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A Christian
Thought for the Month - July 2013
Thoughts for believers & seekers
Thought for the Month -
Faith for the Future
Rom 6:23 The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
I used this same verse last month when pondering on the subject of facing death. Well I came across a poem recently by a Christian who happens to be a painter and this is part of what he wrote:
“The truth is - and there I go again Lord, telling you - it frightens me to think that all the world I see out there is only a beginning.
That as I walk, hesitating, towards the far horizon, it moves away.
However much I see and learn, there’s more.
And what I hold, though precious, is still partial, the dim image of the glories yet to come.”
One of my wife’s favourite books is ‘Rumours of another world’, by Philip Yancey. In it he, like a number of others I believe, suggests that so much of what we see and experience today, implies the existence of another world, a more real world that follows this one in our experience. ‘Eternal Life’ is life which has no end, life that just keeps on going, rather like the horizon in the poem extract above. Much of the time (most of the time?) few of us ever think about this. Someone once said, “A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shady trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” Hmmmm....
People often have childish ideas about eternity, a place where people sit on clouds playing harps. How far from the truth can you get? The trouble is that trying to describe eternity is like one blind man trying to tell another blind man about colours. The Bible isn’t like a textbook where you can turn to a chapter headed, “Living in Eternity” but it does promise those who have turned to God a wonderful ongoing existence where there is no pain or tears, no fighting or wars, no upsets, no broken relationships, no rejections, no angry words and so on, because in the presence of almighty, loving God such things are wholly inappropriate and just won’t be. In some ways that is all we can boil it down to - wonderfully good and wonderfully with God. I think the best I can do is take quotes of other people and let our thoughts meander around them.
Someone has said, “When you can live forever what do you live for?” Perhaps that needs to be expanded to make it easier to understand and think about: “If there is an ongoing existence called eternal life, is it too much to suppose that the nature or quality of our present life might affect the nature or quality of that existence after death, or perhaps will the fact of a future life influence how we live today?”
Christian writer, scholar and philosopher, C.S.Lewis, made an interesting comment: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” I wonder if this works both ways round? He said, the person who thinks a lot about their eternal destiny will find those thoughts impact the way of life they have today.The other way round? The person who thinks a lot about the quality of life today will find themselves directed into eternity?
Speaking about that time after death, Lewis wrote, “When the author walks on the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right - something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise. It will be too late then to choose your side.” Again the message is the same. If the present determines the eternal future, we would do well to give careful thought to this present.
As well: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.” Wow! And for those who decry hell and decry the thought that what we do now can affect our eternal future, he said, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ''Thy will be done,'' and those to whom God says, ''All right, then, have it your way.'' If we choose to be godless now, why should a loving God not allow us to be utterly godless in eternity? That is essentially the concept of hell. A place or existence where God and God’s goodness isn’t. People never have to go there, but they choose to go.
Christianity is all about stopping people go to that alternative reality that some call hell and others call Hades. It’s why Jesus Christ came. It’s what the New Testament of the Bible is all about. There are some who say such talk is just scare-mongering and childish superstition. Possibly, but why do people reject a life that is all about utter goodness and all about going on to a wonderful life after death that is even more gloriously just utter goodness?
The Christian faith that is spelled out in the New Testament is just that, life transformed by God’s love so that the possibility of utter goodness IS the experience of today and is the guaranteed experience of eternity. But it is a “being transformed” life and what you have is the old diminishing and the new increasing. That’s why it is not always a good idea to try to measure Christians because they are always a ‘work in progress’ as God slowly and gradually works in them to bring that transformation. It’s all working towards an eternity of goodness and it starts when we say, “All right God, I surrender. I’m in your hands. I believe what you say about Jesus.” Eternity has just arrived!
Rom 6:23 The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
I used this same verse last month when pondering on the subject of facing death. Well I came across a poem recently by a Christian who happens to be a painter and this is part of what he wrote:
“The truth is -
However much I see and learn, there’s more.
And what I hold, though precious, is still partial, the dim image of the glories yet to come.”
One of my wife’s favourite books is ‘Rumours of another world’, by Philip Yancey. In it he, like a number of others I believe, suggests that so much of what we see and experience today, implies the existence of another world, a more real world that follows this one in our experience. ‘Eternal Life’ is life which has no end, life that just keeps on going, rather like the horizon in the poem extract above. Much of the time (most of the time?) few of us ever think about this. Someone once said, “A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shady trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.” Hmmmm....
People often have childish ideas about eternity, a place where people sit on clouds playing harps. How far from the truth can you get? The trouble is that trying to describe eternity is like one blind man trying to tell another blind man about colours. The Bible isn’t like a textbook where you can turn to a chapter headed, “Living in Eternity” but it does promise those who have turned to God a wonderful ongoing existence where there is no pain or tears, no fighting or wars, no upsets, no broken relationships, no rejections, no angry words and so on, because in the presence of almighty, loving God such things are wholly inappropriate and just won’t be. In some ways that is all we can boil it down to -
Someone has said, “When you can live forever what do you live for?” Perhaps that needs to be expanded to make it easier to understand and think about: “If there is an ongoing existence called eternal life, is it too much to suppose that the nature or quality of our present life might affect the nature or quality of that existence after death, or perhaps will the fact of a future life influence how we live today?”
Christian writer, scholar and philosopher, C.S.Lewis, made an interesting comment: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.” I wonder if this works both ways round? He said, the person who thinks a lot about their eternal destiny will find those thoughts impact the way of life they have today.The other way round? The person who thinks a lot about the quality of life today will find themselves directed into eternity?
Speaking about that time after death, Lewis wrote, “When the author walks on the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right -
As well: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you're looking down, you can't see something that's above you.” Wow! And for those who decry hell and decry the thought that what we do now can affect our eternal future, he said, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ''Thy will be done,'' and those to whom God says, ''All right, then, have it your way.'' If we choose to be godless now, why should a loving God not allow us to be utterly godless in eternity? That is essentially the concept of hell. A place or existence where God and God’s goodness isn’t. People never have to go there, but they choose to go.
Christianity is all about stopping people go to that alternative reality that some call hell and others call Hades. It’s why Jesus Christ came. It’s what the New Testament of the Bible is all about. There are some who say such talk is just scare-
The Christian faith that is spelled out in the New Testament is just that, life transformed by God’s love so that the possibility of utter goodness IS the experience of today and is the guaranteed experience of eternity. But it is a “being transformed” life and what you have is the old diminishing and the new increasing. That’s why it is not always a good idea to try to measure Christians because they are always a ‘work in progress’ as God slowly and gradually works in them to bring that transformation. It’s all working towards an eternity of goodness and it starts when we say, “All right God, I surrender. I’m in your hands. I believe what you say about Jesus.” Eternity has just arrived!