Hi friends,
One of the verses in today’s liturgical reading is from 1 Corinthians 15:32b,
If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’
Paul’s argument in this passage is straightforward:
If death is the end, then why not take the one life we have and live for ourselves?
I’ve heard all kinds of justifications to get around this. For instance:
- Well, we should be good
- The right thing to do is to help out when we can
- I wouldn’t be comfortable living a completely selfish life
- It feels good to help out
But when I reflect on these, I wonder: Says who?
Or even, “Hmmm… that actually seems like a selfish reason to be selfless.”
If death is the end, wouldn’t the most rational approach be to maximize pleasure and minimize suffering?
Why sacrifice for others if it ultimately makes no difference?
If death is the end, the most rational conclusion that I can see is the one Paul mentions: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Of course, the Christian answer is completely different. It says we all live forever, and one day, God will hold us accountable for how we lived our lives.
These considerations create an entirely different set of incentives: run to Jesus, ask for forgiveness, and get as close as possible to God who loves me.
I’d love to hear your thoughts: If death really is the end, wouldn’t selfishness be the wisest approach?
How can we create a good reason to sacrifice for others if death will wipe all our good deeds - and bad deeds - away?