What is life at it’s best? What are some of the greatest blessings one can experience in their lifetime? Good health, material prosperity? Perhaps a wonderful family who loves you, or meaningful work that you enjoy. Maybe it’s the achievement of an excellent education or the experience of one’s most coveted and longed for desires and ambitions being realized. What constitutes a “good life” or one well lived and where is it all leading when it’s over? What is the meaning of life and what happens when it ends?
The older I get the more I realize how very brief life is. Life at its longest is so very very short. One day it dawns on you, as good as life may have been, as much as you may have been blessed or been able to achieve, there is is an end coming to this thing called life, there is the ” last day” to be lived. When will that last day be? No one knows, we’re not given that information but oftentimes it comes suddenly and without warning. When life ends, whether suddenly, or expected, it’s over and what then? What lies beyond this life?
Many theories and beliefs exist about what awaits us in the next life, but the Bible holds the truth to the question of eternity and the meaning of life. The Bible is the word of God. A book written through men by the Holy Spirit of God to guide us into all truth. Though we may wonder at life’s ultimate meaning and what the future holds in the afterlife, the Bible does not keep it a mystery, but lays the truth plain, if you have ears to hear.
You see, God created you. He gave you a spirit that will live forever. You have a physical body and soul, but your spirit is the part of you that is eternal. It will never cease to exist, long after your physical body has disintegrated in the grave. You will spend eternity somewhere forever and ever. The Bible speaks of only two destinies, two homes for the departed soul, heaven or hell. Religion tells us that how you live determines your eternal fate. Good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell. This makes sense, right? If you are a good person, by this defined as, never having killed anyone, or been in trouble with the law, a “good neighbor”, good husband or wife, good son or daughter, law abiding citizen, maybe even a very benevolent person, or just someone who tried to love others, treat others the way they wanted to be treated, and did the best they could. If such a one should pass away, heaven should be expected, and why not? This individual is surely as good as most and maybe even better. Could not such a one have peace at the time of approaching death, that acceptance into heaven will be granted? And certainly the opposite would be true, that a murderer on death row, no matter how contrite, will pay for his crimes in a dark place of torment. We make the mistake as humans of thinking that God is like us and his thoughts are like ours, but the Bible does not teach this, and some may think it very unfair. But when we come to see our true condition before a Holy God, we begin to see the truth as the Bible teaches it.
We are all sinners. No matter how good or bad a life you think you have lived, we all miss the mark when it comes to being good enough to go to heaven on our own merit. ” As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one, Roman’s 3:10. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Roman’s 3:23. This pretty much includes everyone. Man’s best efforts are as filthy rags in God’s sight. Living a “good” life will not get us to Heaven. That’s why we need a Saviour! The penalty and eternal destiny for all first time offenders is hell. We are all sinners and we have all earned hell. No exceptions. ” For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Roman’s 6:23 Man can do nothing to save himself. No matter how many good works you may have done, or how well you may have loved others in this life, these works cannot earn you a place in heaven. One sin, one transgression of Gods law is all it takes to condemn a soul to eternal hell. The wages of sin, one sin is death. We cannot save ourselves, no matter how good we’ve tried to be. God offers the honest sinner who would admit their sinful condition, a Saviour and the free gift of eternal life, by simply believing on that one and only Saviour for mercy and eternal life. ” For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9. All we need for eternal life in heaven instead of eternal torment in hell is to believe (trust) in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour! ” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16. Jesus himself stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the father but by me”. John 14:6.
God offers eternal life freely to all who will come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ and believe on Him. When Jesus Christ died on the cross He took the punishment we deserved and paid our sin debt for us. He offered Himself a sacrifice to atone for the sins of all mankind. Because He is God, He was the only one who could do this, offer himself up as a sacrifice to the Father for every human soul. John the Baptist refers to Jesus Christ in the proclamation ” Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world”. By believing on the name of the Son of God, and what He did for you on the cross in paying your sin debt, by trusting in His finished work, you are declared blameless before the Father, your “sin account” canceled! That’s why we celebrate Easter, we have proof that His death, burial and resurrection are accepted by the Father, by the open grave and the rolled away stone. He lives! Because He lives, all who believe on Him shall live forever also. What good news!
There is a life after this one, eternal life and every human soul living will spend eternity somewhere. I don’t know when you are going to die, but when it happens its going to seem like it came awfully quick. Today may not be the day that you will die, but it is the day to believe on Jesus Christ, that when that day comes expectantly or suddenly, you are ready for the next life, eternal life with Him. We are all going to die one day. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”Hebrews 9:27. When our physical body dies we will be judged according to our works, if we have not believed on the Saviour and received his love gift of eternal life. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. ” Verily verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:40. There is a life beyond this one, a life in heaven that will never end for those who hear his voice and believe.
Sarah Hopkins Art 