We all sense that there is a non-physical component of our being. We might call it our heart or our soul. We talk about people who are very close as being “soul-mates”. A popular wedding song refers to “the union of your spirits”.

Spirit
Soul
Heart
Essence
Vital force
Life force
Breath of life
and many other synonyms

I will call it the soul.

Most people would say that the soul is the most important part of our being. Many would say that the soul can exist apart from the body…….both before birth and after death. People who have had near death experiences often describe their soul as floating above their body. We typically see people who have “good souls” as good people……..whether they have money, health, success or anything else. We say that truly evil people……..and they do exist……..have black souls.

If the soul is real and if it is so important, then the question comes up……..who does my soul belong to?

This is so terribly important……..because it colors how we run our lives. More importantly, whoever owns my soul effectively owns me……and can dispose of me and my soul as he sees fit.

What are the possibilities?

My soul belongs exclusively to:

Me
God
Satan
Nobody
Some other human
It doesn’t matter because it doesn’t exist.

I’ll start with the easiest and work up to the most important:

It doesn’t exist. I doubt that many people believe this except for a few deeply committed (and intellectually honest) secular humanists. This includes the belief that when you die, the lights just go out. Thus, this is not popular. But, it does free me……..to do whatever I want to do. And that freedom is the big attraction.

Some other human. Again, not a popular option. Even for the most ardent star crossed lovers, nobody believes that their life force belongs to another flawed person. When push comes to shove…..we simply don’t trust the other guy……..and his agenda. This is the domain of those who join “cults”.

Satan. History is replete with stories of people selling their souls to Satan. Where it gets interesting is this: since he owns your soul, he controls it and can do with it as he pleases……….so what will he do with it? Since Satan is a liar, I cannot tell you what he will do with the soul that he has purchased and neither can the person who has sold their soul. But, I suspect that it will not be pleasant.

Me. I own and control my soul. I direct it where I want it to go. It does my bidding. I bend it to satisfy my appetites. I define it so that I can do as I please. This is best summed up in “Invictus” by Henley. “I am the master of my fate…….I am the captain of my soul”. The only problem here is that the as the “master of my fate”…..we never seem to honestly deal with the final disposition of our soul…..when we die. Some dream up a paradise that conforms to their appetites. Others accept death as the end for our soul. This is the heart of secular humanism.

Nobody. Your soul is a completely independent entity. It operates by its own rules. Nobody controls it. Nobody tells it what it can or cannot do. Your soul dictates your every action directly or indirectly. Your soul could be wildly different from mine. In a way, we are captive to an inner motivating force……and so is the other guy. This accounts for much of the conflict in our culture.

God. This is the Christian perspective. God created me…..including my soul. He did this for his own purposes, which I do not claim to fully understand. He has expectations of me and has given me guidelines to use in my life. Depending on how I manage in this world……depending on how I follow God’s agenda…….. when I die, he will send my soul either to paradise or to hell.

Most people operate on a combination of the last three choices. Christians generally say God owns and has dominion over their souls. God has ultimate control over my soul…….and its disposition. Most secular humanists fall somewhere between self ownership and an independent soul. The key to the secular humanist perspective is that no outside being has ownership of and therefore control over his soul.

In the final analysis……it all comes down to one thing……control. Either the primary control of my being…..of my soul……. is internal……or it is external. Either God is in charge……or I am.

Either I run my world based on “love God….love man” or I run it based on “what I want”…….today.

I propose that “what I want” isn’t working very well.

I propose that love and its cousins…….trust and obey………will work better. That is God’s promise.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Jesus, ESV

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Solomon, ESV

do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus, ESV

Meet Elsie…….the happiest cow on the planet.

First, let me fill you in on the back story.

