thinking.about:jesus

Last wednesday I had a conversation with a friend of mine about heaven and hell and who goes where and why. We both share the same view, but I have certain questions that haven’t been answered yet. After over one hour of talking on this matter we came to this conclusion/application:

It is possible and common to keep the reality of a certain doctrine at a safe distance. We think we ‘understand’ them, intellectually, and we are afraid to ask more questions or to think longer about all the implications. We stop at: this is what the Bible says, believe it, accept it. But we don’t really let it hit us, because we are afraid that we will end up with more questions or doubts and by chance wreck our faith.

What we need is a stronger faith in the person of Jesus Christ, which allows us to be hit by certain realities (brought to us in the form of doctrines), without these kind of fears and worries. We are not more convincing to the unbeliever if we keep certain doctrines in ‘intellectual quarantine’. I believe the opposite is true: they will know that we do think, which is why we do struggle, but that our trust in Jesus is so strong that we can handle to follow him and actually live with certain questions.

So let the reality of heaven and hell, the reality of saving grace and the reality of Christ’s indwelling hit you today! Let it overrun you, overwhelm you, churn you. Deal with it as a holistic being - spirit, mind and emotions. Come and marvel.