Moral choice singles the human being out from all other created beings. But with moral choice comes moral responsibility, says Ivan Grindlay.
A family member was recently asked, "What age was Adam when he was created from the dust of the earth?". That inevitably led to another question, "What age will we be in our eternal state in heaven or hell?"
Will we be translated to eternity at the age we are at death, or will our resurrection state be in peak physical, emotional and spiritual condition? I believe it is God's intent that we enjoy His presence and the eternal blessings of heaven that are beyond our wildest dreams . . . but equally to understand and experience the eternal consequences of wrong decisions made in this life.
Whichever it is to be, we will be at the zenith of our development in every sense.
God has always intended humanity to display the full potential of our originally-designed capacities in all their complexity. His intent was that we reflect His perfect fullness in every sense - spiritually, morally, physically, mentally, socially . . . and domestically, as we shall see.
Never is there any suggestion that God desired to relate with a humanity that was little more than pawns, puppets or robots.
What pleasure would there be for a loving and just God to relate to us on this basis? Moral choice singles the human being out from all other created beings. But with moral choice comes moral responsibility.
In life, God allows us to live with the consequences of the moral decisions we make. It is called "sowing and reaping".
In death, the implications of those decisions made in life remain the same.
In a day when society accentuates and exploits the emotional, the Bible seems to indicate that emotion will be expressed graphically in eternal realms, as seen in the regret of a man who was wealthy in life but had no compassion for the destitute.
Despite the fact that we are told he was buried, he clearly is very much aware and in a state of acute understanding of his spiritual condition and predicament.
His power of reason is functioning well. His capacity to feel physical pain is real: he pleads for relief. He is visually perceptive. He is aware that the beggar in life is now in a privileged position. He is acutely aware of his need for mercy - to not be treated as he deserved.
His memory is active, because he is called upon to remember the opportunities he had in life to right the wrongs, but he failed to do so. His sense of fair play is appealed to; something he denied in life. He, like the beggar, is receiving the legitimate and just outcome of his attitudes and decisions in life.
His destiny is sealed by his own choices.
As alluded to earlier, his attitude to family is now highly sensitised.
He would not wish his present experience of torment to be that of his five brothers.
He pleads for a messenger to be sent to warn them.
How sad that he didn't consider their spiritual well-being a priority in life! I guess he was too busy feasting, socialising and entertaining guests in that opulent lifestyle that demanded such exquisite taste in clothing.
There is nothing wrong with his intelligence and ability to debate in his eternal state.
He is so obviously feeling the implications of his chosen earthly lifestyle, he feels sure that if someone went from "the other side", his brothers would listen . . . and change.
But then, didn't God send someone into the world from the other side for this very purpose . . . and they crucified him!His ability to comprehend truth is very obvious.
It is explained to him that his family has ample opportunity and an abundance of evidence available to them if they would only choose to investigate.
Reality hits home, and he goes strangely silent.
He well knows that his family are not "wired for sound".
Apparently, we don't listen to people who come back from the dead, not matter how convincing the evidence.
Yet we will consider unproven theories about evolution and reincarnation and happily live with assumptions about eternal bliss that are little more than folklore in a religious guise.
The Bible tells us that every person will be ultimately raised at the final resurrection.
All will be given a perfect resurrection body that is recognisable (as Jesus's was when He rose), functional and fully expressive of God's original creative intent.
For those destined for the caverns of the damned, their awareness of reality will be stark, like the rich man referred to.
It is noteworthy that he didn't have any friends to call on to come to his aid.
Neither is it a laughing matter that he can share with his mates.
He is alone. He is very aware of lost opportunity and desperate to communicate his plight, but to no avail. Makes you think, doesn't it?
Ivan Grindlay is an elder of the Caversham Community Church.
