Would You Be a Christian if There Were No Afterlife?

It's a strange question, I know. For some it may be offensive. Others may find it simply ridiculous and dismiss the question altogether. But I have found this to be an enlightening spiritual exercise: Would I be a Christian if there were no afterlife? If there were no heaven to strive for or hell to fear?

First of all, let me clarify I do believe in an afterlife and that Jesus paved the way for humanity to experience eternal life. But does Christianity, does Jesus himself, have anything else to offer than just a golden ticket through the pearly gates?

Twice now this issue has been brought to my attention in one capacity or another. The 14 year old young man I am co-preaching with this Sunday has chosen the topic of Salvation. He has experienced a Christian school setting that preached fear of hell and he has other thoughts on reasons to turn to Jesus and live accordingly. Others have asked me if I "believe in a literal heaven or hell"? Many Christians have used heaven and hell as motivation for accepting Jesus as their personal Savior, and preaching that to others.

But what if? What if there were no heaven or hell? Would there still be a reason to be Christian? Would Christians still evangelize and share the good news of Jesus with others? How would they share that good news if there was no fear of hell or reward of heaven?

An unhealthy focus on heaven and hell blinds us to so many other motivations to give our lives to Christ. Here are just a few that come to mind:

1. Gratitude: When we realize that God became a human being, lived an exemplary life in relation with God's triune self, died to forgive our sins, and rose again to prove to humanity it was all true, we respond out of gratitude. We respond in loving God because we have first experienced that love in Jesus. We choose to follow Jesus and live a counter cultural life because we are thankful, appreciative of all God has done for us. We follow Jesus not out of fear of hell, but out of gratitude for the love and forgiveness that's been shown to us.
2. Experiencing Unconditional Love and Forgiveness: Who else can forgive our sins: the mistakes, the failures, the bad decisions? Who else can truly give us unconditional love? We cannot find those two things on this earth. Forgiveness frees us from a past we cannot change. Unconditional love means we don't have to earn, or be worthy, or perform in order to experience acceptance. The only way to experience unconditional love and forgiveness is its purest form is through God in Jesus Christ.
3. A Peace (and Joy) that Passes Understanding: Giving our lives to Christ means we experience a peace that passes understanding and a joy that defies logic. I am reminded of one Christian man who walked into an Arby's and the cashier said, "Why are you so happy?" Believing in Christ means that we can have a peace even in turbulent times, a joy in the midst of difficulties. Our peace and joy do not come from a bank account balance or the stock market or the amount of electronics we have or a prestigious job or our paycheck or house or car or relationships or...you get the picture. It comes from being in relationship with a God who knows us, loves us, and wants to give us abundant life here and now.
4. A Meaningful and Purpose filled Life: When you give your life to Christ, your life suddenly has new meaning. We live counter culturally instead of simply for our own benefit and welfare. We give and help and love those in need, even when we can hardly afford to. We may put ourselves in harm's way to save another life. We may be content with a lower paying job because it gives us time to volunteer more at church or be home more with our families. We are freed from the rat race and the "me mentality" so apparent in our culture.

Granted, not all Christians live this way all the time, myself included. But these are also compelling reasons to follow Jesus. It shouldn't be about fear. We are afraid of what will happen if we don't follow Jesus. Becoming Christian should be more about love, gratitude, forgiveness, peace, joy, meaning, and purpose.

When we give our lives and hearts to Jesus, we begin a process of living a transformed, counter cultural, sacrificial, loving-beyond-our-means kind of life. There is a peace and joy this world cannot take away. Our lives have purpose and meaning we did not have before. We are filled with love, knowing that we are loved and sharing that love with all we meet. Overall, we experience a difference here and now in our lives, not just in the "sweet bye and bye." And we give thanks and praise to the One who gave his life for us that we might have abundant life on earth in the present as well as the future.

Yes, there are many reasons to follow Jesus. I have found the most compelling to be more about how it changes my life today, how it makes a difference in who I am now, how I am encouraged to lead a transformed life on this earth. True, I believe I "may not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) But for me, that's just icing on the cake.