Better Hope for the Future
A Christian world-view also provides a better answer to the third big question: “Where am I going?” If there is no God, then the answer is that you are not going anywhere. When you die, that is the end. But the Christian hope is that the believer will be resurrected in the last day to live forever in heaven with God and with Christ. Jesus himself said:
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die (John 11:25).
When the Apostle speaks of the “hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7), he is not speaking of a fairy-tale wish to live happily ever after, but is talking of a confident expectation of future blessing. It is a hope based on the promise of Christ, as stated above, and on the resurrection of Christ.
How can we possibly believe in such a thing as the future resurrection of the body? It is because Jesus has himself been raised from death to live forever. To the extent that Christ’s resurrection is established as a historical event based on eyewitness testimony—and the whole Christian faith rises or falls on this point, to that extent we have confidence that such a thing as resurrection from the dead is possible. Jesus has himself been victorious over death, as the Scripture says:
It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (Acts 2:24).
This same Jesus says to us:
Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have
done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned (John 5:28).
One might say, “Why would I want to live forever?” But, other things being equal, certainly living forever is better than dying without a future and a hope. One might indeed prefer death to living forever if he is already experiencing death even while he lives—death, in the sense of spiritual death, or separation from God, with its resultant sense of emptiness and meaninglessness. If one is experiencing this kind of life, then he may prefer death as a final cessation of being over the alternative of living forever. But if one has experiencing, even in the midst of life’s suffering and trials, the kind of life of which Christ speaks when he says:
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10),
then how much more will living forever in a perfect world without suffering and death be the happy experience which many have longed to see.
The answer to the third big question has implications for the second. For if we die to live no more, then this adds to the sense of futility of our current life. The philosophy of here randomly for a little while and then gone permanently never to return leads almost inevitably to a sense of here presently without purpose or hope. The natural outcome of such a philosophy is to say:
Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1 Corinthians 15:32).
When some do rise above such a self-focused and dismal outlook, it is in spite of, not because of, their atheistic world view.
Several specific advantages accompany a strong hope of eternal life. First is the ability to sacrifice for an eternal benefit. Jesus said:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matthew 7:19-20).
The mindset of laying up treasures in heaven allows you to see life as in investment in eternity. When you invest money, you are sacrificing what pleasures or goods could be secured with those funds now in hope of a greater return later. The success of our economy depends on the willingness of people to invest in this way. Likewise, when a follower of Christ has the mindset of investing his or her present life for the benefit of a future return in heaven, this allows him or her to sacrifice for the greater good of society.
A strong hope of eternal life can also give you the ability to persevere through suffering. You can endure almost anything if you know that something better is ahead and that your suffering has a worthwhile purpose. For the Christian, the something better that is ahead is heaven, and not only that, but greater reward in proportion to one’s patience in enduring suffering, especially for the cause of the gospel. Jesus says:
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and
be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12).
Similarly, the Apostle Paul says:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
If, however, you face the sufferings and trials of life with no hope of anything better and no expectation of a worthwhile result, then it is very difficult, perhaps impossible in some cases, to find the strength to go on.
Third, belief in an afterlife as conceived in the Christian worldview—not only eternal life for some but punishment for others, gives one assurance of final justice and with it a basis for moral living. Justice is not always served in this life. Criminals are not always punished. Sacrificial acts are not always noticed. Nice guys do sometimes finish last and those who are greedy and self-serving do sometimes get ahead. Jesus turns our thoughts about this upside down when he says with reference to the age to come:
But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first (Matthew 19:30).
The scripture says:
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the
book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books (Revelation 20:12).
While to some, such a prospect is fear inducing, belief in a future judgment day is an essential aspect of a cohesive worldview that offers a proper resolution to the injustices that so many experience in this life. It also provides a sense of ultimate accountability for our actions, apart from which evil goes on unchecked. However, if this life is all there is, as in the atheistic worldview, then there is no final justice and there is no convincing deterrent to improper behavior.
The Christian faith provides a solid foundation for a coherent world view—one that gives us a better explanation for how we got here, a better purpose for life and a better hope for the future than non-theistic alternatives.
Next Chapter: Suffering
For further study:
Book resources (available on amazon or CBD)
Billy Graham, The Reason for my Hope