13. My spiritual disciplines will not get me into heaven, but without them I may not enjoy heaven.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE OF SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES, WHAT EFFECT DO YOU IMAGINE THIS WILL HAVE ON YOU AFTER YOU DIE?
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR CHARACTER WHEN YOU ENTER HEAVEN? WILL IT SUDDENLY BECOME PERFECT? WILL THERE BE SOME NEED FOR “PURGING”? WILL IT CAUSE YOU TO STRUGGLE?
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS MOST NECESSARY FOR YOU TO ENJOY HEAVEN?
Many people are motivated to believe in Jesus because of their concern about what will happen to them when they die. It is natural to fear death and even more so, the uncertainty of what life-after-death looks like. Traditional Christian beliefs present a very real contrast between heaven and hell. Heaven is seen as a utopian existence, full of pleasure and goodness while hell is portrayed as painful, punishing, and with no opportunity of relief. Although there are an increasing number of leaders who are rejecting this dichotomy, most still see heaven as place of goodness that we should aspire to.
With this backdrop, it is not surprising that we would approach spiritual disciplines as a way to ensure our acceptance into heaven. We function under the assumption that the nature of our life on earth will determine our entrance in heaven. This can cause us to view spiritual disciplines as things we do to earn the right to live in heaven. But we also know and believe that salvation and heaven are God’s gift to us and require only our belief in Christ. For some, this belief can lead to a life without much need for spiritual disciplines but many wonder and question whether their belief is enough.
So we find ourselves caught between believing that heaven is free and we couldn’t earn it even if we wanted to, and a deep suspicion that we must do something to make sure. The result is that many Christians have virtually no disciplines while others seem to be burdened by their spiritual disciplines. So what is the answer? To the person who believes that spiritual disciplines are unnecessary, that heaven is a gift given to me based on my belief in Jesus and His death on the cross, we might ask,
“If we do in fact inherit the gift of heaven regardless of how we live here on earth, how sure are you that you will actually enjoy heaven?” If heaven requires the presence of joy and peace, of loving the hard to love, of not judging others, of living without the need of material pleasure, the absence of conflict, anger, greed, jealousy, and much more, how suited will we be for this kind of life if we haven’t made some progress toward living that way here on earth?
Many people assume that we can live worldly and undisciplined lives here on earth but upon our death we will be transformed into perfect specimens of Christlikeness. What if that isn’t true? What if the person we are during our earthly lives is the same person that wakes up in heaven? If so, how prepared will we be to enjoy heaven? If we have lived like hell here on earth, why would we not want to continue? C.S Lewis writes in The Problem of Pain, “the doors of hell are locked from the inside.”
What we are saying then is that one reason for practicing a life that incorporates spiritual disciplines is that these disciplines would help shape us to be prepared to live well in heaven. Jesus teaches us that heaven, the Kingdom of Heaven, is available to us now, in our present lives. Spiritual disciplines help us to live well, today, in the present kingdom of heaven, and may continue to help us live well in the future kingdom of heaven.