"What happens after death?” It’s an age-old question that just about everyone has pondered at some point or another. Funerals, accidents, and personal losses often prompt us to think about this topic. After all, we’re all going to die – but what happens after?
There are all kinds of beliefs, theories, and misconceptions about life after death, but how do we know what’s true?
3 things we know about life after death
The Bible gives us some pretty profound insights into what happens after we die. In his writings, the Apostle Paul gives us a glimpse into the nature of life after death. There are three things we can determine to be true based on what God shows us in Scripture:
1. Our bodies die, but our souls live forever
2 Corinthians 5:1-4 uses a powerful metaphor to help us understand what happens after death. Think of life like a camping trip, and our bodies as tents. Eventually after a camping trip, you take your tent down and return to your permanent home. This passage describes death in the same way:
"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down...we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself.”
In other words, our existence here on earth is temporary. Our bodies die, but our souls will go somewhere else. Specifically, our souls return to their true, permanent home!
But where is this home? How do we know how to get there?
2. Our life on earth matters
Our eternal home is determined largely by the decisions we make in our lives on earth. We have one of two options: heaven or hell. Eternity with God or eternity without God.
What are heaven and hell like? What would someone experience there? Heaven is described in Revelation 21:4 as a place where God will remove anything and everything that causes sorrow or pain. It’s a perfect existence without any hardship. Hell, on the other hand, is described as a place of “eternal destruction” where we will be forever separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
If the choices we make here determine where we’ll spend eternity, how do we know what choices to make so we can avoid hell?
3. Jesus covered our sins
When it comes to where we’ll spend eternity, there’s bad news and good news. The bad news is God has a standard we have to meet in order to get into heaven, and it’s high. We essentially have to live a perfect life with absolutely zero mistakes. The problem is if you’re a living, breathing human, you’ve already messed up enough to lose your spot in heaven. As Romans 6:23 puts it, “the wages of sin is death.”
However, this verse continues on with the good news: “...but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” God loved us enough to offer us a way to spend eternity in his presence, and it’s through Jesus.
“When we were utterly helpless,” Romans 5:6 says, “Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” In other words, Jesus lived a perfect life, and became the bridge between our broken selves and the impossible standard required for entry into heaven.
Jesus did this by living a mistake-free life and dying a humiliating death on the cross before rising from the dead and returning to Heaven three days later. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus paid the debt we owed, offering us the opportunity to exchange the death we deserved for the eternal life he earned on our behalf.
So how can we make sure Jesus has us covered? Romans 10:9-10 puts it simply: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
That's it. No more impossible standards, no more falling short. Faith alone is enough to change the trajectory of your eternity and give you the certainty and peace of mind that you’ll spend the rest of your existence in heaven after death.
You can make this decision right here, right now! If you’re ready to trust Jesus and accept his gift of eternal life in heaven, let us know! We’d love to come alongside you and share some resources with you that will help you explore faith.
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