Hope Beyond the Grave
The certainty of death can be a daunting reality, but for Christians, the promise of resurrection life offers comfort and hope. When faced with the loss of a loved one, the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the resurrection and the life is a powerful reminder that there is more to life than what we experience on earth.
A Misconception about Heaven
Many people believe that the ultimate goal of Christianity is to live in heaven, separate from the earthly realm. However, this perception does not accurately reflect the Bible’s teaching on the future. The apostle Paul writes about the resurrection body, contrasting our present perishable bodies with the imperishable bodies we will have in the future (1 Cor. 15:35-49). He describes our present bodies as “natural” and our resurrection bodies as “spiritual,” but this distinction is not about physical versus non-material bodies. Rather, it’s about bodies adapted for our final state, dominated by the Spirit of God and living in a new creation.
Life on a Renewed Earth
The Scriptures suggest that our final state will involve living on a renewed earth in the presence of God. This expectation underlies Paul’s argument against those who claim there is no resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:12). In Romans 8:18-23, Paul compares the sufferings of this life with the glory to come, writing that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
A New Chapter
In C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, the characters Peter, Susan, and Lucy encounter Aslan after they die in a train wreck. Aslan tells them, “The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.” For them, it was only the beginning of the real story, one that would go on forever, with every chapter better than the one before.
Approaching Death with Confidence
With confidence in the resurrection life promised by Jesus Christ, we can approach death not with defeat but with expectation. We may struggle with the frustrations of this present life, but we will enjoy abundant, unending life on a renewed earth in the glorious presence of our Creator and Savior.
Notes
T. Desmond Alexander is senior lecturer in biblical studies and director of postgraduate studies at Union Theological College in Belfast. He has written many volumes in the area of biblical theology and served as coeditor of The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
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