life after death

• most christian ideas about the purpose of life originate in ideas about god because hes the creator and sustainer, they define purpose of life with reference to him. on way is to consider why god created humans
• meaning/purpose of life- glorify god and have a personal relationship w him (genesis 1)

  • in genesis 1 god creates humans in one act via the will and the word "let us make man in our image". humans, created in gods image, are much like him. god says to be fruitful and multiply and have dominion then "god saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good"
  • one way of understanding this is to see humans as representative of god's qualities, so by reproducing and filling the earth we glorify him by showing other creatures all over the earth, those qualities
• glorifying god- meaning of glory and places its seen

  • glory (kabod in hebrew) is used throughout the OT to decribe god's essential quality and the prophet isaiah links that with the purpose of life "everyone who is called by my name, whom i create for my glory, whom i formed and made"
  • early christians saw this quality in jesus, the prologue of johns gospel saying "we have beheld his glory, glory as the only son from the father"
  • it follows for many, the purpose of existence is to represent and spread gods glory/ glorify god
• glorifying god- influence

  christians who follow this line of thinking may

  • try to show god's glory in their own life/ actions
  • tell others about god, encourage them to convert so they can glorify him too
  • make their own lives more god like to better represent him
  • draw other's attention to god's qualities by talking/writing about it
  • engage in worship which draws on and reflects god's glory

  jesus sums this up in the sermon on the mount "let your light so shine before men, that thy may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven"
• having a personal relationship w god- genesis 2

  • the content of creation differs, it depicts a god who is intimately involved physically in creation "formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life"
  • god shows care and affection for his little man, making animals as companions and woman as partner
  • god walks in the garden and talks with adam and eve- the personal relationship between him and creation leads to the belief that is also part of humanity's purpose
  • so as well as glorifying god they must nurture their own relationship with him
• personal relationship- JESUS

  • the relationship between J as a human and god the father is a model for the relationship betweens all humans and god. the writer of johns gospel includes a prayr by J where he sets out a wish for his present and future followers that "they may be one, even as we are one"
  • where he models the intimacy for the relationship between christians and god "you are in me and i am in you"
  • christians are influenced to build a close relationship with god by: communicating through prayer; studying the bible; following j' teachings and trying to model their lives of j
• purpose of life- judgement

  • another view of the purpose of life has it's roots in the second creation story
  • humans were created to be with god, the fall had humanity banished, the close relationship was broken and pain and death entered the world, but atonement allows us to repair that relationship. 2 corinsthians 5:19 "god was in christ reconciling the world to himself" to complete gods plan for reconciliation humans must face judgement at the end of time
• judgement- parable of the sheep and the goats matthew 25: 31-46


  jesus taught poeple would be judged on how they treated others

  sheep on his right go to heaven for good works and goats on his left to hell for being idle, faith isn't even mentioned

  'for i was hungry and you gave me something to eat...'

  'for i was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat...'

  'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'

  'they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life'

  this leads to the view one must prepare for judgement
• judgement- judgement day

  • humanity's ultimate purpose is to be with god and that'll happen after all life on earth is doneso
  • all those who died will be raised and judged
  • those who did good works will be welcomed and the evil and idle will be forever excluded from god's eternal presence
• judgement- in this life

  • some liberal christians don't accept the dramatic narrative of judgement day at the end of time as factually accurate
  • they argue it's a story to show an important truth about the purpose of human existence
  • judgement happens in response to christ in life, being born of spirit and living eternal life is a quality of this life
• judgement- hick and soul making

  • agrees w irenaeus that evil in the world isnt a flaw of god but an essential part of his plan for creation
  • created humans as incomplete beings in the image of god with potential to achieve a likeness with god
  • evil is essential for developing moral perfection and the purpose of life is soul making
  • god gave humans freedom to chose good/evil so true virtue's gained through freely overcoming temptations and trials
  • hunger poverty etc are overcome w compassion and generosity
  • process of overcoming evil continues until everybody reaches god's kingdom, so no hell
• • one issue w the other two purposes is their individual focus, the alternative is a more holistic view
  • idividual- glorifying and building a personal relationship w god or preparing oneself for judgement. both have a good outcome primarily for you.
  • holistic view of creation- humans are part of the whole fabric of creation and the purpose of everything in creation is to bring to competion god's work by bringing his kingdom to earth
• purpose of life- bring about god's kingdom on earth

  • has it's roots in the understanding of kingship at the time of jesus
  • jewish scripture take god's kingship for granted since he created everything, but at the time of jesus they were expecting a messiah who would free them from roman oppression as an earthly king and spiritual leader
  • when j refers to the kingdom of god hes linking the kingship of god over creation to the possibility there'll come a time when all created order on earth and in heaven will follow god's laws
• god's kingdom- the lord's prayer


  • a prayer taught by j makes the idea of all created order following god clear
  • "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"
  • for some this is eschatological, relating to the end of time where j will return and sin and death will be eliminated.
  • however, others see the purpose of existence as a responsibility to work to create perfection earth by being virtuous, and working to bring the conditions of heaven in their own community and world
• god's kingdom- the lord's prayer


  • 1st thing j said in marks gospel is "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of god is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" hence him as "the inaugurator of the kingdom"
  • to make it a reality christians believe they must all repent then work to bring the qualities of god to fruition
  • these qualities are largely drawn from OT and include peace justice and freedom from want.
  • christians seek this not only for themselves but for victims in the world. they dont concern w preparing for god to intervene, but doing the work themselves as his stewards
• evaluating the importance of the purposes- judgement

  • such varied agendas suggest the term means different things for people
  • preparation for judgement implies being good in order to earn a reward, or a fear of punishment
  • we cant know if god judged those motivatd by fear differently from those doing good for goods sake. presumably many could be motivated by both
• evaluating the importance of the purposes- personal relationship


