Would you be a Christian if there was no afterlife?

[Mark Quayle]

We're talking about if there is no afterlife which would mean no resurrection.
so in that hypothetical situation, Jesus would just be dead.
To be fair, it's kinda whataboutism, but at the same time I do understand what they OP means in that asking for people's motivations in following Christ.
But I do think it's a bit unfair
I think everyone seeks after Christ but also wants to have joy themselves as well.
Nobody's saying "well if Jesus thinks the best place I can serve Him is by being in hell burning forever then that's what I'll do"
Not having a resurrection, or afterlife or new heaven and new earth where God dwells among us .. it changes the entire relationship with God and to a point, that kind of world would be a different character of God, a God that is not our God as we know Him, a God that could be considered cruel, demanding people do harsh things in life and suffer for His sake and offers nothing in return except nonexistence.
Why would I love and follow that God?

Of Course, but that wasn't the force of the OP. The question was meant (I think) something along the lines of whether this life is worth living for Christ on its own merits.

 

[section9+1]

No. I am not into Christianity for the sake of the world.

 

[Mark Quayle]

No. I am not into Christianity for the sake of the world.

That isn't what I said, but then, maybe you weren't answering me.

 

[PloverWing]

Yes, because the way of life that Jesus taught is the right way to live.

 

[section9+1]

That isn't what I said, but then, maybe you weren't answering me.

I wasn't.

 

[Jesus is YHWH]

Without the resurrection, we are to be most pitied of humans.

Amen its the core of the Gospel and proof of His teachings were the truth. And He taught so much about the afterlife and the kingdom of heaven and what it will be like in the Resurrection when there will be no more death, sin, sorrow but everlasting bliss with God.

 

[hedrick]

Yet hope is at the heart of the Christian Faith.

Sure, but that wasn't the question. If there's no eternal life there are a number of problems. The one I mentioned in my answer is that Jesus thought there was eternal life, and his idea of the present Kingdom was a foretaste of the eternal one. If he was wrong, then it's hard to see how his teachings have much authority.

But that wasn't the question. It was whether the Christian life is worth it apart from eternal life. I believe it is, and that people who just endure being Christian to get eternal life are missing something.

 

[Jesus is YHWH]

Sure, but that wasn't the question. If there's no eternal life there are a number of problems. The one I mentioned in my answer is that Jesus thought there was eternal life, and his idea of the present Kingdom was a foretaste of the eternal one. If he was wrong, then it's hard to see how his teachings have much authority.

But that wasn't the question. It was whether the Christian life is worth it apart from eternal life. I believe it is, and that people who just endure being Christian to get eternal life are missing something.

I think it all boils down to the golden rule, ethics, morals etc.........

Whether one wants to live for self ( our culture ) or for God.

Even Paul was motivated by rewards and used sports analogies and the competitive nature of the athlete to illustrate his point as an incentive in the Christian life.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Amen its the core of the Gospel and proof of His teachings were the truth. And He taught so much about the afterlife and the kingdom of heaven and what it will be like in the Resurrection when there will be no more death,sin,sorrow but everlastiong bliss with God.

If Christianity was reduced to a mere moralism, it would indeed empty the cross of all of its power.

The power needs to be there, or it isn't real.

 

[Don Maurer]

...The Old Testament has very little to say about what happens in the afterlife. Yet throughout the OT many worshipped and served God, even to the point of execution.

The Hebrew Scriptures has references to SHEOL, and other references to the afterlife. It was by these means that the Pharisees had doctrines of the afterlife. The Sadducees rejected the Prophets and the doctrine of the afterlife. The NT is much more specific on the nature of the afterlife.

So hypothetically speaking if heaven and hell were put aside, would you still follow Jesus?

Are you asking
---- if just the information about the afterlife is gone?
-----or is the afterlife itself gone?

With either question, I would say that I would believe not matter what, because faith is caused by regeneration. We accept the information of the cross and the Christian world view because of the work of God in us, not by our own wisdom, information, or any of our own abilities. Faith is then dependent upon an act of the Holy Spirit upon my inner man and not anything in myself. While faith is my own, without the grace of God given to me to believe, I would not be capable of faith. It is God who irresistibly draws (John 6:44).

