“Imagine there’s no heaven” John Lennon sang in 1971. Heaven and Hell, his song argues, keep us from dealing with the here and now, from living together in peace and harmony. Not that atheist systems have a great track record for making the world a better place!
Heaven for Christians is first and foremost something that has taken place in history. Jesus on the cross entered into the mystery of human death, only to conquer. In rising from the dead he ushers in a new age of human life, living in a transformed way before the Father.
For Christians, this life with Jesus is something that affects us here and now, that makes us value and love the world around us in a completely new way.
The road to eternal life is through loving here and now, even to the point of dying on the cross. Jesus did this, and invites us to take up our crosses, and to follow his path of generous love.
4 comments:
thank you. makes a lot of sense
D
yeah, ditto. Doesn't it seem quite demanding though at times?
I suppose the more worthwhile something is, the more challenging it is. There can't be many things more challenging than bringing children into the world, but I'm rather glad my parents bothered with me.
We have to remember that it's all first and foremost God's initiative and his gift, and that even our response to him is a gift of grace. The more of challenge Christianity presents us with, the deeper the opportunity we have to know our dependence on God...
Perhaps we could say too, that Christianity is demanding because it is subversive. Christ frees us from sin which overturns our way of thinking towards God's way
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