Good morning, My Cherished Friends,
It has been said that Plato established the best pre-Christian argument for life after death. Many believe that his faith in immortality rested not so much on theoretical evidence but on his immeasurable love for his teacher, Socrates. Plato could not imagine that so great a life could be snuffed out by an encounter with death. It was unthinkable that creation would fashion its finest, and then snap forever the thread which holds it.
Plato’s faith in immortality was more than just wishful thinking, but we can understand why he yearned for eternal survival — because we, too, know that a human life is of infinite worth. Even at our worst, man and woman are the highest of creation. The biblical writer asked, “When I consider the sun, the moon, and the stars which God has ordained, what are persons, what are men and women, boys and girls, that You are mindful of them?” and the writer then answered his own question: “We are created only a bit lower than the angels and have been given dominion over all that God has made” (Psalm 8:3-8).
Several years ago, there was an article in the Upper Room Disciplines about a woman who was unable to believe in any hope of a world beyond. A friend had tried to share her belief with the woman. The lady listened but considered the reasons naive.
One evening the woman was knitting an Afghan. The friend asked her what she was going to do with the Afghan when she was through with it. “Are you going to unravel it?” “Certainly not!” the woman laughed. “What do you think I am, crazy?” “Not any crazier than you think God is,” her friend replied. “Would God work to fashion his best and then destroy it?”
There’s sound reasoning in that parable. Way back, when Jesus told his disciples about the impending cross, they were disturbed, and for good reason. The disciples knew that if death could destroy Jesus, then goodness and justice were at the mercy of evil and falsehood. One world could not be enough! Jesus understood their concern. That’s why he said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places, and this world is only one of them” (John 14:1-2).
We cling to the idea that the human soul is immortal. It’s not unreasonable to believe that God would be as faithful as we would be. God would not fashion his best and then unravel it. That’s why the Bible declares, “The righteous live forever, and the care of them is with the Most High.”
There is more beyond,
Bruce Jones, Pastor Imagine Church
