When we are facing an extremely important decision, we have a phrase to describe it:

Life and Death

This is, in terms of real world application, the very essence of the idea of “important”.

Life is pretty straightforward, we do it all day, every day. Whether we do it well……or poorly……..we all have a clear understanding of what it means to be alive.

Death, on the other hand, is a much more slippery idea.

I’m 71 years old. Death is close. I spend a lot of time thinking about death. Every day I sense something in my body. And I wonder……is this the beginning……..of death?

So…..today, I want to explore death.

It turns out that there are two critical questions that we must each sort out regarding death:

Is death real…..does it even exist?

What is death……or non-death…..like?

I’ll tackle the easy possibilities first.

Death is real and when it occurs, the lights just go out. Death is nothing…….dead…..black…..nothing. No part of what is “you” goes on. The implication of these two possible facts is that this life is all that you have…….all that you will ever have. So…..live it up.

“Eat, drink and be merry……for tomorrow you will die.”

Ecclesiastes 8:15, and Isaiah 22:13

This is pretty much how most Americans, Christians and non-believers alike, practice the art of life. It is a life that is, at once, both exhilarating……..and grim.

And then come the hard possibilities:

Death is not real.

and

What is this “non-death” like?

Question One:

Death is not real. I know……I know. You are asking, “what is this guy smoking?” Bear with me. What I mean is that physical death is not the end of our existence. Rather, it is a transition from one type of life to another type of life. The details of this second phase of life……this Act II……are not entirely clear. But, it will last forever. And that means that what goes on after our non-death is infinitely more important than what we do before our non-death.

Question Two:

If death is not real, then what is our non-death like? Now we get to the heavy lifting. There are several dominant philosophies that deal with the subject of non-death. I am a Christian so what follows is pulled from the teachings of Jesus……and others…….in the Bible. Much of the language used in the Bible is symbolic; but, the central theme is crystal clear. After your non-death, you will transition to a life that is endless. That life will either be very nice…..or unspeakably bad.

But which?

This brings us to the greatest misconception in Christianity.

Good people go to paradise….bad people go to hell.

NOT TRUE…… this is what most Christians believe; but, this is not what Christianity teaches……it never was.

Christianity teaches that the people in paradise will be fallen people…..sinners……who have been forgiven. The people in hell will be fallen people…..sinners…….who have rejected God’s forgiveness. These two groups of people will score about the same on the scale of goodness. Being good is a positive side effect of forgiveness. But, being a good person is not your ticket to paradise.

The great irony is that we get to choose what follows our non-death. You get to choose your fate.

Accept Jesus’s free gift of forgiveness. The rest will follow.

That’s it……you’re done.

As it turns out Henley, in spite of himself, was right in the poem “Invictus”

And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

Jesus, explaining death from God’s perspective,
Luke 20: 38, ESV

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Jesus explaining life, non-death, paradise, and hell,
Luke 16: 19-31,ESV

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When I was a young man, I dated a young woman for a short time. She was a serious “born again” Christian…..and I was not. She was nice, truthful, kind, etc. The only problem was her faith. It terrified me. I could see that Christianity was going to get in the way of my plans. So I broke it off. We talked about important stuff. I once asked her what was her greatest desire.

Her answer…….wisdom.

At the time, wisdom would not have made my top 10. Looking back…..she was well on her way and I was not.

Wisdom is funny stuff. It is arguably the most important contributor to a successful, satisfying life. It is readily available. And, best of all, it is free. Yet, many of us fail to pursue it.

And that leads to the big question.

Why?

Why did I ignore something so valuable, so readily accessible, so inexpensive, for so many years? Why don’t we all make the pursuit of wisdom one of our highest priorities?

I think that it is because other things get in our way.

The things that stop us from pursuing wisdom are other desires…….other goals that we have decided are more profitable, more fun. These would be the things that filled my “top ten” list as a young man.

