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Wrestling with the Age of the Earth Question

The other day Tristan, my oldest (6-year-old) son, asked an excellent question.

“Dad, is Earth 2,025 years old?”

Kids have an innate gift for asking such seemingly simple yet profoundly difficult questions. Ones we adults don’t even think to ask and are often challenged to answer.

His intuition is natural. Why wouldn’t it be 2,025 years old? All of our calendars say as much.

Put on the spot, I don’t think I did a great job articulating my response. I obviously answered no, but the very apparent follow up questions were difficult to address. If you asked Tristan, he would likely say he had no idea what I was trying to say. It probably resembled something similar to this conversation between Calvin and his father…

Many Christians, like myself, will continue to wrestle through this dichotomy that has been handed to us. First, that the scientific consensus largely holds the belief in a very old Earth – billions of years old. And second, that if one were to take a very strict literal interpretation of the Bible, that Adam and Eve (and therefore we assume Earth) were created roughly 6,000 years ago.

This topic ignited theological, political, and cultural arguments in the early 20th century, due to the growing adoption of this new evolutionary theory, and the associated old Earth cosmology. It might seem trivial but, at its core, that fight was over whether the world was crafted with intentionality or simply the result of natural selection and randomness. Was the creative process top down or bottom up? Was there meaning and purpose to existence or not?

Those discussions have slowly faded over the past several generations. I suspect many in the church have gone quiet on this issue to avoid the discomfort, opting to ignore the topic instead of fiercely debating it.

And while ignoring this uncomfortable topic is certainly a strategy, I don’t think it’s the best one. I don’t know if my kids will let me plead ignorance. And for my own sake, I want to give this some thought.

If the assumption is that God created everything from nothing within literal days prior to his creation of Adam and Eve, these conflicting understandings of the age of our planet would seem to be irreconcilable. Hence the fierce debate.

And this has often led to two oppositional approaches for those who choose not to simply avoid altogether. You can dismiss or selectively choose scientific findings to uphold this particular form of literal reading of Genesis. Or you can diminish or discard the Bible, or at the very least the Old Testament, for the sake of adopting the currently prevailing scientific view.

But is it possible that there is a third way of approaching this question?

Both kids and adults alike are fascinated and unsettled by this question. I’m no exception. I want to try to understand it well enough to translate to my son another potential viewpoint. One that allows us to engage with both worldviews because I don’t think they need to be considered mutually exclusive. Is it possible to hold the Bible in highest regard while also giving credence to what we believe to be valid scientific findings?

Some may accuse me of mental gymnastics on this. So be it. But I wanted to share honestly how I have tried to grapple with this question. Not that I have all the answers or that my opinions won’t change with time.

But I’m viewing this post as an attempt at describing this third way, an approach that can be described as a functional or theological reading of Genesis 1 rather than a material one. That this passage isn’t concerned with God creating matter. It’s narrating how he creates an ordered world from disorder.

Is Earth 2,025 years old?

The immediate answer to Tristan’s question is undoubtedly the easiest to answer. No, it isn’t 2,025 years old. But it’s the very obvious follow-up questions that make this challenging.

If Earth isn’t 2,025 years old, then how old is it? And why do we state the year as 2025? Why not 1? Why not 4,540,000?

Again the easiest answer to give is to say for many centuries the year 1 from which all our calendars are measured, has traditionally corresponded with Jesus’ birth. I think many people are aware of that. Whether you have faith in Jesus or not, we have been handed this method of telling time by our ancestors who did.

For me, that raised some questions of my own. When did we decide to retroactively ascribe this date though? The way we number years today can feel so natural that it’s easy to assume it has always been that way.

A little researching made me aware that the AD system was introduced in 525 AD by a Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus. His goal was not to create a universal calendar, but simply to calculate the date of Jesus’ crucifixion. To do so, he proposed counting years forward from what he believed to be the year of Jesus’ birth, labeling it Anno Domini—“in the year of our Lord.”

This system was not immediately adopted though. For centuries, people continued to date years based on local rulers, reigns of emperors, or significant political events. It wasn’t until the 8th and 9th centuries that AD dating became common in Europe. Even then, it took many more centuries to become the global standard we use today.

Modern historians also believe Dionysius was likely off by several years in estimating Jesus’ birth, meaning our calendar is also slightly misaligned with the event it references.

