Everyone has wondered at one time or another if there is life after death. Most of us have come to the conclusion that life goes on in one form or another beyond this transient journey. Perhaps God has ingrained this belief deep within our souls so that belief in life after death comes naturally. Perhaps it is because of the suffering and evil in this world that makes us want to believe in a better existence beyond this one. Perhaps it is part of our genetic programming to want to continue our existence for as long as possible. Unlike other physical beings on earth, humans are keenly aware of their eventual meeting with death. This awareness may motivate us to live in such a way as to prolong life; however, the certainty of the eventual end of life as we know it calls for a consideration of existence beyond this life as a hopeful reality. At one point or another, the hope for a better world beyond this one is on just about all of our minds. Sometimes it consumes our minds and our religion to the point that we lose focus of the present reality.

Many of us who believe in life after death become so preoccupied with this hope that we lose sight of life before death. Lyrics of favorite songs of Christians illustrate this point: “We’re marching to Zion,” “And the things of this world will grow strangely dim,” “This world is not my home; I’m just a passin through.” Each of these lyrics teaches important beliefs about the future of believers in Jesus Christ. Of course heaven is something to look forward to. Of course the things of earth pale in comparison to what heaven will be like. However, for some people, the emphasis on heavenly things may have gone too far. Likewise, the de-emphasis on earthly things has gone too far.

Before I say more, I must make a point of clarification. I am distinguishing between worldly and earthly things. I am defining worldly things in the sense of 1 John 2 in which we are clearly told to not love the things of this world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. In short, John tells us that we should not love sin.

In contrast, earthly things encompass the material substance of the planet and its products including the beauty of nature, the culture of the people on earth, it music, its art, its food, its people. There is nothing intrinsically sinful about any of this. Of course it is possible to find a way to pervert any of God’s good material gifts. We better not even get too comfortable with using the phrase “earthly things” without the warning that it can be used in Scripture in a negative context. Paul talks about earthly things as a negative object of desire in contrast with heavenly things in Colossians 3:2: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” This verse is found in the context of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. It is about mortifying sinful deeds and living a life for Christ. It is probably fair within the context of the entire Bible to make the application that we should make “heavenly” or spiritual things a priority rather than the pursuit of material pleasures and possessions.

In both 1 John and Colossians, one could make the mistake of thinking that the Scriptures are supporting a Platonic dualist view of reality that sees the material world as intrinsically evil. Unfortunately, this view is fairly common in some Christian circles today. The application is not usually as broad sweeping as Plato’s view; however, there is a tendency to think of physical matter as somehow being inferior to the spiritual or supernatural. Perhaps justification for this view is found in the Fall of Adam and the subsequent curse on the world. However, it is important to remember that the curse was not simply limited to the physical matter of planet earth, but related to the entire universe. We are told that it had a direct affect on at least one spirit being, Satan. It also had a direct affect on the spirits of Adam and Eve as well as all future humans. We can only speculate to what degree the Fall affected the rest of the spirit world. Yet the universe still has God’s image imprinted on it. The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 89). All of creation and all living creatures bear something of the image of their Maker. We cannot forget that God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Sin has marred this image, but it did not destroy it. We may see through a glass dimly what will one day become clear, but let us not forget that we can see something even now. Let us not belittle what we can see now while we look forward to being able to see Him face to face in the future. And I suppose that the more we contemplate what we see dimly, the more the reality of God will come into focus, even on this side of eternity.

I guess that the point of all of my rambling is this—that the here and now is very important. This life on earth is pivotal in our eternal existence. We should not be so focused on heaven that we forget to live on earth. For it is on earth that we first become aware of our existence and our purpose. It is on earth that we first make decisions with eternal consequences. It is on earth that we first learn to love God and our neighbors. It is on earth that many of us learn through marriage something of the divine love relationship between Christ and his bride. Is it possible that our relationship with God on earth has an effect on how, not just where, we spend eternity? Could the quality of our heavenly existence—the capacity for pleasure, the ability to be intimate with God—be in some way related to how we practiced spirituality on earth? In fact, one might deduce that this life is of supreme importance because of its immeasurable affect on our eternal existence.

Even if we are agnostic about heaven, we should pursue knowledge of God and learn to love each other as much as possible for in this we find fulfillment and peace now. We should also appreciate the pleasures of food and sex and relaxation without thinking of them as unspiritual or fleshly endeavors or a waste of time. These things too were created and blessed by God. It is not his fault that we too rarely partake of these gifts with a sacred approach.

Yes, there is life before death. It is of supreme importance. This life is miraculous. It is the only one we know about by experience. Yes, there is life before death for the believer in Jesus Christ. There are opportunities all around us to learn about, commune with, and serve God. While we are learning, communing, and serving, may we do all of these things with joy. If there were no significance to our life now, then there would be no reason for God to give us one more breath on this green earth. He could take us on home to enjoy the beauties of heaven forever. But if you are reading this now, be assured, that unless you drop dead before finishing these last few lines, you still have life to live, life to love, and life to lose. I suggest that you decide now to experience life to its fullest.