In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives us some insight into heaven. Heaven is a place and we will receive new, resurrection bodies and live forever as a result of putting our faith in Christ. Our new bodies will be spiritual, with different physical properties than our earthly bodies; they will be imperishable and immortal. In John 14, Jesus tells us that there are many rooms in His father's house, that He is going to prepare a place for us and will take us to be with Him. In verse 6, Jesus tells us "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Believing in heaven is not wishful thinking. Jesus insisted heaven is real and He promised heaven to all who believe in him. Our confidence in heaven is based on the historical evidence of the way Jesus Christ lived, talked, died, and rose from the dead. It tells us that He is credible, trustworthy and reliable. There's no scientific evidence that heaven exists but there's also a tremendous amount of reality that isn't scientifically verifiable.
1 Corinthians 15 further tells us that death is the last enemy and that death has been defeated by Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection. When we were created, God did not have death in mind; he had eternal life in mind for us. Life is the path to eternity, either eternal life with God (heaven) or separation from God (hell).
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Pastor Cliffe Knechtle
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Revelations 21 gives the account of John's vision of heaven. He saw a new heaven and a new earth with God dwelling with men. God will "wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Heaven is the expression of God's presence, his peace, ultimate rule and His character being good. God really does love us and delights in giving us good gifts. In heaven, we'll be with God and with His generosity, unmerited love, and unconditional forgiveness. He will give us a degree of joy and fulfillment that will be incredible.
When we understand heaven, we'll understand that morality is not relative, that goodness is a moral absolute. We'll understand that justice and compassion are the root of God's character and that He created us to live lives of justice, compassion and mercy. We want to be working to better use all that God has given us to bring heaven's values to this life and make this world like heaven is going to be. Our lives are not a pathway to the grave but rather a pathway to eternity.
Summary submitted by Karen Walsh
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