Will There Be Introverts in Heaven?

Introversion, Selfishness, and the Christian Life

I mean I know of guys who They come home after their long day of work and they just ignore their family for like three hours or something. Because they're they've had enough, you know. And I know of women who like will literally just by the time that their husband gets home.

They're like i'm done with it. I'm out of here. You watch the kids do dinner do everything else. I need my me time. You know kind of thing i've been around people all day i'm frazzled or whatever and it's just like.

So so then when you're challenging this idea, you're you're really just kind of poking at this thing about them.

It really does need to change. The following message may be offensive to some audiences. These audiences may include but are not limited to professing christians who never read their bible Sissies sodomites men with man buns those who approve of men with man buns man bun enablers white knights for men with man buns.

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People are tired of hearing nothing but doom and despair on the message of christianity is that salvation is found in christ alone. And any who reject christ therefore forfeit any hope of salvation any hope of heaven.

The issue is that humanity is in sin and the wrath of almighty god.

Is.

Hanging over our head. They will hear his words They will not act upon them and when the floods of divine judgment when the fires of wrath come They will be consumed and they will perish. God wrapped himself in flesh Condescended and became a man died on the cross for sin was resurrected on the third day Has ascended to the right hand of the father where he sits now to make intercession for us.

Jesus is saying there is a group of people who will hear his words They will act upon them and when the floods of divine judgment come in that final day their house will stand.

What Introversion Means and Why the Question Matters

Welcome to bible bash where we aim to equip the saints for the works of ministry by answering the questions. You're not allowed to ask. We're your host harrison kerrigan pastor tim mullet and today we'll answer the age-old question Will introverts be in heaven?

So tim, what what are your thoughts on this question if you just had to give an answer right off the riff? What if someone asks you will introverts get into heaven. What's your what's your answer to them?

Yeah, I mean it's easier for a camel to go into an eye of a needle than for an introvert to go to heaven. So there you go.

Is that is that what is that what it says in the bible. That's clearly the right answer but uh, it's clearly the right and you're a pair we're paraphrasing. There's a rough rough paraphrase. A rough paraphrase, I feel like I feel like it's a.

The verse is slightly different than that. Um, Yeah, so so okay. So your answer is essentially no. Then I assume yeah, it's funny.

Yeah, I think when I asked this question online, I asked it in more of a neutral way. So I asked it. I mean I asked something along the lines of will there be introverted personality types in heaven? And many people did they they heard it the way you asked it.

They heard it as basically saying that all introverts are going to hell even though I Tried to be as specific as possible. So, you know. If you if if uh, if you're going to misunderstand no matter what then just just you know.

Word it in a way that lets them I guess.

But um.

Yeah, I I think it's um, I think it's one of those things where When you think about the nature of the question that's being asked, you know We're not really trying to discuss whether or not there are people who now identify themselves as having introverted personality types who will go to heaven.

The question is is like introversion. In the sense in which it's popularly understood. Is that Psychological label. Is that something that it that represents a problem that will be resolved in the afterlife essentially.

So that's that's the question that we're discussing. So in other words like will like in heaven where there'll be will there be people who are appropriately identified By this label like introverted essentially.

That makes sense. So is is it a problem to resolve? And it's yeah, I mean it really is a touchy topic. Uh, particularly when you when you go after introverts, they really get really defensive on this one so it's kind of interesting to watch and I find it uniquely humorous because I would say I fit the introverted personality type for sure.

So.

I.

You know when I when I comment on it if I put if I give any any pushback at all to the label, then you'll get any number of people with pitchforks and Torches who are you know storming the gates of your house Ready to go to war with you on that.

So that is an interesting phenomenon to observe for sure. But yeah, I mean, I think yeah. The question we're trying to ask really trying to answer is is is the introverted personality type something that?

Will be resolved when you get to heaven essentially.

Preference for Solitude, Social Drain, and Personality Labels

Yeah, basically meaning in heaven. Will there be people who the majority of their time is spent by themselves not around other people, right? Is that what you mean?