About 30 years ago, I was driving down the California coast and I passed a pasture full of cows. What made this memorable was that the pasture was on a prime piece of beachfront property. My first thought was, “what a waste of valuable land……there are people who would spend millions of dollars to live on that pasture”. My second thought was, “those are the luckiest cows in the world”. They have a view to kill for, they enjoy cool ocean breezes day and night, they are well fed, and they have a million dollar view. They are living “the life”. Elsie truly is the most contented cow on earth

Years later, I had an epiphany. Elsie’s future is in fact rather grim. In a year or so, someone will lead her into a truck, take her to a smelly building, hit her on the head with a hammer, grind her up into little pieces and turn her into “quarter-pounders”. Elsie gets up each day, munches on the grass, enjoys the sun and sea breezes, and puts on a few pounds. She doesn’t have a clue. In a word…….Elsie is oblivious.

So…….what’s the point?

In a country like America, there are millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of people who are in the same spot as Elsie. They get up each day, they are well fed, well clothed, and they have good shelter. They can get anything that they need and just about anything that they want.

And yet, just around the corner, a few years down the road, there is a destiny, a fate awaiting them……..a fate that makes Elsie’s fate pale in comparison.

And they give it no thought, they haven’t a clue.

They too are oblivious.

Maybe you are one of them. If you aren’t, then you know dozens of people who are. This post is a plea to those people.

If you have carefully evaluated the facts. If you have decided that human knowledge is complete…….that God, paradise, and hell are a myth, then this post isn’t for you.

If you have given the Bible some thought and decided that you don’t like the philosophy…….it’s narrow minded, judgemental, old fashioned. If you reject it because it tells you that some of the things that you like…….are wrong. Even worse, if you reject it because it conflicts with your politics……or your favorite talking head, then you really need to reconsider. Because, if the Bible is true………then the fact that you disapprove is utterly and completely irrelevant.

Finally, if you just never gave it any thought……if, like Elsie, you have just been enjoying the view……….you really owe it to yourself to carefully study Christianity.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus, ESV

“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ybarns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, aeat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

Jesus, ESV

I have always been troubled by David. He was obviously very important to God. He was one of the two or three most important leaders of Israel. And yet, he committed the two most despicable crimes that a man can commit…..marital infidelity and murder. Then, as you follow him through Psalms, over and over, he brags about his righteousness and calls death and damnation down on those who oppose him. He repeatedly gives God explicit instructions as to how he wants his political opponents destroyed. He does a lot of whining.

As Christians, we are constantly reminded of how God uses broken people to grow his kingdom………and yet David seems to be a special case.

My best attempt to reconcile David is to divide his life into 3 eras. The Shephard era, the empire building era, and the mature era. These three eras are so different that it’s almost like looking at three different men. And that, I think, is the key lesson of David’s life.

The Shepherd era:

David grows up in a family where he is clearly the bottom of the heap…….the runt of the litter. He is given the dirty thankless jobs while his brothers go off to war to win glory for themselves. This era ends with the Goliath episode where he distinguishes himself and catches the eye of the king.

The empire building era:

David flees from his enemies, Saul and Absalom, while building an army. He clearly develops leadership skills and a cadre of loyal followers. He wages war for years and establishes Israel as a legitimate regional power. And he commits adultery and murder. His tryst with Bathsheba founds the family line that leads to Jesus.

The mature era:

David settles in as king of Israel. He spends the rest of his life torn between praising God, whining, and calling death and damnation down on his foes.

David is a complicated guy…….and clearly deeply loved by, protected by, and used by God. By human standards, after Goliath, he deserves a promotion and a raise. After Bathsheba, he deserves a lightning bolt. Through his mature era, he is pretty much a typical politician……..with one exception. He steadfastly praises God, relies on God, and thanks God for his blessings.

So why does God like David so much?

There seem to be two themes here:

How you end is far more important to God………than how you began………than how you got here. God values your praise, dependence, and thanks today far more than yesterday’s screwups.

God’s mercy is bigger than you know. It is bigger than your biggest mistake. God’s mercy is not subject to 4th grade math. You can mess up 10,000 times and do one thing right and still experience the full measure of God’s mercy.