However, on the other hand, the bible would still have a fairly large world view. There would still be original sin and personal sin. I would still owe obedience to God as creator, and the only path to victory over sin would be the shed blood of Christ. With eternity, God would still revealed himself as creator, but would that be a complete world view? I would then begin to wonder about the justice of God. I would wonder about the ultimate victory of God over sin and death. I would wonder about the purpose of creation itself. If there is no heaven, or hell, then who would there be to receive the revelation of the glorious manifestation of his attributes in eternity future. Would there really be any purpose in creation itself? Without eternity future occurring, creation itself becomes dust in the wind and vanity. I think the concept of the judgement and eternity future is needed to have a complete Christian world view.

I suspect that you were thinking more in terms of this... "If your not going to get a reward, is it worth it." That seem like a sort of thinking like "free Hershey's chocolate for all and no belly ache." I guess the truth is, unless God himself is the reward, the future will be quite empty anyway. It is God I want to see and know.

 

[aiki]

I understand about the end. But tha end is not all there is. Aside from the afterlife, this life is better lived in righteousness.

But the one who has embarked upon a life of wicked selfishness that he finds deeply gratifying and intensely pleasurable (as sin often is) will have a different view. He will scoff at your thinking, strengthened in his derision by the fact that no matter how he - or you - live, you both end up at the same place. You would seem a fool to such a man, wasting the short time you have on this planet in religious self-sacrifice, rather than maximizing your pleasure.

As I said, for the man who is to be hanged in the morning, is eating a healthy, nourishing final meal rather than cake and ice cream or a bucket of fried chicken, a better way to live? It's very hard to see how.

 

[RaymondG]

I decided to reword this.

The Old Testament has very little to say about what happens in the afterlife. Yet throughout the OT many worshipped and served God, even to the point of execution. So hypothetically speaking if heaven and hell were put aside, would you still follow Jesus?

Answers could be something like "no way, I'm just in this because I don't want to fry" or "yes I would continue to follow Jesus no matter what" to "as long as the church serves coffee and doughnuts, I'm in"

There is no afterlife, yet i still serve and follow Christ.

Christ has delivered us from the bondage of sin and death. When we know the truth and walk therein....we pass from death to life....and death no longer exists......making null and void the term "after life."

Therefore let the dead continue to bury the dead, and those that would enter into life, life forever, and never die..... For today it the day of salvation....not tomorrow...not after death.

"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

 

[RaymondG]

Well what I'm looking for is people's motivation for being a Christian. Is it just to stay out of hell and get into heaven?

Indeed. Most of my religious walk was based entirely on selfishness.....Being good and giving 10% to stop myself from burning forever. If you get in my way, i must rebuke you because no one is going to stop me from reaching heaven.......Keep your earthly riches, because you will burn and the riches i receive in heaven will be much greater than your riches here. I would look at those headed to hell, and shake my head, being glad that i am not like those sinners over there. I would tell you the gospel and if you didnt believe what I said, I would shake the dust off may feet, let you know you are going to hell, and continue on my path to heaven.

I know now that this was all folly......and the ones I preached against, may have been closer to God, than I ever was....in that state.

If you love yourself more than you love the least of the "others," you know, not, the love of God....

 

[Yoko.52]

Yes.
Not because it's a more convenient lifestyle...or even easier.

But because it is good.

Nobody else has the lock on what is good except for Christianity.

I would disagree, there are good people of every race and religion. Saying your Christian does not make you good. And saying only Christians can be good or know what is good is arrogance of highest caliber. Its like saying one race is superior to the other.

 

[RDKirk]

I know about those promises. Israel, as a nation did receive certain promises other nations did not. I don't think that is what we are talking about though.

Still, if we as individuals belong to Christ, obedience still produces the same rewards Israel was promised as individuals.

No, it doesn't. For instance under the law of Moses, a Jew could not be held indebted or enslaved for more than seven years. And every fifty years, all land would revert to the original owners, so nobody could build generational wealth by exploiting other Jews. Jews in Israel under the Mosaic Law had very specific promises for life that Christians have never been given.

 

[RDKirk]

But that wasn't the question. It was whether the Christian life is worth it apart from eternal life. I believe it is, and that people who just endure being Christian to get eternal life are missing something.

That makes Christianity no different from Stoicism (which Christianity does look much like from the outside).

Why not simply be a Stoic and skip what would then be specious theological mumbo-jumbo about a dead man named Jesus? Why not simply be a Buddhist? The Buddha said some good things, too.

 

[RaymondG]

God saved me so that is my motivation.

Do you have salvation as this very moment? If so, what have you been saved from, or out of?