In other words, the year “2025” is not a measurement of Earth’s age, nor even a precise measurement of how long it has been since Jesus was born. It is a culturally inherited reference point, chosen for religious reasons, that was slowly standardized over time.

We have always measured time, but not all cultures have measured it the same way or for the same reasons.

In the ancient world, years were often counted according to the reign of a ruler. “In the third year of King so-and-so…” “Ten years after the great flood…” “Five years after the founding of the city…”

The Jewish calendar dates years from what is traditionally understood as the creation of the world, placing the current year at roughly 5,700+ years, which is very close to the 6,000 years many modern Christians state. This number is derived from genealogies and narratives in Scripture. Interestingly, it also falls within the broad era generally associated with the rise of the earliest cities in ancient Mesopotamia.

The Islamic calendar begins in 622 AD, marking the Hijra, Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina..

The traditional Chinese calendar cycles through repeating eras tied to lunar and solar patterns, emphasizing harmony, cycles, and renewal rather than a single linear starting point.

Modern science uses yet another framework entirely. Methods like radiometric dating, astronomy, and geology allow scientists to estimate the age of Earth at approximately 4.54 billion years. This number is not tied to human events at all, but to physical processes measurable in rocks, stars, and atomic decay.

Even the French Revolutionaries in the late 18th century wanted to start over from year 1 on their calendar and break from the AD system. They wanted their movement to no longer be associated with the Christian story. They wanted to write their own.

Throughout human history the reference point used for timekeeping means more than just a number. Calendars do not tell us how old the world is. They tell us what a culture considers important enough to measure time from. They tell us what story we are living within.

Timekeeping has throughout human history been functional and relational, not absolute.

Earth was Established When?

Very often you will drive by a restaurant or company that notes the date of their establishment. Sometimes it’s to indicate the amount of experience they have. For others it seems to be to indicate their newness. For others it seems just to be a sense of pride, a reminder of when or where they started.

But what do they mean by establishment?

Is it the date the building was built? Not necessarily. Some companies retrofit existing buildings and some don’t use buildings at all. Some even move to new locations or demolish and rebuild new buildings while maintaining the same establishment date.

Is it the date of birth of its founder? Is it the date a chef came up with their first recipe, the owner got their degree, or the furniture within was built? The answer to all of these are obviously “no.”

It is very clear that this establishment date marks the initiation or creation of something, not in a material sense, but in a functional sense.

The combination of employees, services, values, culture, history, and yes to some degree, the material components like buildings, furniture, and material assets, aligning together to serve a particular function.

It is this date, when doors are open to treat patrons to a new culinary experience, product or service, that marks its beginning. Where the sum has become greater than its parts. When the creative process has hit the pivotal moment where it can be shared with others.

So what is the Earth’s establishment date?

What does “Create” mean in Genesis?

The term “create” used in Genesis 1 is בָּרָא (baraʾ). The intended meaning of this word is better understood not as creating something from nothing as many posit, but as creating something functional from the disparate raw materials. This creative role is more like a CEO establishing a company or a sculptor creating a moving piece of artwork from a block of marble.

Unfortunately, by trying to find congruence between the modern materialist view of the universe’s beginnings, many Christians have flattened the text, treating it like it’s a scientific order of processes instead an ancient work of literature that is borrowing and differentiating from the polytheistic worldviews of their neighbors at the time.

Very quickly in the text one would see that God has made light before he makes the stars in the sky, which doesn’t map cleanly onto our modern understandings of how this works scientifically. If Genesis 1 were an instruction manual for making the world, it appears some steps are out of order.

But that’s not the purpose of this text. As John Walton, a biblical scholar and author of The Lost World of Genesis One observes, the seven days of creation are better understood as follows:

Days 1-3 God creates functions by dividing or separating. Day 1 establishes time by separating light from dark. Day 2 establishes weather via the separation of waters above and below. And Day 3 establishes agriculture with the separation of land from the sea.

Days 4-6 God creates functionaries by filling these spaces. Day 4 provides the stars and moon. Day 5 provides the birds of the sky and fish of the sea. Day 6 provides the animals, including man, on the land.

And Day 7, God rests. He abides in his newly made temple (Earth), essentially taking his place in the control room of his newly established corporation. Earth now serves its intended function. Order was established from chaos.

