In closing, if we must trust God’s written Word to define the afterlife, then we must also trust Him when He tells us how to get there. God clearly states that forgiveness from sins and our removal from the inevitable court room of God’s judgment is only found through a repenting faith in Him. Ephesians 2:8-9 proclaims, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Galatians 2:21 tells us that if the righteousness we need to gain heaven is found through laws/works then Christ died needlessly. Who needs Christ if you can get there by being good? No, salvation is granted precisely because we agree with God that we cannot earn salvation (Rom. 3:23; Is. 64:6). We can only abandon ourselves to Him in faith and thereby experience His grace, a grace that will one day trade in these dying bodies for something far better.