The key is to end like David. End your life praising God……worshipping God……..thanking God……..in a word, loving God.

Remember Dimas, the thief who repented on the cross beside Jesus. He too received the full measure of God’s mercy……..after a life of crime and sin.

Dimas is in paradise right now……..and a lot of really good people…….people who failed to end like David…….are not.

It is never too late.

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jesus, a conversation with 2 criminals during his crucifixion, ESV

Literature is full of lists:

The 25 best restaurants.
The 10 worst cars.
The greatest movies of all time.

But what about the most important event in human history?

I can say without question……..that it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The resurrection is a big deal for two reasons:

The first is that the resurrection validates the Bible, Jesus, God, and creation. The resurrection absolutely proves that Jesus is divine. This means that what Jesus says is literally the word of God. And Jesus endorses the Bible, the father, and the holy spirit as well as heaven and hell.

The second is that the resurrection divides the human experience into two mutually exclusive realms. Prior to the resurrection, there was the “law” and there was no durable remedy for the fact that we never could live up to the law. After the resurrection, mercy became available to us all. Sin could be fixed……..by anyone……at any time. Prior to the resurrection, paradise was effectively unobtainable. After the resurrection, paradise is ours for the asking.

And so………the most important event in human history…….is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this is why we celebrate Easter. I don’t know where the Easter bunny and all of the eggs came from……..probably the same place as Santa Claus. What I do know is that the resurrection, which we celebrate on Easter, completely redefines the human experience.

The only way to get around this………is to say that it never happened. Unfortunately, that also excludes God, creation, the holy spirit, heaven, and hell.

It’s a package deal. And the stakes are high.

Which brings us to the next “most important”.

The most important decision that you will ever make.

This decision is so important because it defines the reality that you are experiencing……and even more importantly…… the reality that awaits you.

The most important decision that you will ever make is this:

Did Jesus Christ die and then rise from the dead……..is Easter real………or just another phony holiday? Because, if the resurrection is real, all of your other important questions have been answered.

This would make a good meditation…….for Easter.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.

An angel in an empty tomb, ESV

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jesus, ESV

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus, ESV

It happens to all of us……just about every day. Something happens to us……someone does something…….or doesn’t do something. And we get angry. Sometimes we just sit and stew……..sometimes we act on our anger. We tell ourselves that we are seeking justice……or that we want to correct someone else’s behavior. But, the truth is, that, often, we just want to punish the other guy. We want to hurt him. Typically, we do this with words…….rarely with fists or weapons.

This week, I did something. I don’t believe that it was actually wrong. But, it enraged one of my neighbors. He walked 2 blocks out of his way to treat me to a “counseling session”. It was a very uncomfortable situation…….for me at least. This “counseling session” was very well crafted. It was delivered in a raised tone of voice and the subtext was…..”you are a complete moron”. It included a veiled threat of retaliation. I sensed that he was very skilled at doing this……..that he probably got a lot of practice. And I began to reflect on anger, my anger, and what it does to those around me. More importantly, I began to consider what my anger does………to me.

There are people who are just angry people. Fortunately, these people are rare. We generally arrange our lives to avoid them as much as possible. They often find themselves socially isolated and I bet that most of them don’t ever realize why. This post is not really about them. This post is about situational anger. Something happens that harms us…….or inconveniences us……..or offends our sensibilities………or, even worse, offends our politics……and we get angry. You can easily experience this…….just tune in Fox or CNN……..for about 3 minutes.

This situational anger is a hallmark of our contemporary culture. How we deal with it will shape our experience of life.

What to do?

The first and simplest step is to avoid the situations that trigger your anger. I generally avoid politically motivated TV networks……like Fox and CNN……even when I agree with what they are saying. Sometimes, however, this is just not possible. Perhaps your boss is one of those angry people and you really need the job…….or someone goes out of their way to confront you…….or to punish you for some misdeed……..real or perceived.