 

[Jesus is YHWH]

Do you have salvation as this very moment? If so, what have you been saved from, or out of?

I was saved in 1980 and remember that day as if it were yesterday.

Galatians 5:19-26
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

I once lived continually in the acts of the flesh, could not escape them no matter how much I tried. God saved me in 1980 as I pleaded with Him to forgive me for all my horrible sins and the way I treated others. I was a hater, one who used and abused drugs, a fornicator, abusive speech, behavior, fits of rage getting into fights all the time. I didn't like school/college and hated to read. I wanted nothing whatsoever to do with God and in fact was internationally running from Him. My mother was a believer as was my future mother in law. They would preach at me but I had no interest.

That evening I was born again by Gods Spirit. I knew something happened to me as I desired to seek God through His word. I couldn't put the bible down. I started going to church to learn about Jesus with my future mother in law. I no longer hated people but felt shame for all the harm I had caused to others. My hate was replaced with love for others, I quit drinking and drugs immediately. I was experiencing the fruit of the spirit in my life. For the first time I had real peace, joy and self control as I sought Jesus and learned about the Christian life. I was discipled one on one with the Pastor and joined a small group bible study. That has not changed for me since 1980. I read and study His word daily and have continued to witness to others and have led many people to the Lord through witnessing how God had changed my life through the miracle of the new birth. God had changed my life completely and I had done a 180* turn around in the opposite direction.

God promises Eternal Life as per 1 John 5:11-13. I believed Gods word and His promises. My faith and security is in Him alone and when I do stumble or sin I'm immediately convicted of my sin and repent.

We had a big blow out and we were over, I had promised many times I would get my anger under control, drug and alcohol as well. I use to get drunk and look for fights with anyone and everyone. She had broken up with me a few times before but I always talked my way back and made promises I would be different this time. Well finally my anger got the best of me and the worst of her and I won't go into details but I physically abused her and I knew it was over and I had lost who I loved most in my life.

I knew about Jesus and there were always alter calls at those seminars I had gone to over the years but I never went forward because I did not want to be a hypocrite, I was not willing to give up my life and I knew that was a requirement.

So that evening in my bedroom I was a broken young man who not only ruined my life, but her life and her families, my families because they loved her and my mother and her mother had become friends.

I wept like never before , humbled myself before the Lord and pleaded with Him to forgive me of all the horrible things I had done to others over the years. I asked Him to come into my life and change me because I know I was a complete failure and did not have the power or the will to change my life. That night Jesus gave me a new heart, new desires and my hatred for others became love for them. I started reading my bible because I actually had the desire to know Jesus and be His disciple and serve Him the rest of my days. I no longer had the desire for alcohol or drugs. My only desire was to know Him and to obey Him.

From that day until now I have studied His word every day and have not stopped. I prayed for her salvation and I started to go to church with her mother who forgave me for the horrible thing I did to her daughter. I became friends with the pastor and he mentored me and we would take walks and run together a few times a week. I was a quick learner and was a student of Gods word. I became an active member at that church.

About a year later she called me out of the blue for she had been told by several mutual friends and family that I had really changed this time and I was a different person than she knew. So we started hanging out and I was witnessing to her and after a few months she gave her life to Christ and we started dating again. Fast forward we married in 85.

We have 4 adult children who all serve the Lord in ministry as missionaries, children’s director, associate and youth pastor and professional Christian musician on Klove.

God has truly blessed my family beyond what I could ever imagined. I've seen the Lord answer so many prayers over the past 40 plus years that I could write page after page of His faithfulness in our lives.

hope this helps !

 

[Blade]

Not the kind of qu

Well what I'm looking for is people's motivation for being a Christian. Is it just to stay out of hell and get into heaven?

We do know that no matter how one comes to Christ (He does the pulling at the heart) He will never turn away. I was like 9 or so when the Baptist Preacher preached about hell and that next week I dreamed about hell and come that next Sunday gave my life to Christ haha.

For me reading His word it just came to life and the love mercy grace ..oh the compassion Christ is.. I wanted that. To be like Him. And the Father and the sweet sweet holy Spirit. I thank Him for everything He wants to bless me with but not looking for some home...nothing. Motivation..to be like Him. To give Him all the glory to shine so people see only Him

 

[DragonFox91]

I have a question related to the OP:

I'm aware the OT does mention little of the afterlife, but did the Hebrews pass anything orally or anything not in the OT on about the afterlife?