I am a few days behind right now, so I still find myself in the middle of Ecclesiastes. I was hit with the reality of this book yesterday when I walked into the bank and saw a man who walked painfully with a limp. I am sure he had some crippling muscular disease. I had just read my one year Bible and walked away saying, if this life is all that there is then God is not just, fair, righteous, or anything that would describe a good God. If our creator has simply given us these 70 years, plus or minus, then life is meaningless. People realize this at funeral homes all the time. He is not suffering any longer, they may say. Or she is at peace now. “Life is pain, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.” Even great full lives, like the Crocodile Hunter, who gave so much to Australia and all over the world, end in death and sadness. Not to mention that all he gave now is to simply be passed on to another who may not do with it what he wanted. If this life is all one lives for, ultimately one must conclude it is empty, meaningless, vanity. It is all empty, unless one lives life for eternity, placing one’s treasures where they are lasting and not destroyed. Health and life may fail here, but one must not live for here nor does God instruct one to live for the here and now. Therefore since there is a perfect eternity, for those who believe in Christ, God remains just, fair, righteous, and everything that makes up a perfect God.
One application: Doesn’t this mean that when we find ourselves angry at God for not being just, fair, and righteous we are more than likely living for the here and now and not looking to eternity?
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While I appreciate your post I think it shows some of the weakness of modern evangelical Christianity.
Jesus coming into our world, living, dying, rising again was more than just to teach us how to live for eternity. When Jesus burst onto the scene…he was bringing the kingdom of God with him. To be sure, it isn’t here fully…but it is here.
I think you are reading the OT apart from the in-breaking of Jesus into human history. When Jesus came he brought healing (physical, emotional and spiritual) for the here and now.
When faith and living just get regulated to “eternity” or “being in heaven” or the like we have done a great injustice to what our faith is to be about.
I do believe just living the for the pleasures of this world is meaningless. But, again, if Jesus brought the kingdom with him than there is a significance to the life we are living right now…it is not simply meaningless. And even people uninvolved in the relationship they were created for who work for justice, peace, etc. are not living meaningless lives.
And ultimately if one is involved in a relationship with God through Jesus then we should be about justice, peace, mercy, taking care of the hungry and ppoor…things that make a difference in the here and now. Jesus said that those whom he will recognize will not be those who just lived for eternity…but those who visited the imprisoned, cared for the sick, fed the hungry.
Ours is a life of faith, ours is a life knowing that we do get to spend eternity in the presence of God but yet ours is also a life meant to be lived in the here and now…and to be lived in a meaningful (concerned with others – not just our spot in heaven) way.
I believe you have read into my comments what you wanted to see. I in no way disagree about the cross being powerful for the here and now, and that the kingdom is tasted of here, but only fully in heaven. It is on this bases that one must draw the conclusion that is drawn here; If this life is all there is, life is meaningless, but if there is eternity, then we must live for it. This does not take away from our enjoyment of the here and now, but adds to it. The comments made here aggree with the NT. Christ instructed his own disciples to set their minds on things above, to not lay up their treasure here.
I believe you have missed my point and that we ultimately agree. Life is only meaningful if we live for eternity in the here and now.
Thanks Andy for your response….not only in the blog but also by e-mail. I appreciated what you had to say. You are right, I probably read into your post a little more than what was there. Your responses seemed to clarify more of where you were coming from. And you are right…we probably do agree on much.
However, and maybe we are coming at it from two different angles, I feel that while living for eternity is important it still lessens the Kingdom that Jesus brought with him. Let me explain. You and I both agree Jesus brought with him the Kingdom of God. Not it’s completion, but it is here. If by “living for eternity” you mean longing for and working for the day when the kingdom of God will be here in its fullness of course I agree with that. But if by “living for eternity” you mean simply being able to be in heaven for ever…i still struggle with this. I think that the NT idea seems to be not on being in heaven for ever (however important that is…and it is) but yet the privilege of being kingdom disciples working in the kingdom of God in the here and now, working to bring healing, restoration, peace, justice, mercy…and this brings significance to the here and now. Again, maybe it is a matter of definition….what does one mean when they say…’live for eternity.’
If ‘live for eternity’ is equal to being in heaven. I struggle. If ‘live for eternity’ is somewhat parallel to living and working to see God’s kingdom advance and come in its fulness…i wholeheartedly agree.
thanks for reading this….and believe me, i am not trying to start an argument. just like good back and forth dialogue.
Andy,
One thought that continually comes up in my mind whenever I think about life beyond this earth is the importance of investing in relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Not only do our good works to one another glorify Christ and will be crowns we can cast at His feet, but we will spend eternity knowing each other. Granted, God will see to it that we will have perfect fellowship in Heaven, but I just can’t get it out of my mind that it is important to devote time to relationships that will last forever, as opposed to temporary pursuits and/or relationships that will die with our earthly bodies.
TR,
Living for Heaven is different than living in heaven. I would fully agree that we are to be engaged in our world, country, city, and society in general. However, we are to in the world and not of the world. Therefore, we must live for the kingdom, as lights. By this I mean that we live not for our own pleasure, but for the pleasure and glory of God, our King.