My list as a young man:

My career…….translation…….money and prestige
A wife……..who would not interfere with my career
A family………that would be subservient to my career
A better car
A big house in a prestigious neighborhood
A good pension plan
Health

Others will have different lists:

Their politics
Sex
Self actualization
Control of their bodies
Freedom
Peace
Drugs
Alcohol
Gambling
Sports

You can sum up all of these impediments to the pursuit of wisdom into one word:

Appetites.

The problem with wisdom is that it will interfere with the pursuit of some of our appetites……of some of your appetites. It has stopped me from pursuing some of the appetites that I pursued as a young man.

But, here’s the thing. Wisdom will lead you to new appetites…….appetites that will fulfill you in a much better way, a much more permanent way………appetites that will lead you to higher levels of satisfaction………yes, even to joy. Wisdom will promote in you appetites that are based on truth……appetites that grow out of the truths that are written on your heart…….appetites that were put there by your creator.

In the final analysis:

Your life is measured by your actions.

Your actions are driven by your appetites.

Good appetites are shaped by wisdom.

Wisdom grows from truth.

Truth comes from the creator and it lives inside of you right now.

All other appetites come from someone else.

In the final reconning, we choose……..eternal satisfaction…….or transient pleasure.

We either persue wisdom………or its natural enemy, our appetites.

“Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

God answering Solomon’s prayer, 1 Kings 3:11-14, ESV

Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding

Solomon, Proverbs 14:33, ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Solomon, Proverbs 1:7, ESV

but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:14-15, NIV

I know a guy.

He knows everything about everything. Whatever question you have, he can probably give you the facts behind it. His fund of knowledge is shockingly broad. Just about every time we talk I learn something new. In a word, he is extremely knowledgeable. And yet, his life is a mess. Knowledge is a good thing; but, it is only the first step. There are savants who can memorize the Oxford English Dictionary……..but who cannot feed themselves.

Knowledge is the accumulation of facts. But, for knowledge to be of any value, we have to be able to assemble those facts into a useful structure. This is the next step…….intelligence. Intelligence is the ability to manipulate facts into a useful framework……to be able to use facts…….to be able to apply facts. If I know the dimensions of all of the parts of a watch, I have knowledge. If I can apply that knowledge and assemble the watch, then I have intelligence. Intelligence is applied knowledge. Intelligence is a loftier goal than knowledge. But even this is not enough. Some of the most successful criminals in history had knowledge and intelligence. They used these gifts to create criminal empires……to cause wars……to rob, maim, enslave, and kill. Clearly, knowledge and intelligence are good, things. But, history teaches that they are not enough. There is a goal that is loftier yet.

Wisdom

Wisdom is intelligence applied to knowledge to achieve good. Now we are getting somewhere.

Knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom are good things. They are things we should strive for. But there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that for each of us, there is a limit to the knowledge and intelligence that we can posses and use. Some have great intelligence and a huge fund of knowledge…….others, not so much. The good news is that wisdom has no limit. There is no glass ceiling preventing your development of wisdom. Wisdom can be studied. Wisdom can be learned. We learn wisdom by apprenticeship. We learn wisdom by reading the works of the wise. We learn wisdom by associating with wise people. We learn wisdom by associating with good people. The Bible is a good place to start.

Though I didn’t graduate, for a couple of years I attended a prestigious university and I accumulated a lot of knowledge……90% of which I have completely forgotten. But I once took a literature course on short stories. One of the assignments was “Gimpel the Fool” by Singer. This story changed my life. I keep a copy and reread it every now and then. I strongly recommend it. It is the story of a man who lacks knowledge and intelligence…….but who, through a lifetime of experience, observation, and action, develops wisdom.

Seek out wise people…….good people.
Avoid angry destructive people.
Read the writing of the wise.
Study the Bible.

Apply knowledge and intelligence to do good.

“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death .”

Wisdom speaking, Proverbs 8: 32-36, ESV

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

James 3:17, ESV

indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding

Solomon, Proverbs 2:3-6, NIV

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Jesus explaining wisdom, Matthew 7:24-25 NIV

This week’s post is a follow-up to last week’s post which dealt with 3 eras in our relationship with the Trinity. The three eras were: the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. This week I want to explore these eras……particularly the current era, the era of the Holy Spirit…..The Spirit of Truth. Be forwarned, you may not like all of this.