Yeah, sure. I mean I think um. It's interesting because when you think about this label, I mean it is a psychological label and one of the um assumptions about these personality traits is that these personality like types or whatever they're Fundamentally fixed.

So that's that's basically a a presupposition that undergirds this project. Is that personality types are fixed like you are what you are, you know, whatever your like personality type is that.

That.

In some sense that like identifies you as a person, right? So Yeah, when I was asking people about this online They they really did. They really did respond to this question thinking that if the introverted aspect of their personality were to change They're like will I even be myself then?

Because.

Because this is I lost a part of me. Yeah.

This is a fundamental aspect of who I am, you know so like in other words like in heaven will everyone have the same personality type that's part of a. That's a question that goes into this like meaning like is there some perfect personality type that you know is maybe a healthy balance between introversion extroversion, whatever, you know, and that there's going to be a Uniform personality type ever something like that.

So all those are the questions but I mean I think When you think about what this word means I I think a lot of people right now are identifying with this label a lot more than what probably should. Simply by virtue of the fact that we're living in a society that's increasingly impersonal so most of our interactions are online and there's a lot of ways that we can entertain ourself to you know, so I know one guy who is about as extroverted as you can possibly imagine a person to be.

But then when I asked a question about introversion, he identified himself as being an introvert. I'm like, you're not an introvert. Like on this like knowing what these words mean you're not an introvert, you know.

And I think what he meant by that was he just likes To veg out entertain himself a lot more now because there's so many options, you know to do that nowadays.

So.

Yeah, I think there's some confusion about what the label actually means in general. I yeah in general introverts. They obviously like to spend more time on their own. But then when you think about what the label really means and I mean you can look this up in any I mean Look it up in a google search.

Look it up like any anywhere. You look it up. What that what's going to show up over and over again? Is this aspect of it where an individual basically feels drained by extended prolonged social interactions.

So the introvert person is going to feel drained by prolonged social interactions whereas the extroverted person is going to feel recharged by extended prolonged Social interactions and then this the extrovert is going to feel drained by extended periods of isolation, right?

So.

That that really is foundational to the nature of what we're even talking about. I mean like I think in general introverts will describe themselves as preferring to be alone preferring solitude. Which is what you said?

So, I mean looking looking this up, I mean. The first characteristic is like a preference for solitude. You do have like a deep thinking component to this too like a reserved nature. More of a thoughtful communicator kind of thing whereas the extrovert can you know be the peter type with the foot shaped mouth or whatever along those lines.

Whereas, you know, the the Introverted person can kind of agonize over their words and spend a lot of time internally. Going over things in their mind working out problems that kind of thing.

Um.

It like the extroverted person typically is going to have more.

Close.

Relationships. Than the introvert, right? So like the introvert is going to prefer to have few really close relationships over the extra over against the extrovert. Who's going to prefer to have a lot of relationships that are more superficial?

And then yeah, the introverts generally going to be the person who just prefers to work alone. You know over and against the lone wolf type, right?

So if you imagine mr. Mr. Incredible at the beginning of the incredibles, right something like that.

Yeah, so I mean you have people who Love teamwork and then you have the person who's like no like i'm gonna solo everything, right? I'm gonna sell i'm gonna sell all this raid boss, right?

So solo the raid. Fly fly home buddy. I work alone. Yep. Yep.

So, I mean those are some things that yeah think about it doesn't really stop but yeah the Preference for solitude is at the top of this for sure.

Why Introversion Is Not a Neutral Identity Marker

Okay, so so but then you know when we first opened the episode you were making it sound like No, that won't be in heaven. Right. I mean, I mean you quoted the you quoted or i'm sorry you paraphrased the bible verse, you know, uh.

Uh.

It's easier for a campbell to go Through the eye of a needle than for an introvert to enter the kingdom of heaven, right?

