It’s a strange paradox: as materialism dominates our cultural imagination, even Christians are increasingly dismissing the traditional teachings of heaven and hell. Yet belief in eternal life is a dogma of the faith—core to what it means to be Christian. So why the skepticism? Perhaps the issue lies not in the doctrine itself but in how it has been understood, taught, and communicated.
Heaven and hell are not separate realities, as if one exists on the celestial mountaintop and the other in a fiery cavern. Instead, they are two experiences of the same eternal reality: God. The difference lies entirely in disposition. For those who have chosen to love, worship, and align themselves with God, heaven is the joy of full union with Him. For those who have rejected God, eternity in His presence becomes unbearable—hell is aversion to the very source of life and love.
Some people get the idea that Christianity boils down to, “If you passed the good person test, you get a pass into heaven; if you didn’t make the cut, well, that door leads to hell.” This characterization is deeply misleading. Christianity is not a cosmic grading system but a call to relationship. The central question is not, “Were you good enough?” but “Did you choose to love?” Goodness and virtue flow from love—they are the fruit of living in relationship with God, not the entry ticket. Heaven is not about being a perfect person; it’s about being transformed by love and choosing to remain in that love. As St. Augustine reminds us, “God does not save us without us.”
Comments