In our creeds we confess belief in “life everlasting” — getting to heaven is part of our story. What the Bible is most concerned about is how human life is being lived in the world. When the Sadducees try to score some points getting Jesus to speculate about life after death Jesus responds that God “is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” What we are doing to care for people who are struggling to make it in their day to day existence has everlasting significance. Saving souls and saving bodies are not two distinct things but two sides of the same thing. That is why Christians work to improve education and health care; why we try to create a more just and peaceful society; why building communities which reflect the rich racial and cultural diversity of human life matters. Since God thought human life was important enough to share it, we must show how God’s life of love, compassion and forgiveness permeates all that we do and are as human beings.
