Would Most Christians be "Christians" If Heaven and Hell didn't exist?
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if heaven and hell weren't realities? How many people would live the wildest lives possible if heaven and hell didn't exist? Obviously, most Christians believe in a heaven and hell, but if a great deal of us were honest, we wouldn't live this "sacrificial" life if we didn't have the reward of heaven or the fear of hell. Think about it. How authentic is the "Christian" life of sacrificial love if the true motivator is just to avoid "hell" or just get into "heaven?"
That doesn't seem very genuine. How legitimate can our faith actually be when it is coerced by the threat of an eternal punishment or the reward of everlasting paradise? The true person is revealed when we no longer have a threat to fear or a reward to strive for. The fact is, most people would not necessarily live the life Christ presents if they didn't have some sort of motivation to avoid the worst or gain the best. Perhaps this is why the road to heaven is "narrow."
The true "follower" of Christ is the one that would follow even if heaven and hell didn't exist. Honestly, if this life is so great, should it need a reward or punishment for not following? Why would anyone do this?
As parents we teach our children to live a certain way. Don't lie, cheat, steal, etc.... Now, most children will only obey their parents under the pretense that their parents will either reward them for their obedience or punish them for the lack thereof. As the child gets older, the child will begin to recognize that the best way to really live is not to lie, cheat and steal. As a result the child will begin to avoid these things simply because the child now realizes through maturity that this is the best way to live. The child now begins to live the life the parents have taught them, not due to fear of punishment or desire for reward., but because they recognize the intrinsic benefits. At this point the child will move from being "obedient" to the parent to being "like" the parent.
In the same way, when we learn that the life of love taught by Christ is really the best way to live, we will move from being "obedient" to Christ to actually being "Christ like." When Christians learn to love simply because love is the best way to live rather than to avoid hell or gain heaven, then we will finally have attained the standard that Christ came to demonstrate for us.
That doesn't seem very genuine. How legitimate can our faith actually be when it is coerced by the threat of an eternal punishment or the reward of everlasting paradise? The true person is revealed when we no longer have a threat to fear or a reward to strive for. The fact is, most people would not necessarily live the life Christ presents if they didn't have some sort of motivation to avoid the worst or gain the best. Perhaps this is why the road to heaven is "narrow."
The true "follower" of Christ is the one that would follow even if heaven and hell didn't exist. Honestly, if this life is so great, should it need a reward or punishment for not following? Why would anyone do this?
As parents we teach our children to live a certain way. Don't lie, cheat, steal, etc.... Now, most children will only obey their parents under the pretense that their parents will either reward them for their obedience or punish them for the lack thereof. As the child gets older, the child will begin to recognize that the best way to really live is not to lie, cheat and steal. As a result the child will begin to avoid these things simply because the child now realizes through maturity that this is the best way to live. The child now begins to live the life the parents have taught them, not due to fear of punishment or desire for reward., but because they recognize the intrinsic benefits. At this point the child will move from being "obedient" to the parent to being "like" the parent.
In the same way, when we learn that the life of love taught by Christ is really the best way to live, we will move from being "obedient" to Christ to actually being "Christ like." When Christians learn to love simply because love is the best way to live rather than to avoid hell or gain heaven, then we will finally have attained the standard that Christ came to demonstrate for us.
I heard a phenomenal sermon once that talked about this. It dealt with two scriptures, the first being about how we are supposed to fear God, and the second was the first that says "perfect love casts out all fear". The premise of the sermon was that these verses are not contradictory because our faith begins with some fear, but eventually we are overwhelmed by the love of God and we no longer need to fear. The pastor used the analogy of when parents tell their children not to ever touch the stove because it will burn them. If the child grew up ALWAYS fearing the stove, it would be an unhealthy irrational fear, because the more you understand the stove, the more you are able to use it safely. Similarly, early in faith, as children (literally or metaphorically) we learn to fear God, but the more we understand God, that love drives out the fear and we are able to engage God in a more healthy, life-giving way.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm following that last comment. Can you elaborate a little bit?
ReplyDelete