I recently ran across a statement from an irreligious guy, one of the humorous types. “I believe in life before death,” he said.
That was his snarky way of saying afterlife, or conscious eternity with a high-def existence, glorified body, and a boundless future is fiction. Bothering with it is a waste of time. This philosophy isn’t anything new. Even at the time of the apostle Paul, it was popular to say, “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die” (1 Cor. 15:32).
Now, I don’t think anybody should spend their life like a department store mannequin, with no development, no adventure, and no interests. But living like there’s no tomorrow? Foolish.
And living as if there’s no eternity? Even more foolish.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
Though he die, yet shall he live.
In that one short phrase, He created a new potential, removing the necessity of death. The mortal entropy that finally overcomes every person, that even follows them beyond the grave and ruins eternity for them, is here simply invalidated.
This means a lot more than our existence continuing on with an indefinite shelf life. I’ve yet to meet a person beset with pain who wanted to “live forever” in that state. No, eternal life is something greatly superior to a mere extension of our current corporality. Consider the post-resurrected Jesus. He was (is) the same, and yet not. He no longer dies, does not suffer, is not subject to physical limitations, and lives in a state of glory, honor, and joy.
These cursory observations fall short of the Bible’s description of eternal life.
But understand that resurrection and life is bound up with Jesus– “I am the resurrection and the life,” He said. And then he went on to say that belief in Him is the way to link up with all of it.
The real issue, then, lies in receiving Jesus, and getting that life while still on this side of the grave.
However, even when we get it, we don’t receive something inactive. Too many Christians in possession of this wonderful life have tucked it away in a mason jar and buried it in their yard, “until the day they finally need it.” In effect, eternal life is in them right now like a dormant force waiting for the day our hearts stop. Only then will it become relevant.
Paul counters this thought by telling us to “take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:19). “Take hold” means to make something yours in a functional and experiential way. Eternal life is something we can and should participate in now.
Even during these days when we’re still above ground with a pulse and brainwave activity, without eternal life, we have no life at all. Even if you have a crowded social calendar. Have money. Travel extensively. Look twenty years younger. The self-indulgent are dead (spiritually) even while they live (physically) (1 Tim. 5:6).
When eternal life enters a person, it triggers the second birth. An internal springtime begins with greenery, and warmth. Newness pervades. After that point, comes a lifetime of cultivation and enjoyment (For a more detailed analysis, grab a copy of my book, Alive on the Inside: Cultivating Your Inner Life. It takes this topic to much greater depths of experience).
So, for the record, I believe in life before and after death, eternity both on this side and that side of the grave.
