Just as mystery hides beyond the horizon where sea meets the sky, every day dawns at the edge of a future inhabited by the unknown. Often our choices direct our future, but the consequences are not always clear. Shakespeare’s Hamlet pondered this uncertainty. Overwhelmed with personal tragedy, sadness, grief, and murderous thoughts, he wondered about the value of life and if the afterlife might be worse for him if he made a conscious decision to”shuffle off this mortal coil” himself or even to commit murder ! He contemplated “To be or not to be…”
That existential question is more than academic. It frequently arises from an agonizingly deep place and has psychological, ethical, and religious overtones as well as societal impact. It is a daily consideration acted upon by young and old alike for various reasons in our troubled, increasingly detached, chaotic society filled with suffering and injustice.
The “question in question” is basically about God’s existence and nature. Although the idea of an afterlife is fundamentally a religious concept, the perceived details vary from religion to religion. Some believe a happy afterlife is merited by moral living, doing the best one can, working hard, and keeping specific rules. Then one awaits the outcome determined by some demanding god or gods.
However, Christianity follows the teachings of Jesus and recognizes that nobody ever will be independently “good enough” or morally pure enough to earn heaven. Salvation is not merited; we are not redeemed “ by works that we have done but by God’s mercy.” Redemption is totally dependent on God’s goodness. He gifts us eternal life by His grace and our faith alone. He so deeply values and loves our souls that he has provided the path to salvation by giving us Christ, the perfect One, as our substitute to bear God’s wrath upon the cross for all our unholiness. Without that intervention, sin would separate us from God and destroy us. However, there is “no condemnation” for those with repentant, believing hearts because the righteousness of Christ has been given believers.
Although there are mysteries about the afterlife, Christ has made specific promises about preparing heaven for believers (John 14: 1-6). Before raising Lazarus from the dead, he proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in Me, even though he may die, he shall live. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
A day will come when we will be separated from our earthly bodies, but Christ’s words give hope. He promised an eternal “to be,” an existence with him if we believe, a promise worthy of consideration.
Sweet Words from Maine 