So……in spite of your best efforts, a situation develops……and you find yourself becoming angry. Here are some basic facts about anger:

Using anger to respond to the other guys anger NEVER works.

Using anger to promote an idea that you are committed to NEVER works.

It is not possible to be angry…….and happy……at the same time.

Anger will shorten your life.

Every minute that you spend angry is lost forever……..each angry minute is effectively subtracted from your life.

Your anger at your fellow man distances you from God.

Anger defeats Christianity’s second rule: “love your fellow man”.

From a practical point of view, I have decided to try to use the “Meltzer filter”. Before I speak, I will ask myself……is this thing that I am about to say……. true, kind, necessary, and helpful.

After a week of trying this, I find that I don’t say nearly as much as I used to.

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

James, ESV

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus, ESV

Christians get a lot of bad press.

Some of it is because we have enemies. I can think of a long running TV crime drama that typically portrays Christians as violent, mean spirited, rule obsessed, homophobic, angry bigots. One episode even featured a serial rapist whose name was Dr. Byron Marks. How they chose me…….I haven’t a clue. Many of our enemies dislike us because of what we believe. I can live with that……..In fact, I will wear it as a badge of honor.

But there is a problem.

The first part of the problem is this:

Many people dislike us………because of what we say and do.

We bring a lot of the antipathy on ourselves.

You don’t have to look too hard to find a Christian speaking out against…….criticizing…….someone else because of what they say or do. This criticism is typically directed at someone who is violating one of the rules in the Bible. Last week’s post deals with the unpardonable crime of telling someone that they are wrong. If you haven’t read it, you might chase it down.

Let’s face it, the Bible has a lot of rules…….and many of them interfere with the pursuit of our appetites…….the pursuit of short term pleasure. In a secular humanist culture, these rules are not popular……neither is the speed limit in my subdivision.

As Christians, we follow a God who restricts our appetites and our pursuit of short term pleasure……..but, we live in a culture that does not.

Let me repeat that…..

As Christians, we follow a God who restricts our appetites and our pursuit of short term pleasure……..but, we live in a culture that does not.

It is no wonder that the culture doesn’t like us. The harder we push restrictive rules, the harder the culture pushes back. Please don’t get me wrong…….these rules are good and true. Furthermore, they are God’s rules. The fact that the culture may not like some of them……the fact that even you or I may not like some of them……..is irrelevant.

If I am following God’s teaching in the Bible…….God’s rules…..and you don’t like what I am doing……..then you have a problem……..with God, not me. And that is a big problem……..even bigger than climate change.

This brings us to the second part of the problem:

We are charged with the responsibility of bringing others into the faith. And that is hard to do when we antagonize them.

What to do?

When in doubt………read the instructions.

The Bible is very clear on the solution to this dilemma……and the solution is right there……..in the rules.

Love God…..Love man.

Rules #1and #2.

When I find myself butting heads with the culture…….if I am to succeed as a Christian……the first and foremost thing that the culture must sense…….the most important thing that I must demonstrate……….is my love. All of the other rules stand……..but they must be secondary to love.

If you find yourself beating someone up over a rule…….and you are not clearly showing them your love………you are wrong. You need to go back and restudy the “owner’s manual”.

Love…….this is the tool for successfully confronting our secular humanist culture. Love is devastatingly effective at disarming an attack from the culture. It is “the nuclear option”. Only the most committed attacker will continue to come after you when you respond with love……and you probably weren’t going to win him over anyway.

So……stop wasting your time pounding the culture with the rules………just show them your love………God’s love.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus, ESV

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.

Solomon, ESV

Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid

Bernard Meltzer

“No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”

Theodore Roosevelt.

