Yes. That's why we see in the New Testament that Pharisees believed in an afterlife but Sadducees did not. That disagreement was raised several times in the gospels and Acts.
Upvote
0
Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
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?
I agree. But the ideas probably developed in the period after the OT.Yes. That's why we see in the New Testament that Pharisees believed in an afterlife but Sadducees did not. That disagreement was raised several times in the gospels and Acts.
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"
That's a good idea in principle, but the NT statements allow multiple interpretations. Although most CF readers won't agree, I think that's because the NT writers didn't have any one, specific view of what would happen. As a result it's very easy to find apparent support for lots of views, certainly including the traditional Christian one. I'm afraid saying "back to the NT" won't solve much in that situation.But some of the pagan conceptions of it have crept into christian thought and so we need to get back to the New Testament on it.
...hypothetically speaking if heaven and hell were put aside, would you still follow Jesus?
...Would you be a Christian if there was no afterlife?
What a great question! I love questions that make me think deeply. I read this yesterday and I thought about my answer. I came to the conclusion that I would still be a Christian because Christianity is about doing the right thing. We sinned against God. Eternal life is a fruit, a consequence of admitting our wrongdoings. We get to ask for forgiveness to make things right. Having a chance to admit we did wrong and receive and accept His forgiveness is a gift and an honor we get to experience here on earth.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"
God doesn't just tell you to love your neighbor and love God though, there are some people God says "be steadfast in the faith unto death" That is, literally lose your head for what you believe.Yes, because the way of life that Jesus taught is the right way to live.
That's a good idea in principle, but the NT statements allow multiple interpretations. Although most CF readers won't agree, I think that's because the NT writers didn't have any one, specific view of what would happen. As a result it's very easy to find apparent support for lots of views, certainly including the traditional Christian one. I'm afraid saying "back to the NT" won't solve much in that situation.
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"
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"
The answer is yes, but Christianity without an afterlife basically ends up as a theologically based Existentialism / Stoicism...
Ok, I guess I get your point. You and I have been talking past each other. Sorry about that.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.
I hope we are not 'talking past each other' here. But Romans 9 says, "..not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring." When he says, "...and so all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:26) he is talking about the Church, the Body of Christ, ALL of the Elect --not just Jews.
National Israel of the Old Testament no doubt had advantages over the other nations, but none that I know of exceed the blessings the Gentile believers enjoy now.
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.
Would I be a vegetarian if meat didn't exist?
Can I be a married bachelor?
Is non-stamp collecting a hobby?
That's a good idea in principle, but the NT statements allow multiple interpretations. Although most CF readers won't agree, I think that's because the NT writers didn't have any one, specific view of what would happen. As a result it's very easy to find apparent support for lots of views, certainly including the traditional Christian one. I'm afraid saying "back to the NT" won't solve much in that situation.
The answer is yes, but Christianity without an afterlife basically ends up as a theologically based Existentialism / Stoicism, or maybe even Judeo-Christian Confucianism.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?