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Two understandings of the afterlife or salvation are: 1) living with Christ in eternity, and 2) salvation is earned through a Christ-like or holy life here on earth. Many people have different concepts of the afterlife while Christians believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell. Christ-like living here on earth earns us salvation and the path to Heaven, while an evil and reckless life leads to Hell. Many people who have no understanding of the true meaning of salvation misunderstand this concept and ask, 'why would a loving God send His children to eternal damnation?' If I am asked that question, my answer would be: 'why would loving children disobey their parents and risk punishment?' One should not expect to earn the reward at the end of the race if they did not put their all into it to win it. See, the concept of Hell and Heaven is an age-old one and there are so many questions to be answered. In the religion of Christianity, Christians have total dependence on God, as pointed out by Cunningham and Kelsay (2013) "the path of submission arises from utter dependence of human beings on sacred reality" (p. 144). The 'sacred reality' in this case is God and it is reality for us.

Salvation is an earned gift and that is why it is free for everyone. If it was a gift to purchase, then the rich would live and the poor would die. Cunningham et al., (2013) stated that salvation is "the essence of the religious life" (p. 133). Salvation, in other religions may mean something else but for this discussion's sake, it is the "personal existence that continues after death, which is immeasurably enriched by the fact that one lives in the presence of God" (p. 133). That is the climax of a Christian and holy life here on earth. As a Christian I that am what shape my life here on earth. I am living for my reward in the afterlife that is what I believe and know. It shapes everything I do. Christians live an ever repenting life, which means always acknowledging and being sorry for doing wrong things. For example, if I say something to a coworker that I am not supposed to say, I will apologize for saying it to him/her and in my heart I ask God's forgiveness. I do so because I keep the afterlife in my view, that salvation will be mine if I follow the God's simple demand of a holy life. That is what salvation or the afterlife means to believers.

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From a Biblical point of view the correct interpretation of ... View the full answer