In our modern society, one of the worst things that you can do is to tell someone that something that they have done, or even worse, something that they are still doing…………is wrong. You can call an idea wrong and you will meet a lot of pushback. But, if you call a behaviour wrong, you will face an entirely different level of hostility. Tell someone that their belief in God is misguided and you will likely enter a spirited debate. Tell someone that it is wrong for two men to have sex and you will face name calling and may even be ostracised socially or have your business……..or even your state boycotted.

Even obviously wrong behaviors like looting a store are becoming……..ok……tolerated……….not wrong. Shoplifting less than $900 is, in many jurisdictions, not prosecuted. Rioters looting stores are rarely pursued. Wrecking Portland is a legitimate form of public discourse. Some politicians even verbally give the rioters a pass……….or post their bail.

We are entering an era where the realm of behaviors that are “wrong” is shrinking. We are, slowly, one offense at a time, removing the very idea of wrong from our world. The internet and the media are leading the charge.

I’m getting a little too close to politics here……I apologize. I’ll get to the point.

Calling out wrong behavior………and the guilt it causes……is becoming socially unacceptable.

To take it one step further, feeling guilty…….or worse, making the other guy feel guilty………is becoming more wrong……….than being wrong.

I think that there is a link here…….between wrong behavior, guilt, redemption, and secular humanism. If guilt is a bad thing……..and wrong behavior causes guilt………..then if we can eliminate the idea of wrong behavior, we no longer need to suffer from guilt. Without guilt we no longer need forgiveness.

To take it one step further……..if we do something wrong…….if we are guilty…….we need forgiveness……..and we need to change. But, if there is no wrong……….there is no guilt……..there is no need for forgiveness. And if there is no need for forgiveness……….there is no need for Jesus………or God for that matter. So……..if we can completely eliminate wrong……..if we can define it out of existence……….then we can eliminate guilt and confidently take charge of the world. We can get out from under the thumb of God……..and all of those rules……..all of those wrong things that restrict us………that make us feel bad when we do them.

In order for man to be the ultimate ruler of the universe, we must either be perfect………or we must bring our vision of perfect into alignment with our condition and our appetites. We must either do what is right …….or redefine what right is……..until it agrees with our appetites………until the things that are wrong……….become right.

We don’t talk about it……..but eliminating the concept of “wrong” is a central requirement of the theology of secular humanism.

In a Christian world, right and wrong, are defined externally…….by God. Objective right and wrong guide our appetites and actions. In a secular humanist world, our appetites and actions guide our definition of right and wrong. Right and wrong become whatever we need them to be in the moment.

In an increasingly secular humanist world, self actualization, our rights, our appetites, our entitlements………..are becoming more important than right and wrong. These ideas are not, in themselves, evil……….. but they cannot define right and wrong.

In a Christian world, wrong leads to guilt, which leads to repentance, which leads to forgiveness, which leads to growth. Secular humanism rejects guilt…….and in the process discards wrong……….and Christianity with it.

The progressive elimination of wrong puts us on a slippery slope. When we turn something wrong into something right, we make it easier to turn something even wronger into something right.

We are like the frog in the pan of ever hotter water………sitting there until we cook.

So……the challenge for us is this:

Pick an act that is OK today but that wasn’t OK 50 years ago:

Sitting in front of your TV for one evening and watching 10 or 20 killings and 10 or 20 thinly veiled sexual encounters.

3000 abortions……today.

Parents turning the socialization of our kids over to the internet.

Government that turns a blind eye to crime.

Are these things really right………or is the water getting warmer?

Wrong causes guilt…..and guilt causes pain. But pain is what tells us to get out of the pan of hot water.

Christianity tells us to get out of the pan. Secular humanism tells us that the water really isn’t that hot.

in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

Paul. ESV

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

James, ESV

I want to spend a little more time this week on the transition from the temporal world to the spiritual world. If you are new, you might want to read my last few posts.