You know what? Woe to the introverts for they won't see the kingdom of heaven is something you said something like outside of the dogs the sexual immoral.

The introverts, you know the introverts.

So so then what you know thinking about the topic question itself. Will introverts be in heaven. Yeah, it sounds it probably probably. To most people it sounds like you're saying no there won't be any well.

No, actually what I would actually say if i'm trying to be careful, which I haven't been trying to be careful so far. What I would actually say is I think that some of that stuff which you just which people classically describe as Introversion is neither here nor there, you know is is somewhat neutral.

But then a lot of it really isn't you know, so there's significant aspects of introversion that are negative, okay. So, I mean and I would say the same thing for extroversion too. And that's what introversion introverts always get mad about when you have this conversation like the extroverts aren't typically picked on.

And part of the reason for that is because yeah I mean like in order to get ahead in the world, you really do have to be an extrovert for the most part unless you're.

Just.

Working in a Like a stem field or something along those lines like there's most most area in most areas of life extroverts excel. Even if they're not qualified, right? People just are attracted to them and they want you know want to put them forward as people who are You know leaders or whatever else and so but then they may not be the most competent they may not be the most capable um, so there's that but yeah, yeah, I think the the biggest problem with this label is the idea of being drained by social interaction and all the preference kind of language like meaning in substance like preferences or Preferences are.

They are what they are right? Like meaning like there is it's not as if it's bad to have desires or something like that. But then a lot of these preferences like related to introversion. They really are the kind of things where they're very self like an introvert introverts can be very self-focused people.

By default, right? So like the idea of an a person being drained by social interactions. I would say i'm drained by extended prolonged social interactions. But I I see that as a problem to resolve in over the course of my life I've gotten much less drained by extended Prolonged social interactions.

So Like I mean, I remember When I was about to get married, I was asking like a godly couple I knew I knew about this topic and you know, I was asking him so how do you deal with you know personality types introversion and extroversion and all that I mean, I i'm the kind of person who just if i'm at a party all day long or whatever i'm just Mentally exhausted i'm done with it.

Like I just want to be alone or whatever and You know, so how do you work that out in marriage just like the whole idea of having your alone time your me time or whatever like uh. Like because there's no escape with marriage.

You're just there you're stuck with them, right? There's no there's no out or whatever. So what do you do with that? You know and they kind of looked at me like I was an idiot and I appreciate that that they they Couldn't hide their facial expressions at that and you know, I mean their response to that was yeah, you just get over yourself.

You know, it's more pleasant to give than receive. You grow up, you know, like you realize that this is a responsibility you're taking on. You're one flesh. Yeah. You know you die to yourself and like you learn to care about people more than you care about your own little.

You know time that you need or whatever and I mean I took that to heart and and you know, i've grown over the years to where i'm much less drained by social interactions, but the reason why i'm drained by social interactions is because one like People are sinful.

Right, like most of it's related to either sinfulness or fall like our fallenness. Like if you think about it so like a lot of times introverts they think about things very deeply and if you if you're trying to interact with an extroverted kind of person personality type and you can't get them to.

Even under like you may be you may have thought about this issue like for years, right? And you're trying to have a conversation with with them about this topic that you've thought about for years. And it's like whatever you're saying is like completely incomprehensible to them.

Because they haven't thought about it like that, you know and then they just get mad at you and offended with you about it and so I mean a lot of like. The things that make introverts feel drained are either related to the fact that they're selfish.

The other person's selfish. They're not a perfect communicator. The other person is not a perfect listener, right? Like so all like. You're not gonna in heaven just be like man. I'm so sick of like hanging out with all you guys like, you know I'm done with it.

You know, I need to go to my cave over here, you know my mansion over here, whatever. And I just need to go fish for a little bit because i'm so exhausted by being around all you people. It's like that isn't going to happen.

Like whatever that is. That's um, like you're going to be perfectly long-suffering.

Patient.

