Month: April 2024

But Is There Proof?

The author has been blogging about the Bible’s perspective on life after death since 2016. Addressing doubts about Christianity, they argue that evidence from creation, the universe’s structure, and historical interactions supports the existence of God. They reference personal experiences and invite readers to explore related articles. Proof of life after death will be discussed in the next entry.

I have been blogging on the After Death Site every other week since 2016. It is fair to say that I am running out of topics. I have limited this blog to talking about what the Bible says about “unseen things”. In other words, what the Bible says about existence after death.

While navigating to WordPress to write this article, I came across another blog about why some have abandoned their Christian faith in favor of atheism or agnosticism. One reason was the lack of proof.

Considering what we are talking about, I would say that there is a great deal of proof. While there is no religion or worldview has seamless proof for its narrative, least of all atheism, the proof for the Bible’s narrative is strong.

Let’s start with the existence of God. The first form of evidence is creation itself. Living things are extremely complicated yet intricately engineered. As we peer into a cell we find a nano-factories performing advanced functions based on coded information wound into DNA. Claiming that this can be created by chance chemical interactions really lacks proof. It stretches credibility unless you are determined to explain away God. The vast assortment of life and its diversity also points to God. Nothing has shown that mutation can do this. Similar functions, like eco-location, can be found in disconnected parts of the theorized tree of life. The explanation of “convergent evolution” (the blind chance can find the same solution more than once) also stretches credibility. God is the best answer given the evidence that we have.

The same can be said for the structure of the universe. The laws of physics seem to be finely tuned for life to exist. Specifically, they seem tuned for life here. The explanation of our being a part of a multiverse where this universe came up lucky has got to be the most desperate and ridiculous idea I have ever heard. The universe is created and God did it is the best explanation.

Then there are the interactions. We can cast doubt on any reports of interaction with God that we didn’t experience. We still need to find a reasonable explanation. Big events like the Jewish exodus from Egypt seem too deep in history to prove or disprove. The life of Jesus is a different story. His miracles and resurrection recorded by eyewitnesses who lived at the time that Christianity burst into history certainly is proof of something. The explanations that claim all of this is an elaborate ruse makes no sense at all.

There are plenty of other more personal claims of interaction including my own. You can dismiss my claims as products of my imagination. In the end, it may not be proof for you, but I know better. I would not be a pastor without God’s clear lead. I hated the idea as a teen, yet here I am.

There is more that could be said. I would like to refer you over to my other blog:https://givingchrist.com/ I have multiple articles on that topic. As far as proof of life after death, I will tackle that in my next entry.

We Will Be Like Jesus

The passage from 1 John 3:2-3 describes the transformation believers will undergo in Heaven, becoming like Christ in love, joy, peace, and more. This transformation involves shedding selfishness, finding joy in everything, and experiencing complete peace and patience. Pursuing purification through self-examination, confession, and emulation of Jesus’ qualities brings fulfillment and prepares believers for their heavenly transformation.

I often think about what the experience of being in Heaven will be like. I’m not sure that I can wrap my mind around it. What I think less about is what I will be like in Heaven. Perhaps this need to change. John says:

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

1 John 3:2-3 (ESV)

I don’t think this is a comment about Jesus’ body plan. The Son of God became human when He was conceived in Mary’s womb. There is no reason to conclude that He is not human still. Nor is this passage a statement that we will take on the transcendent qualities of the Triune God: omniscience (knowing everything), omnipotence (be able to do anything), and omnipresence (being everywhere). It is a statement that we will have a completed set of Christ-like characteristics, as in love, joy, peace, patience, and so forth; and that we will be free of our sinful nature and its characteristics.

What will that be like? Currently, we will have to deal with a degree of selfishness in ourselves. In Heaven and the New Earth, we will be absorbed in caring about the people around us. There will be no shortages or need to compete for resources, but we wouldn’t if there were. Other people will be the same and care about us.

We will find joy in everything rather than negativity. Now there are reasons for negativity because the world is damaged by the curse. Heaven will not be same. Nonetheless, we will be able to find joy in every aspect of God’s creation. If endless wonder sounds exhausting to you, or boring, it won’t be those limitations are a part of your current flesh.

How about complete peace? No worries. There will literally be nothing to worry about, but we also would not inclined to worry if there were. People pursue this kind of freedom through drugs or alcohol now. Only these things only mask problems and create more.

Patience. We can all use some more for this frustrating world. In Heaven patience will be abundant because of our character but the need for it non-existent.

Our Heavenly bodies will be perfected for a human body, but we will also be in a perfected environment. The experience is hard to comprehend. Still for those of us who are connected to Jesus through a mystical union which God creates through baptism, we not only have reason to be certain that this is our destiny, we also are eager for it to begin.

That is why John says that we “purify” ourselves as Jesus is pure. Our current status with respect to sin’s guilt and damages is a little complicated. With respect to God’s Law, we are already perfect. We are seen as having the perfection of Jesus. This results in our having eternal life.

For now, we still have sinful nature and live in a sinful environment so this will result in unacceptable behavior in thoughts, words, deeds, bad motivations, and failures to act in good ways. This is what can be limited. We seek to purify ourselves from these things now, even though we can’t eliminate our sinfulness (it is in our DNA).

What can be done? You start by knowing God’s Law and identifying what God shows you to be wrong. You don’t dismiss it or live in denial. You don’t rationalize why you did it. You confess it to God and ask for His forgiveness. Now technically, you are already forgiven and have been since your baptism. Confessing sins is primarily about containing the damage caused by our sinfulness and becoming more like what we will be at death. Self-examination and confession may not feel affirming, but we get our self-esteem from God’s love and the value He puts on us. Repentance and confession is about improvement.

We can do more. Studying the qualities of Jesus noted in Scripture, praying about them, and choosing to act appropriately does even more. Will stuff slip through? Yes. There is a “natural” limit of what can be achieved while still stuck with our sin altered bodies. But pressing toward what we will be is not only consistent with our hopes, it has its own rewards.

How should we act toward others as we pursue purification? You don’t want to fall off the other side of the log by becoming a self-righteous, holier-than-thou. Jesus liked those people the least. We can rebuke others as a sinner who is in the same situation, we can encourage, we can pronounce God’s forgiveness. These things are love rather than competition.

The pursuit of “purification” or sanctification (to be made holy) will make our transformation at death more satisfying. It will not “steal the thunder”. Sanctification is a good thing that we can start to enjoy right now.