributes to hold His creation accountable for
their sin (1 John 1:5; James 1:13; Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 12:36; Revelation
20:11-15; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5);
5. There is
a heaven (Revelation 21; John 14:1-6; Matthew 25; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 2 Peter
3:13; Hebrews 13:14) and a hell (Matthew 10:28; 13:50; 25; Revelation 20:15; 2
Thessalonians 1:9);
6. Men and
women can be saved from the wrath to come and enter into God’s presence which
is heaven/paradise/salvation/pleasures forevermore by trusting that what Christ
has done on the cross is enough to save them. One cannot trust his/her own
righteousness for salvation, but only in the righteousness of Christ (John 3;
Romans 3:21-26; 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; Ephesians 2:4-9; John 14:6; Acts 2).
What would
you add to this article? Do you think it is true that many people have the
longing for eternity? Do you think that probably all people have these sorts of
questions? Post some comments on the Facebook page!