The Theology of "As If": Dignity Without Delusion

Why treating people like they are going to heaven is a discipline, not a doctrine.We live in a polarized age where dismissing others has become a social reflex. Into this noise steps a quote by preacher and teacher Landon Saunders that feels both incredibly soft and shockingly radical:

"I treat everyone I meet here on earth as if they are all going to heaven."

For the biblically minded, the alarm bells ring immediately. Is this Universalism? Does this ignore the reality of sin and judgment?

It is a valid concern. However, dismissing the quote misses a vital distinction between our theological conclusions and our interpersonal ethics.

The Distinction: Destiny vs. Dignity

If we interpret Saunders' statement as a claim about destiny (that everyone is factually going to heaven), it fails the biblical test. Jesus spoke frequently of the "narrow gate" and the reality of separation from God.

However, if we interpret it as a strategy for dignity, it is deeply profound. The phrase "as if" is the hinge. It describes the believer’s posture, not the recipient's status.

The "Weight of Glory"

This mirrors the sentiment of C.S. Lewis in his famous sermon, The Weight of Glory. Lewis argued that if we truly understood the eternal nature of the human soul—that every person you meet will one day be a creature of nightmare or a creature of such glory you would be tempted to worship them—we would never treat anyone as "ordinary."

Lewis wrote: "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal."

To treat someone "as if they are going to heaven" is to acknowledge the Imago Dei (Image of God) in them. It means according them the respect, patience, and love due to a creation of God, regardless of their current spiritual state.

The Danger and the Hope

There is a danger, of course. If treating someone "as if they are going to heaven" means we never share the Gospel because we pretend they are already safe, we have failed to love them truly.

But the reverse is also dangerous. If we treat people "as if they are going to hell"—with dismissal, judgment, or disdain—we often validate their reasons for rejecting the faith in the first place.

Perhaps the sweet spot is this: We hold to the biblical truth that salvation is found in Christ alone, while simultaneously treating every neighbor, stranger, and enemy with the infinite worth of a future fellow heir.

We treat them with hope. And sometimes, being treated with that kind of irrational hope is exactly what startles a person into wondering about the God who inspires it.