Love Wins: Part 2

Wow, I did not mean for it to be so long between posts, but my computer has been out of commission all week and it was the only place I had this saved, so...

Now, to some actual thoughts about different topics in the book.

I’ve never agreed with the idea of merely becoming a Christian just to save yourself from hell. This book is clearly geared towards these sorts of thoughts, but I’ve always known that believing in Jesus is much more than just “fire insurance,” as many a youth pastor loves to describe it. Jesus did not come to earth and die just to keep us out of hell. But I am amazed at the number of people who honestly think like this. To them, everything Jesus did and everything they do and believe now is merely their get-out-of-jail-free card. As Rob Bell puts it, “The good news is better than that.” Jesus came to give us life in this life. I can’t believe that this life here on earth is just a test to see if we pass to make it on to the next “real life.” We were meant to have that life more abundant here and now.

This all brings up a very important idea that Bell discusses. He talks about how we can bring heaven here on earth or live in our own personal hell. To me, heaven is much more than some city in the clouds that we go to after we die, it’s about understanding who God is and living out his attributes. I think most people agree that an integral park of heaven is experiencing God and seeing him for who he really is. But who says we can’t do that here? There is a quote I read in Max Lucado book years ago that says, “Christianity, in its purest form, is nothing more than seeing Jesus. Christian service, in its purest form, is nothing more than imitating Him who we see. To see His Majesty and to imitate Him, that is the sum of Christianity.” So as we imitate him and therefore become more like him, aren’t we bridging the divide between this heaven and earth?

I also think that most would agree that this idea of hell is separation from God. So when we choose to follow paths that are contrary to the nature of God, aren’t we separating ourselves from him and imprisoning ourselves in hell? There may not be any fire and brimstone, but is that really any less hellish? To me, heaven and hell are as much a state of mind as it is a physical place we haven’t experienced yet but will inevitably experience in the future (well, at least one of them).