I’m a Christian. I believe in Jesus and have accepted his gift of forgiveness……a gift that I didn’t earn and that I don’t deserve. I am going to paradise when I die. That may not be what I deserve. It may not be fair……or just…….but that is how God’s grace and mercy work.

So……picture this:

I’m in paradise, driving down the road, on my way to worship, in my car……….a ’67 Camaro SS (sky blue with white rally stripes, 4 speed, and a loud exhaust). Hey, this is paradise after all. Some teenage kid blows through a stoplight at 80 mph. I slam on the brakes and barely miss a collision. As he zooms off on his merry way. I mutter under my breath, “G.. D… F…… A……” Then I head on off to church.

That doesn’t sound right does it? Forget the kid. My behavior in this situation is not at all what heaven will be like. And yet, in the last year…….in this temporal world…….I’m sure that I have done something similar…….if not worse. And I have done it over and over.

Road rage in paradise.

There is only one logical conclusion to this conundrum.

In my current condition……..I do not belong in paradise.

I do not belong in paradise………and yet, that is where I am headed. These two ideas are incompatible. This situation calls for a fix, because I don’t believe for a minute that road rage will be a part of the landscape in paradise. I don’t believe for one minute that paradise will be modified to suit my temper……or lack of control over it.

No…….the fix is that I will be changed…….transformed into the kind of man that Jesus is looking for. You too will be “fixed”. This will probably be one of our first experiences in paradise.

The fix will be different for each of us. For some, it will be a minor tuneup……….for others it will be earthshaking. It will be permanent. The process may very well be uncomfortable……if not painful. But…….the result will be satisfying and it will feel good……..because we will return to the condition that we were created for……..because we will finally be the men and women that we were meant to be. I can’t tell you what this will feel like, because I can’t even imagine it. We have fallen so far away from our original purpose…….our true identity…….that we can’t even see it from here.

But, I know this……..it will be right. It will be so right that it is worth making changes for……worth making sacrifices for….today…..in order to experience it. This could require some hard work….on my part. So…….I might as well get started now.

To do that, I need to start asking myself some questions:

“Is what I am doing, saying, or thinking………right now…….something that will fit in……..something that will be appropriate……..in paradise?”

And

“Is there a better choice for me today, here, in this broken world……..a choice that will be more compatible with my future home?

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul, ESV

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

John, describing paradise, ESV

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Jesus, ESV

In a recent post, I compared our temporal world with God’s spiritual world. These two worlds are clearly different. Today I want to develop that a bit more. Specifically, I want to explore the interface…..the transition…..between the temporal and the spiritual worlds.

We all believe in death. Most of us believe in an afterlife. As a Christian, I believe in the paradise described in the Bible. The dominant religions…….Islam, Judaism, and Christianity………agree in general that paradise is real. In that vein, my Bible reading from yesterday is causing me some trouble. I ran across a line that jumped out at me. Jesus is talking about getting rid of things that might be problematic after we die. He gives several examples of removing a body part that is incompatible with paradise.

This is repeated three times…….so it is very important.

The lesson is this: paradise is so important that it is worth making a big temporal sacrifice to reach an eternal spiritual paradise.

“if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.”

Jesus, ESV

This is clearly a metaphor. Jesus is not looking for a bunch of one-eyed Christians.

The passage that I’m struggling with follows these three metaphors. It jumps out at me because it just doesn’t seem to fit.

“Everyone will be salted with fire “

Jesus, ESV

It is important………because Jesus said it.

The first point is that whatever this transition at death process is……it will be universal……..nobody gets a pass……whether you are a believer…….or not.

Salt is good. It adds flavor, it preserves, it is essential for life. It is repeatedly used in the Bible as a metaphor for correct Christian living. We are taught to be the salt of the earth. To extend the metaphor, paradise………and everyone in it…….. will be “salty”. This is different from this temporal world and that implies a change…….a transition.

