A Weighty Question
What happens to our souls after our death is a question that’s recently been raised by one of our readers. It’s a question that’s haunted Christianity since the day after Jesus’ resurrection, and it’s still very much with us today.
With this week’s post, we’ll begin to explore this question and some of the possible answers that religious scholars and theologians have posited over the millennia since Jesus ascended into Heaven. Let’s start with a brief review of what Jesus said about life after death, as recorded in the Bible.
What Did Jesus Say?
In John 11:25, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live…” In John 5:24, He said, “… whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. “ And in Luke 23:43, He says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
From these and numerous other quotations, we know that Jesus promises eternal life to all who meet three requirements. Those are (and I am paraphrasing here):
- That we believe in God and devote our whole selves to Him [Matthew 22:37];
- That we recognize and repent of our sins [Matthew 4:17]; and
- That we accept Christ as our Savior and Redeemer and in so doing, follow Him and His example for how we are to deal with one another and our God [John 14:16 & 34].
So, we know that life eternal after our physical death is promised us by Jesus and that what we are to do to enjoy this wonderful gift seems very simple.
Sobering Words
But, Jesus also said, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [Matthew 19:24]
And He said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Another time He said, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” [Matthew 25:41]
Hmmm. From these statements (and others), Jesus seems to be saying that (a) not everyone will go to Heaven; (b) those who refuse Christ’s gift will be “condemned;” and (c) the condemned can expect eternal fire in return for their disbelief.
These are pretty sobering words and seem to stand in contrast to the “loving,” “forgiving,” and “compassionate” God that many of us have been taught about and encouraged to believe in.
So, which is it? Is God forgiving and compassionate? Or is He a God of fire and wrath?
Are we to accept Jesus out of fear of eternal punishment? Or are we to believe in Him because of His loving embrace and invitation?
Other Questions
These questions have spawned others, such as:
- Will only the “elect” gain entrance into Heaven, or will Heaven ultimately be occupied by everyone?
- After death, does the soul pass immediately to Heaven, or does it go into some kind of “slumber” or “suspended animation” until the second coming?
- Is Hell a real place, or is it allegorical? Do the souls of the unbelievers die (i.e., dissipate) after death, or are they consigned to Hell (or Purgatory)?
Schools of Thought
For some, the answer to these kinds of questions is, “I’m not really concerned about this kind of stuff. Whatever God wills, He wills, and I’ll accept whatever condition/situation He places me in when I die.” While this somewhat fatalistic response may be sufficient for some, it is unsatisfactory to many others.
As I said earlier, these issues have been worried over and discussed for millennia. Dozens of competing schools of thought have arisen to address them, many with very sophisticated names. But for our purposes, we’ll consign all the different responses into three groups. (The descriptor titles are mine. Feel free to make up your own.)
- Those that believe that there is no life after death (“Oblivionists”).
- Those who believe that there is life after death but only for some souls (“Scripturalists”).
- Those who believe that life after death is for everyone (“Universalists”).
We will address each of the broadly defined “schools” as we move toward some suggested conclusions.
(I give every reader fair warning. Covering this topic will entail several posts. None of them are intended to be “scholarly treatises,” nor comprehensive explanations of all the competing theories and lines of inquiry regarding this subject. These posts are intended to be a “jumping-off” point, not the “final answer.” All readers are encouraged to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.)
Oblivionists
Throughout history, many people have adopted the idea that there is no afterlife. Of particular pertinence to Christians were the beliefs of the Sadducees, the priestly class of Jews claiming descent from Aaron (Moses’ brother in whom God entrusted the spiritual life of the Hebrews after they’d fled Egypt [Exodus 28:1]).
While the Sadducees believed in God and in the importance of remaining in God’s good graces via adherence to the Torah (the Law), they thought that when a person died, his/her soul died with them. There was no “benefit” to believing in God, other than that which would inure to the believer during his/her lifetime. One could see them as the original purveyors of Prosperity Ministry, meaning that believers could expect to receive “good things” from God during their lifetime if they observed the Law. They are remembered today largely because of their campaign against Jesus and their participation in His trial and execution.
In contemporary society, people who profess to be atheists (total disbelief in the soul or the existence of God) fall into this group. Unlike the Sadducees, atheists deny the existence of any spiritual deity or even any “spirit” that might survive after one’s death. To them, the body is all there is, so there is nothing to survive one’s death other than, perhaps, the legacy one might leave to one’s friends and relatives. Fredrich Nietze and Carl Marx were famous adherents to this belief, and others continue to follow their nihilist thinking and ideas.
Agnostics (those who doubt) might be considered as “Oblivionist -Lite.” Agnostics are people who are “open” to the ideas of God and eternal life, but who are unsure of their reality. They may be intensely curious about faith and a belief in God but are unconvinced of His existence and/or the importance of our relationship to Him.
More to Come
We’ll explore the diverse beliefs within the Scripturalist veins of thought at a later date. Until then,
God’s Blessings On You All.
Richard
November 15, 2019
