by Josh Cottrell
The world views Christians as living this life in order to gain entrance into “heaven”…somewhere far from here. In fact, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, branded a nihilist by Christians, attempted to turn that label around on Christians claiming that it was they who were the true nihilists. He espoused that Christians traded the joys and pleasures of this earth for a world (afterlife) that did not exist. Nietzsche, as well as so many others, view the Christian life as one of joyless slavery, a life in which we willfully trade earthly happiness and pleasure, for the possibility that we will have those in heaven.
In Galatians 6:8 it states that when we sow in the Spirit that we will “reap everlasting life”. It was made clear today that the “everlasting life” is a quality of relationship with Christ that we can experience, here and now, in this life, on this earth! It is when we “live in the Spirit [and] walk in the Spirit” (Gal: 5:25) that we can “sow to the Spirit” (Gal 6:8) and “reap everlasting life” (Gal 6:8). Our relationship with Christ allows us to experience happiness and joy, peace and prosperity, while bearing one another’s burdens in humility and servitude when we walk in the Spirit. This is a radically different picture of the Christian life than the one the world portrays. Christ did not want us burdened with a heavy yoke, weighed down and broken, tearfully looking towards heaven as if it was far off. Let us then walk in the Spirit, and with joy and rejoicing, enjoying NOW and TODAY our “everlasting life”, our relationship with Christ.