Fire?………not so much. Fire is destructive. It is painful……sometimes lethal. In specific applications it is useful. One of those is purification. We use it to cook our food and destroy germs. We use it to refine metals. In this verse, “fire” is the tool……the vehicle…….of transition………of purification.

When will this salting occur? It could be during our earthly lives. I can say that many events in my life have felt like being “salted with fire”. But, most people think that this will occur at or after our death.

“Everyone will be salted with fire”………..purified with fire.

What troubles me is the specifics of the process of purification by fire. Is this real fire that we must pass through to reach paradise……..sort of “hell light”……..AKA purgatory? Or is this purely metaphorical……..we walk into the light, meet Jesus and, in the blink of an eye, all of the bad that is in us………every last one of us…….is gone.

Or is it something in between?

I don’t know. Even the major religions can’t agree.

The lesson that I can take from this is that I will be a very different man……in paradise……..from the man I am now. There are many things that are a part of my life……every day…….that will have no place in paradise. And that transition…..that purification……..will be uncomfortable…….possibly even painful……..whether the “fire” is literal or metaphorical.

What to do?

It’s pretty basic. If I can begin the transition…….the purification…….now, at age 69, the adjustment at my death will be less of a shock.

I will, of course, fail. I doubt that I will come close to cleaning out every corner of my life. But every cobweb that I can knock down now will mean less “fire” later.

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false

John, ESV

For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

Peter, ESV

Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

Paul, ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

God, ESV

In one of the more surprising passages in the Bible, Jesus is talking to Peter……..his lead apostle……the man upon whom he intends to found his church. Peter and Paul, after Jesus himself, will soon become the most important pillars in the foundation of the Christian faith.

Jesus calls Peter “Satan”.

This is shocking behavior for Jesus. With the exception of running the merchants out of the temple, I can think of no other episode where Jesus was angry and aggressive. No doubt Peter was shocked and probably deeply hurt. The essence of this statement is that Jesus is calling Peter……..an enemy. That Jesus would act this way to someone whom he clearly thought a lot of………someone he loved………indicates that this episode contains some very important teaching, not just for Peter……but for us. In fact, it is one of the most important lessons of the entire Bible. Jesus hits Peter with it……..right between the eyes.

And here it is:

There are two worlds……a temporal world which is ours to do with as we please……..and a spiritual world over which we have absolutely no control. One world in which we are at the top of the pyramid………one world in which we are at the bottom. Things of man……and things of God. These worlds are drastically different. They operate on different assumptions. They operate on different rules. They operate on radically different hierarchies. And we must choose…….just as Jesus demanded that Peter choose. We cannot operate by the rules of the temporal world and expect to fit into the spiritual world. Many of us try to force our temporal rules onto the spiritual world……..but this is futile…….not to mention dishonest……because we have no authority in the spiritual world. We can apply the rules of the spiritual world to improve the temporal world…….but the rules of the temporal world are not valid in the spiritual world.

The ministry and teaching of Jesus can be divided into two areas……..he explains the spiritual world and how it works…….he teaches us how to live in our temporal world by using the spiritual world as a guide.

Why is this teaching so important?

Because the spiritual world is more real…….more important than the temporal world. The spiritual world is eternal and is perfected…….as opposed to our temporal world which is constrained by time and is clearly imperfect. Jesus is so emphatic with Peter, because he wants Peter’s priorities to be correct. He wants Peter…..and you and me as well…….to align our actions, our thoughts, and our appetites with the permanent, perfected, eternal, spiritual world. If we strive toward that we will soon reach that spiritual world, and, as a side effect, we can improve our broken, temporary, temporal world.

But what if we fail? Relax……because we already have failed and will continue to fail. But, our failures are limited to the temporal world. At the cross, our failures are forgotten. The spiritual world is unaffected by what we have done here.

Jesus demands that Peter align his life with the spiritual world.

He demands no less of me…….and you.

But he (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Jesus, ESV

he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Paul, ESV

As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Paul, ESV

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul, ESV

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus, ESV