At one point or another, most of us wonder about the afterlife. What happens when we die? Will we remember our lives from here on earth? Will we recognize loved ones? What about our pets?
Such wondering can become perplexing, and even the mention of eternity can trigger a sense of anxiety. Who can really comprehend living forever? And, as if eternity itself isnât big enough to wrap our heads around, we also wonder where weâll end up. Will I go to heaven or to hell? Will the things Iâve done wrong damn me forever? Is there any hope for me? What about my coworkers? My neighbors? My loved ones? What about people whoâve never heard the gospel? Will every good person make it into heaven?
The Bible engages these conversations as well. God has âset eternity in the human heart,â writes the author of Ecclesiastes (3:11). Abraham appeals to Godâs mercy for his nephew Lot in the face of divine judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah: âWill you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?â (Gen. 18:23). Hezekiah begs for Godâs salvation on the grounds that those in the grave cannot praise God (Isa. 38:18). Peter, after Jesus restores him, wonders what will happen with another disciple: âLord, what about him?â (John 21:21)
In the gospel stories, a couple of people come right out and ask Jesus: âGood teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?â In other words, whatâs the minimum amount of good I need to do to get into heaven? Just how good is good enough? We know weâre not perfect, but we wonder if there is any possible way for our good deeds to outweigh our sins.
Jesusâ response to one such questioner, a rich young ruler, is helpful here. He says, âWhy do you call me good? No one is goodâexcept God aloneâ (Luke 18:19). By responding this way, Jesus invites the man to consider three realities. The first is whether he really trusts God to be good. Second, by calling Jesus âgood teacher,â does the man recognize Jesus to be God in the flesh? Third, is the man willing to see that he and the rest of humanity are so caught up in sin that none of us can ever be considered good?
The man eventually goes away sad because he cannot imagine that God will be good enough for him to risk letting go of his financial security blanket.
With compassion, Jesus teaches his followers: âHow hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!â To which they respond in fearful amazement: âIf the richâthose with every earthly advantageâcanât get into heaven, what hope is there for the rest of us?â
Jesus reassures them and us: âWhat is impossible with humanity is possible with God.â In other words, eternal life is Godâs gift out of the goodness of Godâs character and not something we can secure through our own striving (See Eph. 2:1-10).
The real question about eternal life, then, is not whether anyone can ever be good enough to get into heaven. We canât. No human is good enough. The real question is whether we will trust that what God has done through Jesus Christâs death and resurrection is good enough. Will we risk letting go of our security blanketsâmoney, education, family connections, spiritual practices, or other markers we commonly use to prove our goodness? Will we trust that Jesus âis the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole worldâ (1 John 2:2)?
About the Author
Chris Schoon serves as the Director of Faith Formation Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church and is the author of Cultivating an Evangelistic Character (Wipf & Stock, 2018).