It is well, however, to remember that the environment may be much more
favorable in a future world than here. There are many who are almost of
necessity sinners from their youth up, because of their evil
surroundings. It would be hard to expect them to be much better than
they are. But their surroundings may be entirely different in the next
life; and they may yield speedily to the better influences. We see such
effects so often in this life that we may well cherish hopes for their
larger operation in the next. No details are revealed; but we can
imagine this as a reasonable possibility. In such a case there may be
the most surprising reformations.
It may be objected that I have taken very little notice of suffering as
a necessary factor in the process of future redemption. I may say that
I have always had it in view; but we have no details as to the nature of
it, or the duration of it, or how it will be inflicted. That there will
be suffering I have no doubt. But I regard suffering rather as
reformatory than punitive.
Take the example of Saul, to whom we have just referred. If ever there
was a case of sudden conversion, surely we see it there. It did not take
him long to pass out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of
light. But he went through a very agony of remorse. He passed through
such a horror of darkness that for three days and nights he did not eat.
Certainly, the intensest suffering accompanied his conversion.
In the light of such facts as these we can see how possible, and how
reasonable it is to expect the most wonderful transformation in the next
life. The greatest sinners may become the greatest saints. I have taken
the case of Saul to show how such marvels of redemption may be effected
in a future life. Possibly his case is the most notable that has
occurred. And yet, who can say? From cases that we have known we can
well believe that there are thousands of such cases that have never got
into any history. But we have seen enough to warrant the belief that in
the next life there will be marvels of spiritual transformation.