Kind. You'll have learned that it's more blessed to give than to receive. Right. You'll you'll have. You'll be like perfect in every way and so like these this aspect of like different personality types that.

Like it's the same thing with just like men and women have a hard time communicating with each other. But there's not there's not going to be like a battle.

Um.

Battle of the sexes in heaven or something like that all the things that make communication between men and women hard. Will be resolved. Does that make sense?

Yeah, yeah.

So all the things that make communication between introverts and extroverts hard will be resolved in heaven and you'll have people who are perfectly selfless who Won't who have learned it's better to give than receive to receive and so you're not going to have this like social battery thing.

That's you're you're drained and you're exhausted and you've done your duty. You've had enough of it. It's like I need to be done with all this, you know, like that that kind of component isn't going to exist yeah, but I do I do imagine that just um That people will have jobs in the afterlife right in the new heaven new earth.

There'll be jobs and some of those jobs will be more suited to brains and some of those jobs will be Like will be more suited to hands right and that kind of thing. And so I think those things will I think there's different types of people and who are given different gifts.

I don't think that in heaven afterlife or new earth, whatever. All of that. I don't think we're all going to have the same gift giftings. I think there'll still be different giftings and different responsibilities that different types of people are given.

Now, I don't know if god will change it all up, right? Like meaning I don't know that if he'll Make the brains on earth the hands and in the new world, right? Yeah, there's no like I I don't think that whatever your Giftings are here now, they're going to be eternally the same, you know I went to a passion conference once and louis louis giglio said the most insane absurd thing i've ever I could ever imagine but you know, he is basically saying, you know, won't it be great when we all get to heaven and chris tomlin will be Leading the americans in the american worship and all that.

I'm like I doubt Somehow I doubt that chris tomlin Seeing what he's doing right here on the stage right now. Like I I somehow I like this is when I was first christian or whatever I thought the whole thing was absurd.

But I mean it was like I somehow doubt that he's going to be heaven's worship leader because he's topping the charts right now.

Heaven's heaven's worship. I sincerely doubt it man, you know. Like. But tim he's so extroverted though.

Just goes to show. Maybe you know, maybe he makes it. I don't know maybe but you know. He might be a janitor or something like that. Who knows?

Janitor.

And I mean i'm not i'm not picking at him like who know i'd be happy to be a janitor, you know. So but I mean i'm I don't think that you know that it works like that. So I don't know what kind of personality type we'll have in heaven.

It may not correspond. Obviously going to be segregated. Worship by nation. The germans will have their worship the french will have theirs the americans theirs.

Right, man, that's the way obviously the way it works. But yeah, so I I think that yeah there's some of that like just god's given people different gifts and.

You know.

I think there could be people who are more brains in heaven and given brain jobs in heaven like jobs that require brains like you know more brain power, but A lot of that social battery kind of stuff which seems to be the foundation for it.

I think that's That's not like what that's not wonderful right now. Either way so like an extrovert is a big you you would think the extrovert thing is wonderful because it's like well They are really other centers like no, they're selfish too, man.

They like the they like social interactions for all the things they get out of it, right? Right, so they get the they get approval out of it. They get affirmation out of it extroverts can be some of the most needy people imaginable because they just Need constant like affirmation from everyone around them in order to feel okay.

And so then these are like just big self-focused moments for them, right? Whereas the introvert struggling with that because you know, they don't uh Know the same formula or whatever but like it's sinful both ways.

Okay, it's not good, you know, so yeah. So yeah, I I don't think there would be like this concept of the social battery that will be trained in heaven for sure.

Self-Protection, Correction, and the Need to Grow Up

The social battery so one thing one thing you mentioned. Briefly and I wanted to ask you directly about it so that you could you could explain it some more as. You so you went to the um you know to your Christian friends who were older than you further along more experienced and their christian walk and you asked them about introversion related to marriage right and and they kind of.