In this ancient cosmology, the world manifest itself in the cycles and patterns of life: sunrises and sunsets, seasons, and the ritualistic patterns of animal migrations and habits. And, contrary to the beliefs of their neighboring cultures, God was not the sun, moon, animals, skies or seas but transcends all of them.

The text beautifully and succinctly describes how a world with very clear structure and function was designed intentionally and not just the result of randomness, much in the same way a corporation or restaurant does not just accidentally emerge from nothing.

So How Would I Answer Now?

If given a second chance at this question, here’s how I would try to answer:

No, Tristan the world isn’t 2,025 years old. It has existed for billions of years. But God slowly formed it into the type of place where people could start building, farming, caring for animals, and being creative themselves in a similar way to how God is creative. God was taking his time to make a world where both he and us could reside.

The 2,025 years reminds us of when Jesus was born. And with each passing year when that number changes we’ll be reminded again of Jesus.

I will continue to wrestle through this and suspect I will never have a completely confident answer in this lifetime. And that’s okay. If anything I hope it leads me to more awe and humility.

I think there’s a reason this topic has historically been absent from the church’s creeds. It’s important but not the most central aspect of the Christian faith. And I think there’s room within the Church for some varying interpretations.

But I’m glad that I have a son who will challenge me to think deeply about this and maybe find more appreciation for the seemingly mundane parts of life I’ve taken for granted. Something even as simple as the year on the calendar.

For it reminds us of what our culture has historically recognized as most foundational. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s a story we can live in too and be reminded of with each passing year.

That is, of course, if we see it as more than just a number.

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Self-Control and How to Teach It

“You had one job to do!”

That’s the quote that comes to mind whenever I read this particular verse in Paul’s letter to Titus. It’s a simple verse, but one that causes me to chuckle a bit every time I read it.

“Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.”

Titus 2:6

HA, Ha, ha…? Wait, what exactly is it that makes this humorous? In fact, it doesn’t seem funny at all.

Well, the humor isn’t exactly evident within the verse itself. But it emerges once the preceding verses are considered.

“But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited. Likewise urge young men to be self-controlled.”

Titus 2:1-6

Paul’s letter seems to indicate that while older men and women and younger women are capable of bearing a lengthy list of responsibilities, younger men are to be entrusted with but one.

You have one job to do. Self-control.

Boy, does it hurt to hear that. Does Paul really think that little of guys like myself? Is Paul correct that young men are uniquely susceptible to this one particular error? Is it fair? Is it true?

Men Uniquely Challenged in Self-Control

Having taught a Sunday school class for middle-school-aged boys, I was always shocked how well all the girls stayed in their seats, while the boys ravaged the room like animals. How the girls raised their hands politely while the boys constantly tried to talk over one another. How the girls listened to directions while the boys were tempted constantly to act on every impulse. Personal experience seems to indicate clear differences and that’s why I find this at least a little humorous.

But one can look at trends in our society more broadly and see a dark side to this. Consider the relative struggles for boys in public schools as compared to girls and the admission trends going into college. Or even the overrepresentation of men in prison as well. Sure some may say these disparities are entirely or mostly socially constructed. That it’s only because we raise boys differently than girls that these different outcomes arise.

But maybe Paul’s point shows that this same pattern of behavior is observed across cultures and across times. That something written a couple millennia ago can still have relevance today. For biology really doesn’t change nearly as quickly as our cultures and circumstances do, right?

Why Resist Temptation at All?

So what’s the big deal about self control? Whether it’s food, alcohol, sex, or drugs – just to name a few – our body is prone to these prompts to indulge our most basic cravings. The marketing industry has boomed over the past century or so capitalizing on these subconscious desires. Video games are designed around them. Streaming services do their best to keep you glued to the TV. I’m sure Cheez-Its have a few tricks up their sleeves to make themselves so darn irresistible . And one might ask, why should we even attempt to curb these desires?

As adults many of us have learned that overindulgence or addiction to any of these can be detrimental to our health. There’s a reason we know we shouldn’t let kids eat whatever snacks they want whenever they want or let an addict have unfettered access to their substance of choice. We understand the need for AA and dieting programs.

That even though a person thinks they need to cave to that craving to be fulfilled, there’s a very strong argument to be made that giving in to everything their body longs for is detrimental to their health at the very least the long run and oftentimes the short term as well.

