After Death?

By Pastor Peter Geyer, Fassifern Lutheran Churches

Is there a God?

The Bible, which Christians believe is God’s book of revealed truth for mankind, never argues for the existence of God. It states:

Only a fool says there is no God

Psalm 14:1 (NLT)

The Bible further states that what can be known about God is clearly seen in the things he has made. The complexity, diversity, interconnectedness, interdependence, and obvious design in creation, all point to an intelligent Creator.

 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse

Romans 1:20 (NIV)

What about man?

The Bible says that human beings were made special and distinct from everything else that God made.

God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness“

Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

Human beings were made like God himself!

God is love – we love.

God is creator – we are creative.

God is eternal – we were never meant to die, but rather to last forever.

Our body parts are continually renewing and replacing themselves including our skin, hair, and bones. We are made to last!

Why do we die?

That’s a mystery to science, but the Bible tells us that death isn’t a physical problem, but rather a spiritual one. The first man rebelled against his Maker and the consequence was temporal death and a spoiled creation.

The wages of sin is death

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

God didn’t want us to live forever in a sin-spoiled world in sin-spoiled bodies.

Death was a punishment for our rebellion, but there was still the problem that we were created as eternal beings.

What now?

We would survive temporal death to be separated from God for eternity.

God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life

John 3:16 (NIV)

To avoid eternal punishment, God gave us a substitute. He sent his own Son to become a human being and do what we couldn’t do.

Jesus did what?

Jesus was born here about 2,000 years ago, to live the perfect life before God, that we were meant to live, thereby satisfying God’s sense of righteousness. Jesus took the punishment from God that we deserve when he willingly died on a cross, thereby satisfying God’s sense of justice.

With the holiness of God preserved through Jesus, God was happy to grant forgiveness which leads to eternal life for all who put their trust in the achievement of Jesus.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe

Romans 3:22 (NIV)

What about me?

One day we will all die. We don’t die because we get old, sick or have an accident. We die because we’re all sinners.

Death is not the end of us. We will all survive our death to meet God. Where we spend eternity depends on how we regard God’s Son, our Saviour – Jesus. Jesus offers everlasting life in a new world (heaven) after a final day of coming judgment.

Heaven or hell?

Two destinies await every human being. We will either be in hell for eternity because of our rejection of Jesus, or in heaven because we were wise enough to accept him as our substitute.

Nothing in your life is more important than knowing the choice that God puts before you.

God loves you too much to force you to do anything you don’t want to. It would be a foolish thing to reject God’s free offer of life. However, this is what most people do. Don’t you be one!

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord

will be saved

Romans 10:13 (NIV)

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Do you think about what happens after you die?

What are your thoughts on: “We don’t die because we get old, sick or have an accident. We die because we’re all sinners.”