Each of these eras has a dominant theme. I believe that each of these eras is there to teach us something…….to help us to grow in our relationship to the Trinity.

The Father era, the Old Testament, was a description of the early history of God’s people. It was loaded with rules. The Father was majestic and powerful, but distant and often punitive. This era was the foundation of our relationship with the Father. It was all about authority. We are taught that the Father is in charge, absolutely and completely. Like it or not. The Father operates on an entirely different plane than man. He makes the rules. He is the boss. We are subject to him. We do not get to approve or disapprove of his actions. We oppose him at our peril. This was the era of authority. God’s authority, God’s sovereignty is the lesson of the old testament.

The Son era, the New Testament, is a description of the life and teaching of Jesus, the Son. Jesus teaches that all of the old rules are superseded by two new rules: Love God…….love everybody else. The Son was human and he was very close……he was with us. He embodies the authority of the Father but emphasizes love as our highest aspiration. He teaches that love is the central theme of all relationships. Love is the primary reason for our existence. This was the era of Love. Love is the lesson of the New Testament.

The Spirit era is today. The Spirit is our guide to living in the modern world. I have struggled to identify the overarching theme of the Spirit era. This is probably because the Spirit is kind of hard for me to get a grip on. But, I will give it a shot. The theme of the Spirit era is truth. The Spirit was given to us at Jesus’s departure……at pentacost. It was even called the “Spirit of Truth”. Somehow, the truth part has been lost. Every day, our culture whittles away at the truth. We come to accept ideas that daily become more outrageous. Each new lie is built on the foundation of yesterday’s lie. We even refer to our culture as “the post truth era”.

But, the Spirit lives in us. The truth lives in us. It is “written on our hearts”. We rail against it. We fight it…..every day……every one of us. You shouldn’t be surprised. God’s people resisted his authority in the Old Testament. Christians resist acting on love in the New Testament. The sad truth is that we ignore and deny the truth…just about every day…….every one of us.

Like it or not, we are called on to seek the truth and and act on it. Sounds good. But, every day we fail. Why?

We ignore or deny the truth when it interferes with our appetites. We toss out the truth when it keeps us from getting something that we want very badly.

If you don’t believe me, consider:

A person with a Y chromosome and a penis doesn’t like maleness and all that goes with it. He identifies himself as a woman, uses the women’s locker room, and dominates women’s sports. This satisfies his appetites…..but it is not true.

A preacher who is offended by the guy in the women’s locker room preaches a fiery sermon and damns him to hell from the pulpit. He satisfies his appetite to vent his rage in the name of Christianity…….but this is not true.

The truth in other areas is more complex:

Abortion: every abortion does 2 things: It allows a woman to control her body. It kills her child. Both of these statements are true. And yet, both sides of the debate ignore or discard half of the truth. Both sides are dishonest.

Guns: guns primary purpose is to kill. Even shooting games like skeet are designed to improve our skills…..at killing. I am a shooter and I enjoy it……..but the fact that guns are for killing is true. Guns are good when they protect us from evil. But, they are bad when they are used to commit evil. Both of these statements are true.

The wall: the purpose of the wall (both the physical wall and our entire failed immigration policy) is to keep people out. This is true. It protects our appetite for our standard of living. But it traps a lot of families in poverty and corruption. It is good when it keeps gang bangers, traffickers, and drugs out. It is bad when it keeps a family that is fleeing a corrupt government and seeking a better life out. Both of these statements are true.

We have decisions to make. Some are straightforward, some are complex. But we must begin with the truth. And the truth is written on our hearts…….put there by the “Spirit of Truth”. Truth is the lesson of the current era…..the era of the Spirit.

The truth must take precedence over our appetites.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And 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, John 14: 15-17, ESV

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Jesus, John 16: 7-14, ESV