Self-control is the skill that helps us regulate these cravings. Yet we aren’t exactly born with it. In fact, we humans seem quite unique as compared to the animal kingdom in our ability not just to learn how to regulate ourselves but to actually export that restraint to our kids and by domesticating other animals. It is an amazing feat when we can train our dog to sit idly by staring at the juicy steak on the kitchen table and not give in to their innermost desires. If not for our training they would be devouring it like a wild animal.

But how do we best control ourselves and help teach others like our kids how to manage their impulses? And how should it be approached in communities like our schools and churches?

The 3 Typical Approaches to Self-Control

The first is an approach of absolute prohibition or abstinence. Often this is done out of a heightened sense of caution and a belief that it is most effective to establish a consistent and firm boundary that is never to be crossed than possibly concede any ground, especially with kids, by attempting nuance. No alcohol. No candy. No video games. And scare the kids with horror stories of STDs and teenage pregnancies to discourage any sexual deviance. Maybe even threaten that you will show them the door for disobedience. Don’t give them an inch or they’ll take a mile.

The method employed to establish this type of self-control doesn’t really matter as long as the end result occurs. No indulging in these actions whatsoever. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

The second approach is on the opposite end of the spectrum, and is something I think is beginning to occur with more regularity. It’s the habit of choosing to indulge in whatever craving may arise instead of resisting it. That any inhibition to acting on our desires is not living as our “authentic self.” If you want sex, seek it out with whoever through hook-ups or do it privately through porn. Eat as much as you want of whatever you want. Or the constant and steady increase in the prevalence of recreational drugs and alcohol. Why should we limit our desires? “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”

And the third approach is what I associate with the commonly stated phrase “everything in moderation.” It can be viewed as a middle road option as compared to the first two approaches. That generally speaking, everything is permissible, but you don’t want too much or too little of any given thing.

Yet I don’t think any of these three approaches cut it. At least when teaching middle-school-aged boys none of these worked. The more I’ve pondered these questions as to how and why we are to control ourselves and the verse that prompted them, the more I’ve realized how this challenge to self-control serves as a microcosm of what God wants most for us in this life.

A Biblical Approach to Self-Control

And this exact issue is present in the opening chapters of the Bible.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Genesis 2:8-17

From the very beginning God supplies man with multiple trees with fruit that were good for eating but puts one restriction in place. You must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Let us consider the three approaches mentioned before and see if this qualifies as any of those. God prohibits the consumption of the fruit from one tree in particular, but not all the others. He doesn’t allow them to indulge in whatever they want to consume. So maybe there’s an element of moderation involved, but he doesn’t necessarily limit how much they eat from the other trees. Hmmm… what’s going on here? Well in the next chapter it gets more interesting.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Genesis 3:1-7

While it’s common in modern interpretations to view the serpent as Satan in this passage, it wasn’t initially interpreted that way prior to the introduction of the concept of demons that from my understanding emerged not too long before the events documented in the New Testament. Simply read, early Jewish readers could have interpreted the serpent as the most earthly of all the creatures God had made. It slithered along the ground and in a cosmology that had a heaven and earth dichotomy, the serpent was therefore furthest from the heavens and most earthly or beast-like of all the animals. It had no self-restraint. What it longed for, it acquired.

You can see how in his first question to Eve, he distorts God’s command. “Did God really say ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?‘” The answer of course is no. God did not say that. In fact, he said it was permissible to eat of any, including the tree of life, with the exception of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The serpent insinuates something that God did not in fact say. God did not prohibit them eating from the trees. God does not take the first approach with these earthly desires by prohibiting them in their entirety.

When Eve explains the warning God gave for eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the serpent responds, “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Here the serpent is taking the second approach, stating that by actually choosing to consume that which was pleasing to her eye, she would have everything that she could desire. That God, by placing this restriction in place, was holding out on them.

And yet, when she and Adam eat from the fruit, they are immediately filled with shame over their nakedness and wind up outside the garden and unable to enjoy the fruits of the tree of life that God had given them.

John Milton in his book “Paradise Lost” quotes Satan as saying the following, “Better to reign in hell, than to serve in heaven.” This quote, while short, encapsulates the stark difference between these two approaches to life. In many ways, making our desires subservient to the desires of God is an act of service. Similar to the child who chooses to obey their parent even when it goes against their own wishes, our self-control to follow the commands of our God is an act of faith, of love, and of trust.

