John Cooper: What Happens When We Die?

A fascinating read from Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Sooner or later all of us must face up to death. Energetic adolescents ignore it, and their middle-aged parents often pursue illusions of perpetual youth. But the elderly and terminally ill know better. Nothing in life is as certain as death. And we all wonder what happens when our friends and loved ones die.

Most Christians believe that our souls are taken immediately to be with Christ until we are reunited with our bodies at his second coming (cf. Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 58). This view of life after death has two phases—being with Christ until the resurrection, and then everlasting life in his kingdom. It also involves two modes of existing. Body and soul are unified during this life and after the resurrection. But we exist without earthly bodies between death and resurrection. Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and most Protestant churches teach this two-phase doctrine.

Check it out. What do you think?

What I wish apologists like Cooper would emphasize is this. If Jesus really is who he claimed to be (God’s Messiah) and who the NT claims him to be (God become human), is there not an inherent authority in him and the NT that no other religion or teaching can claim about this subject of life after death? After all, if Jesus is God, then why are so many reticent in accepting his claims and what the NT has to say about life and death? I don’t get it.

What? Me Worry?

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

–Luke 12.22-32 (NIV)

How much of a worrier are you? The answer you give will also give you a good indication of how much faith you possess. The more you worry, the less faith in God’s good will and providence you likely have.

Now don’t misunderstand. Jesus is not telling us in today’s lesson to sit idly by and expect God to do all the work for us in terms of providing for our material needs. That is just not how things work. We have to take responsibility and get to work to earn our keep. What Jesus is telling us is that when we do our part, we should trust God to provide for us and to know better than we do regarding what it is that we really need. When we worry that he won’t (or can’t), it is a telltale sign that either we do not trust him or that we are trying to take his place. Neither option is a good one.

For you see, worry almost always stems from a lack of trust. We may think that God really doesn’t love us or has removed himself from the course of our daily lives. But Jesus reminds us differently. He reminds us that God cares for even the tiniest of his creatures, creatures who are not even his Image bearers. How much more then will God care for us, his Image bearers. Elsewhere Jesus reminds us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the Father’s knowledge and that even the hairs of our head are numbered. Does that sound like a God who has withdrawn from the affairs of the world or your life? I don’t think so either.

Moreover, during this Easter season we remember that in Jesus’ crucifixion and mighty resurrection God has forever defeated death. If God can raise us from the dead the way he raised Jesus, why should we sweat the small stuff regarding the living of our days? And of course we remember that tomorrow is Ascension Day, the day when Jesus ascended into heaven to take his rightful place as ruler of this universe. This reminds us that God is firmly in control, despite appearances to the contrary. The powers and principalities have been decisively defeated, even if they have not yet been forever vanquished. That will happen when Jesus returns again in great power and glory to fully establish God’s New Creation. All this reminds us not to worry or be afraid because God is in control. But that takes a leap of faith and we are back to that worrying thing again.

When, by the help of the Spirit, we are blessed with real faith, we are given the power to conquer our fears and worries because we know that God does love us, that God is for us, and that he works for good for those who love him. It doesn’t matter if we enjoy success or suffer setbacks or failures. We know God loves us and will provide for us. We trust his good will over ours and so we concentrate on doing what we must do in this world and trust that God will use our efforts to get us to where he wants us to be. And yes, that even (or perhaps especially) includes our failures, suffering, and hurts.

But if we don’t really trust God to provide or don’t really believe that he cares for us, then everything changes. We are left to our own devices. We are left to provide for ourselves. And more worrisome, we are left to the changes and chances of this life. If that really is the case, we would be foolish not to worry because we live in a broken and fallen world in which things don’t always (or even often) go right.

If, therefore, you want to live your life with real power, the power of a worry-free life, then you had better start by looking at your faith and your attitudes about God. Jesus tells us that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. Do you believe that? Do you have an intimate and first-hand knowledge of God or do you simply rely on what others tell you or the disinformation and lies that the various enemies of the cross disseminate? You cannot possibly come to trust God if you do not know him and you cannot possibly get to know him if you do not take the time and make the effort to do so. This is Relationships 101, folks. It is not rocket science.

This means you read your Bible systematically and regularly so that you can learn to recognize the ways of God and how he interacts with his people. It means you pray regularly and spend as much time listening in prayer as you do talking. It means that you surround yourself with other faithful souls to help you keep on track in your thinking about God and for you to do likewise for them.

If you do not already know God, you should not expect to get to know him overnight. Any relationship worth its weight in salt does not happen that way. It takes time and you must give God a chance to demonstrate his trustworthiness. He will certainly do that but he will not impose himself on you because that is not how healthy relationships work.

You must also resolve to stop trying to take God’s place and to do this requires a healthy dose of humility. Again, you will be less likely to do this the less you know God adequately because you will likely be dealing with a god of your own making rather than the one true and living God.

But when you resolve to grow in your knowledge and love of God–with the Spirit’s help of course–you are on the path to a worry-free life because you will learn that God is the God who raises the dead and who will never let you go or lack any good thing that you really need. When you finally are blessed with the right orientation about life, a God-orientation by the help of the Spirit, you will also learn what it means to have real freedom. Freedom from fear and worry. Freedom to love and serve. Freedom from the weight of your sin and the alienation it causes. Freedom to live your life as God intends for you to live.

What are you waiting for? Remember that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Ask for the grace and good sense to be able to accept God’s free gift to you in Jesus and begin to live life with joyful abandon, with real meaning and purpose.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!