  • could result in a contemplative life/ lifelong journey of prayer and contemplation maybe in a monastic community, leaving everything that might make the journey less direct
  • some may focus on christian mysticism working through study worship and contemplation towards a hoped for transformative experience of god
• evaluating the importance of the purposes

  • none of the purposes are mutually exclusive
  • for some christians doing god's will or being a good person is an end in itself
  • for others, what they do is given focus and purpose that aligns with their personal circumstances and beliefs
• ressurrection- jesus


  • a defining feature of christianity
  • all four gospels describe jesus' death and ressurection on the third day and three describe episodes where j appears to his disciples
  • he was in some ways different to the person who they knew, he was able to dissapear and appear at will and still had the injuries received from crucifiction
  • some followers dont recognise him even after conversing directly
  • rising from the dead doesnt mean he was merel revived/resuscitated, but that through the power of god he overcame death and appeared to his disciples full of life from god
• resurrection


  • no normal human has ever experienced this, even those jesus brought to life via his healing went on to die normal deaths like Laarus
  • the resurrection is symbolic of the everlasting life that comes from god
  • j's resurrection shows death (a consequence of sin) can be overcome through the power of god
  • j's death on the cross also acted as atonement, cancelling out the consequences of sin for humanity and allowing the possibility of eternal life for all
• christian concept of the soul

  • comes from judaism and ancient greek philosophy
  • judaism the physical body's infused with the breathe of life from god (genesis 2).
  • not just humans. for jews, everything that breathes has the spirit of god.
  • nephesh in genesis 2:7, translated as soul, is the existence creatures from the breathe of life
  • similarly ruach is in genesis 1:2 when the spirit of god moves across the primeval waters
  • the book of daniel contains prophecies about the end of time including "those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall wake, some to everlasting life.../contempt"
• plato's idea of the soul


  • he believed there were two modes of existence: the physical world we see, which reflects; a deeper reality called the world of Forms
  • the woF is made up of perfect ideas, things in the physical world are imperfect copies of the perfect ideas.
  • he believed human souls seperate from the body at death and go to the world of forms and there contemplates the forms of the good (kinda like god) before being reincarnated or re-enfleshed into the physical world via womb
  • this is dualism, humans have two aspects: the physical (perishable) body and spiritual (immortal) soul
• plato and judaism combined????

  
  

  • jewish and greek ideas of the soul were similar enough for early christians to combine and neo-platonists were widely accepted
  • a baby received a soul from god before birth; its the inner existence of a human, inhabiting the body in life then leaving at death to return to god; its the moral and spiritual dimension of human existence and source of our response to god
  • luke 1:46 "my soul magnifies the lord and my spirit rejoices in god my saviour"
• dualism and monism

  • dualism- seeing the human being in dualistic terms as body AND soul
  • the soul is what makes a person who they are, the source of beliefs and understanding of self and the site of thought processes and conscience
  • monism- the human being as a whole creature, conciousness and thought are part of physical reality
  • theres no existence before conception or life after death.
  • dawkins is someone who puts forward this view, to him the soul is just a meme/ cultural replicator
• mcdougall- myth about souls

  • dr mcdougall in 1901 conducted experiments weighing dying tuberculosis patient and reported they lost an average 21 grams at the moment of death and concluded the soul weighs 21 ish grams
  • this has been disproved theres no weight loss at death, few today believe a soul can be measured scientifically
• resurrection of the flesh, augustine


  • for christians, j's resurrection made it possible for all to have life after death
  • by overcoming it on the cross, he restored hope of resurrection and eternal life lost through the fall
  • but the nature of resurrection was uncler
  • augustine believed original sin effects all spiritually and physically
  • peoples souls are stained with sin + their bodies senses and desires
  • if j's resurrection offered hope for us, augustine was sure it must be bodily/ physical resurrection where the spiritual and physical effects of sin are removed
• resurrection of the flesh, augustinecont


  • augustine's understanding is that j rose from the dead in a wholly physical way, then ascended to heaven in physical form
  • if he can, then surely god can perform the same miracle on everyone else, raising them physically to heaven.
  • this view forms the basis of the teaching of roman catholics "the human body decays and the soul goes to meet god... with its glorified body" given to us by god
• spiritual resurrection


  • for some christians, physical resurrection doesn't make sense
  • the body rots away to nothing in a grave or is completely destroyed by fire in cremation
  • the elements which make up the body are returned to nature and reused so resurrection of flesh is nonsensical
  • it is the soul that is resurrected, when the body dies the soul lives on with god
  • pauls first letter to the church in corinth supports this "it is sown in a physical body it is raised a spiritual body"
• pauls letter 1 corinthians 15:44-51 meaning


  • indicates the resurrected 'body' will be different
  • some think there'll be a physical aspect to resurrection, the soul resurrected into a new heavenly body that had no physical existence on earth
  • others say paul is trying to explain a miraculous change will come over physical bodies so theyll become perfect, no longer subject to age or decay
  • what condition will the body be? the same age as death?or ageless? are infants resurrected as infants or the adult they couldve been? what about amputees? religion doesnt answer these
• pauls letter 1 corinthians 15:44-51 significance

  • pauls purpose was to intervene in disputes that could split the community like resurrection
  • the corinthians struggled to make sense of the resurrection of j and humans paul says if they cant believe in resurrection their faith in jesus is pointless
  • early theology, 20 years after j. forms the basis for belief in resurrection to heaven
  • christians were blamed for issues in rome · belief in resurrection to eternal life was so attractive Christians were prepared to die bearing J as lord w/out these martyrs, Christianity mightve died out .