We could have our own way. We could, as John Milton puts it, reign in hell. But can hell deliver what only heaven provides in both this age and the next?

If the serpent depicted in Genesis 3 and Milton’s version of Satan are correct, God is holding out on us. And it would be incumbent upon us to seek our own pleasure and fulfillment in whatever way we deem appropriate. But is this true? He gave Adam and Eve access to an abundance of trees including the tree of life for their enjoyment. He gives the gift of sex to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage. He turned the water into wine. And he has given us the Lord’s Supper and promises a wedding feast when we will be rejoined with him.

He doesn’t offer absolute prohibitions to most of our longings. He discourages us from the self-affliction of unbridled indulgence. And he doesn’t simply offer moderation as the best road.

He makes all of these natural longings that much more beautiful and fulfilling when they are placed in their proper context. And that is what self-control is about. Trusting God that these longings, when pursued in the right place and the right time, can help us encounter and appreciate God more than ever before. That we are choosing to trust and serve him in the process. And that all the inner turmoil of keeping ourselves in check will all be worth it in the end.

That’s a lesson not just for young men to learn. I think we all need it, myself most certainly included.

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4 Common Misconceptions About Eternal Life

Despite growing up going to church, I never really understood eternal life. I was fine with the idea of being surprised at life’s end as to whether or not heaven exists. I mean I’ve been a “pretty good” person so I’ll live life and then confront whatever may be next when it’s in front of me. But for those who enjoy asking tough questions and looking for answers, or what constitutes to some people as intellectuals, society’s common depiction of heaven can be troubling.

But this depiction that is commonly pondered on is based off of incorrect conceptions about what eternal life really is, and I think these same misconceptions prevent so many from understanding Christianity and what it’s purpose is. I want to discuss 4 of the misconceptions I personally had that, when found to be incorrect, changed my view on the faith entirely. I love thinking through deep stuff like this and I hope you enjoy and take something from some of my thoughts from the past couple months.

1. Eternal Life is Simply Living Forever.

I’m a drummer and my family would tell you that I never stop drumming on something at all times. The steering wheel during drives to and from work, the kitchen table during dinner, railings go up and down the stairs… You get the picture. But the idea of doing something, heck even drumming, forever seems well… pretty boring.

In the same way, I had always found the idea of heaven to be well…. boring. Heaven was a bunch of people, clothed in white, in the clouds, behind those pearly gates, playing harps and singing hymns together forever and ever. On and on… and on…….. and you get the picture…

This life looked so much more fun than heaven did, and therefore heaven deserved to take the backseat in priorities to my own life here. Living forever might be fun for a few months, I guess years if you keep meeting new people, but after a while… yawn…

But this belief that it’s simply living forever, strips “eternal life” of it’s greatest characteristic. In the Gospel John, Jesus states,

“… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
                                                                                                             – John 10:10 –

He doesn’t state that he has come so they may live forever. He states that they may have life, and have it to the full.

When we say eternal life, so much pivots around both of these words:  Eternal and Life.

Life is something that is quantifiable. One can have a lot of life, while another can have very little, seemingly dead. Often we look at it as unchangeable and that we’re each given one and it’s a life regardless of how it’s lived. I would argue that we can have an abundance or scarcity of life.

Think about it. Two drivers on the road are both cut off by an aggressive driver. One of them reacts by flipping off the guy who cut him off and lets this detract from the rest of his day and makes him miserable with other people. The second driver, who realizes the insignificance of what has been done to him, realizing he’s okay and didn’t crash, and doesn’t let it affect his life and relationships with others. This is definitely an extremely simplified situation but hopefully it helps illustrate the point.

And Eternal. While we often associate this with unlimited time, it actually is meant to quantify the amount of life that is offered to us. Think of never ending life being represented by an infinitely long string along a timeline. What real eternal life is that same string of infinite length, but also with an infinite thickness. It’s about experiencing an infinite quality and quantity of life forever.

I think we can all say this world is difficult and trying. Multiple shootings, natural disasters, and heart-wrenching stories have occupied our news, especially this past year it seems. Living forever doesn’t really fix that, but an abundance of “life”, now that sounds enticing and worth looking for.

2. Eternal Life Starts at Death

The light. The moment when we pass from this world and continue on to whatever comes next. A man stands there (I guess this is God) and he determines whether or not you get eternal life and go to heaven, or go to hell. This is the common perception of when eternal life begins.

