The claims of Jesus, if believed and reflected in us, result in lives that enhance the lives of others. If everything else is fake, that at least can be said to be real.
For those of you who don’t know, as part of my doctoral program at BU, I serve as a Teaching Fellow (TF) for select undergraduate courses offered through the university’s department of religion. The course for which I currently serve as TF is called Death & Immortality.
Believe it or not, this is one of the most popular religion courses at BU and almost always carries an extensive waitlist. The course primarily entails discussion of death and immortality (i.e., beliefs, rituals, etc.) across a variety of religious and cultural traditions.
This past week we discussed “answers to death” in Early Modern Philosophy.
Now, I can’t say that this is my favorite period or set of writers (i.e., Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, etc.) but in the course readings and lectures, we came across “Pascal’s Wager,” which led to quite a lively discussion thereafter.
For those of you who don’t know, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious thinker, who exerted a seismic influence upon later Western philosophers and theologians.
His tractate entitled, Pensées (En: “thoughts”), is an unfinished collection of philosophical and theological reflections intended as an apology or defense of Christianity.
One of the most famous sections of this work describes “Pascal’s Wager,” a probability-based argument designed to convince others to take “belief in God” seriously.
Pascal writes: “Either God exists, or He doesn’t. To which view shall we incline? Reason cannot decide for us one way or the other.” In other words, neither proposition can be proven scientifically or empirically.
He goes on: “At the extremity of this infinite distance a game is in progress, where either heads or tails may turn up. What will you wager?”
Playing along with Pascal’s argument, let’s say you live your life as though God exists.
Now, what constitutes a “God-pleasing life,” of course differs across religions and within religions, even. But given Pascal’s Christian identity, let’s suppose “the godly life” he has in mind is a life modeled on the character of Jesus Christ.
So, you have chosen to trust in Jesus as the God and deliverer he says he is. You pattern your life after his, living humbly, selflessly, and compassionately towards others.
Just as Jesus did not commit violence, you do not commit violence. Just as Jesus prioritized the welfare of others above his own, you in turn do the same.
Throughout your life, you live as though this man Jesus is actually who he says he is. But in the end, you find out he was just a man and nothing more.
Because of this, there’s no afterlife, no heaven, no resurrection from the dead.
Looking back on the life you lived, based on the “belief” that this religion was true, what regrets would you have?
Would you wish that you’d lived an immoral, sensual life? Would you wish that you engaged in violence instead of peace? Would you wish that you walked proudly instead of humbly? What regrets would you have?
On the other hand, let’s say you live as though God doesn’t exist. You engage in sensuality, pursue wealth and fame, and ignore how your actions affect others.
To moderate this a bit, perhaps you don’t live so indulgently, but simply focus on family, career, and community.
You try to raise healthy, respectable kids. You try to advance in your career, so your paychecks can cover the bills without causing too much stress. You participate in local initiatives, school board meetings, community fundraisers, etc.
At death, the best scenario is that you simply cease to be. You got as much out of life as you could’ve hoped. But was such a life truly meaningful? Was it fulfilling, significant, worthwhile?
Of course, if God is real, such a life –lived apart from Christ– would result in judgment and exclusion from God’s eternal kingdom.
Judging solely on the basis of life-before-death then: Which of the above lives is more meaningful in and of itself?
A life of self-indulgence and the pursuit of wealth, fame, and ease? A life of healthy parenting, career advancement, community involvement? Or a life of selflessness, compassion, and humility for the sake of others? Which one?
The reality is: We cannot know without a doubt whether the claims of Jesus –or any world religion– are true. We can’t.
What we can know, however, is the shape of life which is produced by the belief that such claims are indeed true.
Returning to “Pascal’s Wager,” if we place our faith in Jesus, trusting that he is who he says he is, we’ll commit to mirroring him in our values and conduct. Worst case scenario: we get no reward at the end, be it heaven, resurrection, new creation, etc.
But even then, we will have lived meaningful lives: lives of justice, mercy, and love toward others. If we truly live like Jesus, the lives of others will be notably improved by our very existence.
That to me is enough to keep living as though the claims of Christ were true.
Added to this: On the “off-chance” that such claims are true (not that off given the sheer impact Jesus has made upon millions throughout history) not only did we live lives of meaning the first time, but we’ll continue living with Christ for all eternity.
None of the claims of Christianity or the world’s religions can be proven without a doubt. Therefore, all we have to go on is the shape of life engendered by such “religious” claims.
The claims of Jesus, if believed and reflected in us, result in lives that enhance the lives of others. If everything else is fake, that at least can be said to be real.
This Easter, I’m not asking you to blindly trust in all the claims of Christianity. I am asking you to humor them, to play along, as if such claims were true, and to see what sort of life might emerge as a result.
The reward (if there is one) isn’t given on the basis of perfect lives, free from doubt and mistakes. It is given on the basis of faith in Christ, which it turns out: is not so unreasonable.
Jonah Bissell
Teaching Pastor
Note: The views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the post’s author and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of First Baptist Church of Freeport.