Anyone else having a hard time with the concept of heaven?
According to how it is popularly portrayed in both popular media and by many Christians? definitely. But for that reason I simply discard such notions.
First of all the Biblical use of word is considerably different. In the Bible both the earth and the heavens require renewal and salvation. It is the place where God can be encountered more substantially. But more importantly the principle promise of salvation in Jesus’ teaching is not entrance into heaven but eternal life (which should not be equated with endless existence).
Indeed! Most explorations of living forever in film and literature lead to the conclusion that this is quite a burden and something to escape from. So it seems to me that the difference between heaven and hell is whether we have that which makes an eternal existence worthwhile.
I believe the essence of eternal life is a relationship with an infinite God, where there is no end to what He has to give and from whom there is no end to what we can receive. This is why God is the source of life… not because He can make us live forever but because from Him we can obtain that which makes an eternal existence worthwhile: endless frontiers of growth, learning, and becoming.
One of the things that has given atheists considerable pause is the idea that heaven is like being in church always and forever. And their bad experiences caused them to say they prefer the company in hell. Indeed the difference between heaven and hell is far more likely about the company than the scenery. Some people make a place more heavenly by being there while others make the place oppressive, dark, and even sickly.
Memory is a tricky thing even while we are alive. It seems to me that it derives largely from significance. So it seems to me our memory of such things (as it always is) depends on the significance those things have for us.
I think that comes from the mistaken notion that heaven is some kind of ultimate reward for being good. I don’t think that is correct. I often say that hell is our heart’s desire (the road to that destination anyway), and heaven is what God desires for us instead.
I don’t believe in purgatory because nobody is without sin, so the place where sin is dealt with is the only heaven with any people in it.
So, I frankly think that the road to hell is the comfortable option and it is heaven which is difficult and painful. For in the former we can keep our sins (our self destructive habits) and in the latter they must be cut out of us, which all the evidence I see tells me this is a long and painful operation.
So if heaven is not about rewarding us for good, then what makes the difference? That would be the willingness to let go of our sin (our self destructive habits) – the willingness to change.
Thinking you can make rules by which you can say who goes to heaven and who goes to hell is called legalism and this is condemned in Romans 10. The rules are made as a guide to point the right way, not to take God’s place as judge so we can judge in His place.
Frankly the greatest paradise I see is the nonexistence believed in by the atheists. I don’t believe in it because it just seems too easy to me. I don’t believe we can escape from the consequences of our choices. And yes, as it says in Romans 2, God will deliver to everyone according to his works. This is not about salvation but the simple fact that we cannot escape from the consequences of our choices. So I think it remains a fact whether we end up in heaven or hell, that we will have reason to regret every bad thing we have done and to be thankful for every good thing.