Growing up, I saw a huge disconnect between this life and this supposed eternal life. It seemed like it was simply a hope for people that needed lemonade in a world that was handing them a ton of lemons. This life seemed “fine” in many respects, and it was difficult to buy into the belief that we would live an entire life here, have it end, and then start another like this one never happened. And when things seem disconnected, one has a legitimate reason to question them. But I think it’s the fault of our culture’s oversimplification of eternal life that has led to this disconnect.

C.S. Lewis’ book The Great Divorce I believe paints a better picture of when eternal life starts, or better yet, when the progression for it starts. He throughout his book emphasizes that right now, in this life, on a daily basis we can either gain life or lose it. Jesus said that he came so that may have life and have it to the full, which means that it wasn’t here before. Power, riches, beauty, sex, relationships, and titles have all been pursued by man as a way of achieving fulfillment, and yet time and time again we have seen how they have failed to fill the void in the individual that longs for purpose and significance and often left them a more deteriorated and lost individual. Christ showed us how to live a full life and then provided the forgiveness, mercy, and sacrifice to enable us to have it.

So in a world that tries to continuously feed us lies about what will make us happy and give us a worthwhile life, I would argue there is only one way to a fullness of life. It starts here and now, not after death.

3. Eternal Life Can Be Earned.

God opens the books and weighs the scales to see how much good and how much bad we’ve done. It’s simple and it’s fair. Like karma, if you do good things, good things happen to you like receiving eternal life. If you do bad things bad things happen to you, you’re going to hell. It’s balanced and just.

But when you realize you’re not as good as you thought before, you start to give more thought to what the whole point of this life is. Could I even earn eternal life if I tried? And what does eternal life look like?

How could an imperfect person be in the presence of a perfect God? If I’ve made but one mistake, how could I possibly be fit for heaven?

“For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
                                                                                                       – Romans 6:23 –

God doesn’t want to judge and keep people out of heaven. He wants to be with us and doesn’t want us to experience death.

The ultimate way to demonstrate ones love for someone, would be to give up one’s life for that person to save them, right? A close family member or a significant other is about to walk in front of a speeding vehicle and you dive in and push them out of the way taking the punishment.

Simply put. That’s what Jesus did when he died on the cross. Sin earns death, and death is the absence of life. This world will wear us down if you don’t have anything that’s able to fill you up and give you life. He took the sins that deserve death from those who believe in who he claimed to be, and gives the eternal life he had to those same individuals. It was a demonstration of love. It was God showing just how much he loved mankind and how much he wanted us to be with him. We don’t earn eternal life, it’s a gift from God, sitting in front of us waiting to be opened.

4. Heaven’s Boring

A cartoon version of heaven may work for children but as an adult, I refuse to believe such a childish idea. As I hit my teenage years, I really had a hard time accepting heaven when it was often portrayed like fantasy. As much as I wanted to believe it because my church, and family believed it, I couldn’t myself. It wasn’t until I realized how unlike those typical depictions heaven really was, that I actually committed to believing in it. I’d like to briefly describe as best as I can what I think heaven will really look like. This are small glimpses into what I believe is impossible for us to completely explain or grasp.

Community. First off heaven is a community that is built on 100% pure relationships. Look at the elements of two or three of your best relationships in life. Think about some of the intimacy, trust, and love that is experienced in these. Now imagine that this exists between everyone, where there is no fighting between individuals, there is no sadness or hurt feelings, and everyone can find pure joy in everyone else.

Freedom. It’s a life away from so many of the things that restrict life like listed before. The pursuit of money, power, glory, and pleasure are all intrinsically valueless, and heaven provides fulfillment and frees the individual to satisfy the hunger and thirst for pure life that they long for.

Transformation. It’s not just about living forever. It’s much more about becoming more of who we were intended to be. Imagine a life without guilt, without disappointment in yourself because God has helped you reach the pinnacle where you no longer hurt others.

We often look externally, to possessions and experiences, for excitement and fail to see all the opportunity within the individual and especially within relationships to experience excitement. I think heaven presents a beautiful environment for us to experience those jaw dropping experiences but most importantly within perfect relationships and as the people we were intended to be, pure and without sin. Thanks for reading!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
                                                                                                          – Matthew 7:7-8 –