What do Christians believe happens after death?
Christian beliefs about life after death, resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell, and how these beliefs affect how Christians live now.
A focused answer on Christian beliefs about the afterlife for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062), covering resurrection, judgement, heaven, hell and purgatory.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to explain Christian beliefs about life after death (resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell) and to show how these beliefs influence the way Christians live now. The link between belief and behaviour is central: examiners frequently ask not just what Christians believe but what difference it makes.
Resurrection and the promise of eternal life
Christian hope in the afterlife is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus: because Jesus rose from the dead, believers trust that they too will be raised. "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die" (John 11:25) sums up this hope, and Saint Paul argues that the Christian resurrection is a bodily transformation into a "spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15), not merely a ghostly survival.
Judgement, heaven and hell
Christians hold different pictures of these realities. Catholics traditionally believe in purgatory, a state of purification after death for those who die in God's friendship but still need cleansing before heaven. Many Protestants reject purgatory, holding that a person goes directly to heaven or hell. Some Christians take heaven and hell as literal places (a city of gold, a lake of fire), while many modern Christians understand them as states of being: heaven as full closeness to God and hell as the self-chosen absence of God. A few hold to universalism (that all will ultimately be saved), though this is a minority view. AQA rewards showing this range rather than presenting one picture as the only Christian view.
How beliefs affect life now
Because actions are believed to have eternal consequences, these beliefs shape behaviour. They encourage Christians to live morally, to love and serve others (as the sheep and goats parable demands), to repent of sin and seek forgiveness, and to follow Jesus' teaching faithfully. The hope of resurrection also gives comfort in grief and shapes Christian funerals, which combine sorrow with the confident hope of eternal life. For believers, this means death is faced with hope rather than despair, while still treating each life as precious.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20182 marksGive two Christian beliefs about life after death.Show worked answer →
A 2-mark AO1 question. Any two of: the soul lives on after death; God will judge each person; the faithful go to heaven; the wicked are separated from God in hell; the dead will be resurrected. One mark each for two correct, distinct beliefs. Keep them brief and separate; do not develop at this tariff.
AQA 20214 marksExplain two ways that belief in life after death affects how Christians live. Refer to scripture or another source of Christian belief in your answer.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark AO1 application question. Way one: belief in judgement encourages Christians to live morally and avoid sin, since actions have eternal consequences, shown by the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25), where people are judged on how they treated others. Way two: hope of resurrection gives comfort in grief and shapes funerals, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), so death is not the end. Markers reward two distinct, developed effects on behaviour plus a source. Make sure each point links belief to a real action or attitude.
AQA 202312 marks"Christians should not fear death." Evaluate this statement. In your answer you should refer to Christian teaching, give reasoned arguments to support this statement, give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view, and reach a justified conclusion. [12 marks plus 3 SPaG]Show worked answer →
The AO2 evaluation, 5 bands plus 3 SPaG. Arguments for: the resurrection of Jesus promises eternal life, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25), so death is a gateway to heaven, not an end; Saint Paul writes "to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Arguments against: belief in judgement and the possibility of hell could make death frightening; grief is natural, and even Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb, so fear is human. Use terms (resurrection, judgement, heaven, hell, eternal life). Reach a justified conclusion weighing hope against fear and judgement.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) specification — AQA (2016)