| |
Thoughts on the Afterlife
By Steve Jones
"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" Gen. 18:25
Afterlife is a single-minded preoccupation in many Christian traditions. It was not so with Jesus. His main message was the coming of the kingdom of God on earth and the living out of radical love. He does speak of the resurrection of the dead, which he experienced firsthand. But his teaching ministry was not first and foremost an answer to the question, "What happens when we die?" or, "How can I be sure I'll get to heaven?"
First-century Judaism was a hodgepodge of ideas on afterlife. Devout scholars of Jesus' day held fast to competing doctrine about personal eschatology. And as we crack open up the sacred volume, we sometimes see a similar diversity of thought on the subject.
The scriptural search for a unified view of death and the afterlife is full of twists and turns. We can cite biblical texts that describe death as an unconscious state (Eccl. 9:5-6) in which no one praises God (Psalm 6:5). Even the New Testament calls death a "sleep," (Acts 7:60) and points to the Second Coming as the day we will finally be with Jesus (1 Thes. 4:17). But elsewhere, the Scriptures say that death is "gain" and a departure to be with Christ (Phil. 1:21-24), apparently a conscious experience.
There is no perfect unanimity concerning the soul concept. Some verses describe the human soul as mortal (Ezek. 18:4; Jer. 18:20) — simply the totality of a living, sentient being (Gen. 2:7) — while others seem to teach that it is immortal and that man cannot extinguish it (Matt. 10:28).
Then we turn to the scope of redemption. To the Old Testament prophets, the redeemed are a teeming company from all corners of the world (Psalm 22:27), filling the house of the Lord (Isa. 66:23). Yahweh is pictured as taking the obscuring veil away from all people (Isa. 25:7), wiping the tears from every face (v. 8), receiving worship from every person (Isa. 45:23), granting the desire of "all flesh" (Psalm 145:16). Likewise, New Testament authors see in Calvary the reconciliation of the world (2 Cor. 5:19); they assure us that God wills to save all (1 Tim. 2:4). But just as we're ready to dive with abandon into the waters of universalism, a saying of Jesus narrows the saved to only a small company (Matt. 7:13-14).
The Bible appears to give us various concepts relating to the finally impenitent. Jesus in one place states that only the "worthy" will attain the resurrection (Luke 20:35). But in John’s gospel, he affirms a resurrection of both righteous and unrighteous (5:28-29). Sometimes the fate of the wicked is couched in such annihilationist terms as "perish," (Luke 13:3) "destroyed" (2 Pet. 2:12) or "consumed" (Heb. 10:27). But in Revelation, Satan, the beast and the false prophet are cast into a lake of fire that is very much like the hell of popular religion (20:10).
Each perspective has its champions who argue persuasively that the Bible supports the favored doctrine and repudiates the dissenting views (as their nodding sympathizers will all concur). But in the end, there are always scores of loose ends that simply won't tidy up without "creative exegesis."
Why is this? Why doesn’t Holy Scripture give us a more unified view on this important subject? For one thing, the Bible is not a point-by-point textbook of theology. Nor is it a doctrinal catechism. The Old Testament is more concerned with Israel and its place in the world than in an afterlife. The New Testament is but a slice of earliest Christianity, not a summa theologica from the apostles. Its main concern is establishing Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and solving conflicts in the primitive church. Often, we must piece together incidental things the authors say in order to understand what they believed on eschatological issues. Even then, we sometimes must rely heavily on inference and conjecture.
So what can we believe for sure? There is one point about which we can be dogmatic on afterlife. They are the words of Abraham: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?"
That much we know for sure. God will act with perfect justice, fairness, equity. If any point about afterlife has the right to creed status, it is that one.
Much as we may wish to nail down a system of personal eschatology that resolves every difficulty, we must confess that God has drawn back the curtain into the next world only a little. It is true that Jesus Christ has brought life and immortality to light, but he has not disclosed enough details to satisfy our curiosity fully.
Does that mean that we ought to shun any speculative beliefs about the life to come? Not at all, as long as we recognize the provisional, fallible nature of these theories. And when we do develop them, they should be in harmony with the grand truth that "the Judge of all the universe will do what is just."
For me, such an absolute demands the following:
I. Our view of afterlife should take into account that the Christian message is, after all, "glad tidings" or "good news." Whatever God has in store for humanity on the other side of death must be consistent with the our deepest longings. The common people heard the words of Jesus gladly. A Christian doctrine of afterlife should be one that gladdens the heart, not depresses it.
II. Our view of afterlife should accommodate this self-evident assertion: Whatever God has commanded us to do in the name of love and mercy, He will do. We are bidden to love our enemies and treat them kindly. We are to overcome evil with good, to repay cursing with blessing. It is untenable to affirm that God will hold Himself to a lower standard than the one He places upon us. We should deem it a certainty that God will treat His enemies the way He expects us to treat ours.
III. Our view of afterlife should be consistent with the perfect attributes of God. Our love is flawed, His is perfect. Our mercy and compassion are limited, His are without measure. That means we may expect God to treat humanity mercifully, lovingly and compassionately — infinitely more than the most saintly among us does.
Where does this then lead us? Christians should come to whatever conclusions are most consistent with the character of God. Let everyone be persuaded in his or her own mind.
Even when integrating the above considerations into our belief system, we may still find ourselves differing widely. A person might hold either well-defined view of afterlife or a "reverential agnostic" position that appreciates mystery and ambiguity. But in the end, it is non-negotiable that we regard the Judge of the universe as a being who will do what is right and good.
He can do nothing else.
About the Author
Steve Jones has made his living as a writer since 1989. He spent part of his career as religion editor for a daily newspaper. In the mid-1990s, he also was an interim pastor for a small congregation in Michigan.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/1878.html
| If you wish to add the above article to your website or newsletters then please include the "Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/1878.html" as shown above and make it hyperlinked. |
| Some other articles by Steve Jones | |
| |
|
|
|
