I’ve been a pastor for twenty years. If there’s one thing people have questions about, it’s the afterlife. If there’s one thing people have misconceptions about, it’s the afterlife. If there’s one biblical topic that needs clarifying, it’s the afterlife. And here’s why: the biblical vision of life after death is one of beauty and redemption. It’s focused on healing what’s broken and restoring everything that’s wrong. But it’s often misconstrued as an escape rather than a rescue. It’s not just about individuals going to a spiritual heaven. No, it’s much more comprehensive than that. The biblical vision of the afterlife is about resurrected bodies that dwell in a new creation. But before we get to that, let’s deconstruct some afterlife myths.
Afterlife Myth-Busting
By far the most common myth about the afterlife in the Bible is the concept of going to a spiritual and other-worldly heaven when you die. This vision of heaven often comes with the belief that non-physical spiritual existence is superior to embodied existence. Heaven is an alternative reality. It’s about escaping this world and getting to “a better place” or “going to be with Jesus” or “going home.” It frequently involves leaving the cares and burdens of “this world” behind. Sometimes people will talk about going to heaven to receive their “spiritual body”, even though that is manifestly not what the Bible means when it talks about the “spiritual body.”
The idea of a non-physical eternal heaven is incredibly common among many Christians and deeply problematic.
The Bible knows nothing of an eternal disembodied existence lived in a non-physical world of pure spirit.
But what are the specifics of the actual biblical vision? What is resurrection? How should we talk about heaven? Let’s take a closer look.
Dr. Matt O’Reilly (Ph.D., Gloucestershire) is Lead Pastor of Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama, Director of Research at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and a fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians. A two-time recipient of the John Stott Award for Pastoral Engagement, he is the author of multiple books including Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification, Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice, The Letters to the Thessalonians, and Bless the Nations: A Devotional for Short-Term Missions. Follow @mporeilly on X and @mattoreillyauthor on Instagram.
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