Trinity and Humanity

Here’s an encouraging thought: because of Jesus you will live forever. St. Paul says:

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. ~ 1 Cor. 15:22

So, it’s not that we won’t die – we will, because of Adam. What’s encouraging is that – like Jesus – we won’t stay dead. When the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, became human he changed what it means to be human. Adam is not the definition of what human beings are, Jesus is the definition. And Jesus lives forever.

I suppose eternal life might seem encouraging if you’re happy and frightening if you’re not happy.

The question is, why aren’t you happy? If you’re not happy because you’re sick, or homeless, or being tortured for being a Christian, then the good news is that eternal life in the resurrection of Jesus won’t include these pains. So, it should be very encouraging to us in the midst of such suffering to know that our problems won’t last forever but we will.

If you’re not happy because you hate people, or are greedily trying to get more bling, or think the world is out to get you, then the prospect of eternal life doesn’t seem too appealing. That’s the downside, you might say. Jesus isn’t interested in controlling your mind. So you could use the freedom he’s given you to be miserable in the eternal life that Jesus is sharing with you.

And yet, as with everything in the life of the Trinity, there’s a silver lining to that cloud too.

You might be miserable but as long as you’re alive there’s always hope: there’s always hope that you’ll stop hating people and be content with the bling you’ve been given. And since Jesus has made sure that you’ll always be alive then there’s always hope.

So I stand by my original statement: even if we’re unhappy right now it is still encouraging to know that, because of Jesus, we will live forever.

~ Jonathan Stepp