The Afterlife

In case for some reason you aren't familiar, it is basically the traditional view of.. at least Evangelical Christianity that everyone falls into one of two camps- either they are headed for Heaven or Hell.

I struggle with this delineation.  I don't think it's as simple as that.  And let me tell you why.

First of all, I had a friend named Blaine.  I say "I had" because he passed away in 2014.  Now I bring up my friend because he... he had a severe handicap.  Not just that he was wheelchair-bound, but that he lacked fine motor control over his movements.  His life, from what I could see, was at least a bit more difficult than average.  He had, in at least some respects, a hard life.

And yet my friend, who had every right to be bitter and unhappy, exuded a positive attitude.  He was a good guy, and a decent friend.

I don't believe I ever talked to him about faith.  Honestly I didn't see as much of him as I would have liked.  We weren't super close.  But I knew him well enough to respect him.  And when he died, many many people came to his funeral.  He left a large wake in his stead.

My impression of him is that he was not a Christian.  Should I then believe that he has moved on to everlasting torment?  See, this is where I disagree with the traditional view of Heaven and Hell- I don't believe my friend Blaine is living in unending torment, simply because he didn't make Jesus Lord over his life.

That does not mean I believe my friend is in Heaven.  I do believe Heaven is reserved for those that have a relationship with God.

I do think that if most of Hell is not a place of everlasting torment, that my friend could be there.  If Hell is more like how CS Lewis described it in The Great Divorce, then I would say that it might make sense for there to be no middle ground place where people who are neither fit for Heaven nor deserving of Hell, because then Hell wouldn't be that bad.  Don't get me wrong, Hell is not the most exciting place to be in The Great Divorce, it's just... kind of a dreary place, that is substantially worse if you happen to be more messed up, like Napoleon for example.  In The Great Divorce, Napoleon is miles and miles and miles away from everyone else, and is spending eternity pacing the floor up and down blaming other people for his misfortune.  

Regardless, I don't believe most people are going somewhere where the torment is that bad.  I just... don't.  There are people who definitely belong in eternal torment in my opinion, though I'm no master judge I suspect Hitler will be judged harshly.  I also suspect the average child molester will be judged for not committing suicide rather than molesting a kid- suicide is INFINITELY better than molesting a child.  Don't get me wrong- it's better to seek out treatment.  But if one is feeling propelled to molest a kid, they would be better off killing themselves.  I digress.  The thing is, I do believe some people belong in Hell.  Who exactly that is I can't say for sure, for only God knows the hearts and minds of everyone.  Most people, in my estimation, belong in neither Heaven nor Hell but a third place, like Purgatory only you never leave.  I don't believe anyone ever leaves their eternal destination, or what was the point of being tested on Earth?  Maybe God has some kind of long term goal of redeeming everyone from the places like Purgatory and Hell.  It certainly would follow my understanding of God's heart if he did.  But also there must be justice for those of us who chose God while alive, passed our tests while alive, and lived by faith.

It is interesting to me, the differences in opinion.  I have a friend who has accepted what Jesus did as salvation, but it doesn't seem to me that he has Jesus as lord over his life.  It's more like... fire insurance.  I don't believe that kind of faith is worth much.  You can't accept what Jesus did on the cross and then just decide to live however you want, like Jesus is giving you carte blanche to live however you please.  I don't believe salvation was supposed to work that way.  I think salvation was IN PART about saving us from sin, to give us power over our vices so that we can live righteous.  What's the point of being saved from your sins if you're just going to live a sinful life?  This kind of fire insurance... I don't think God has a high view of it.  Anyone who lives like this is not destined for Heaven.  You can't use God to get Heaven and not live in relationship with God, which was the whole point.  Jesus died on the cross so we could live in right relationship with God, not so we could go our own way.

I don't know what God's plan is exactly for judgment.  I just know that God is just, and that he doesn't want to spend eternity alone.  Honestly, I'm skeptical that many people will be in Heaven.  I think it's hard to get into Heaven.  I know, that flies against Christian teaching.  We teach "if you accept what Jesus did on the cross as propitiation for your sins then you are going to Heaven."  It's not that I believe that works are what get you into Heaven.  It's just... you have to have a heart that's right before God and live in relationship with God, and most people don't have a heart that's right before God and live in relationship with God.  I just think the path of righteousness is a hard path, and few take it.   I hope today you will think about how you live your life and make a decision to draw nearer to God, to put away sinful thoughts and actions, and surrender completely to your maker.  I do believe there is grace.  But you have to surrender to God to get it...