They kind of laughed at you and and mocked, you know. Mocked you innocently a little bit. No, I was merciless man. I I took it. And and you said you were appreciative of that right? Oh, yeah. You were appreciative of the mocking part of it, right?

Yeah. Yeah, so. So some I think something i've noticed and and we're you and I were talking about this. Uh before you had mentioned it before we started the episode I've noticed it too. Is this is one of those topics where?

The.

The first time you mentioned introverted people needing to change anything about. What their preferences are? You know what? What drains them mentally or emotionally anything like that? Uh, they instantly get Upset and offended right?

Yeah, and so so just contrast the generality. Yeah. Just contrasting the two responses. You're someone who claims to be an introvert and then you had you had someone not only tell you Hey, that's wrong, but they were you know, they were kind of they were making fun of you.

For.

For even having to ask the question Uh, and and you were appreciative of that. Were you well first. Were you appreciative of that in the moment or were you upset in the moment? Oh, no. No, no, I was. You're you're appreciative.

Okay. So what how is it that you can be appreciative of it? But then the majority of people who Claim to be introverted immediately get upset. They immediately get defensive. Uh, they you know, they immediately point, you know point the finger at the extrovert.

What about all the things the extroverted person is doing wrong? Why? Why is it always? You've got to get on the introverts, you know, everyone's always pointing out all the ways in which the introverts fail.

Blah blah, whatever. Um, and so it's just it's immediate defensiveness. So why is it that there's the. How is it possible that you can respond one way and the majority of people that I see? Who claim to be introverted when they hear even the slightest criticism.

Not even mocking. No mocking nothing. Just. Just hey, have you ever thought about this? Instant defensiveness.

Yeah, I mean obviously god's grace and you know, I don't want to pat myself on the back or something like that, but uh,. But yeah, I I think um the means he used in my life was I just I as I mean, I during that time in my life.

I was reading through the bible a lot and You know as you read through the proverbs you see things like a man who loves discipline loves knowledge a man who hates correction. He is stupid, you know, so I kind of internalized that I didn't want to be stupid.

You know, that was a smart choice.

I mean, I I didn't want to be stupid. The bible says faithful are the wounds of a friend profuse or the kisses of the enemy and I I understood. I mean I I.

Was.

Pursuing counseling at that point and i've been involved in some counseling at that point and I I understood that. I mean, there's there's a lot of people who they Seek advice and what they want is you just to affirm everything that they're thinking and feeling is valid.

That's kind of you know What people are doing for the most part and i've been in enough counters encounters at that point. By my at my life where people are coming to me for advice and they just they don't want it, you know.

The inside I didn't I didn't really want to be that kind of person. So, I mean I I would look for older people in my life and ask them questions and just.

Um.

Like I I I was the kind of person who would find You know the old people in my life and say hey, here's my list, you know tell me tell me what you think and then. And they I guess they knew that I had thicker skin or whatever I could I could take it.

Uh, Because I mean I give it out too, you know. You know, so i'm not overly sensitive I I uh, I prefer to just be Be direct and you know, tell me what tell me. I mean I you know, that's kind of how I Present myself to them.

It's like hey, you're not gonna hurt my feelings. Just tell me what you think, you know, so. Yeah, I mean I so I think there's part of it's that Like meaning you can you can develop you could cultivate in yourself that kind of Personality that is you really do want people to Tell you what's true and not just lie to you and tell you what you want to hear, you know kind of thing.

So I mean part of it's that but I mean, I think a lot of people particularly with this topic. The the bible says a wicked flea when no one pursues the righteous are bold as a lion. Like I I do think that there's a lot of self-protectiveness related to this topic.

That's related to insecurities like deep-seated kind of insecurities that people have. Like and part of that is just because like if you are an introvert you realize that I mean think about every area of life.

The people who get ahead in all of the areas that seem to matter to most people. Are the extroverts right? So I mean like the the extrovert will get the job promotion over the introvert almost every time.

You know, all the people in hollywood are basically You know your your classic extroverted type of people or at least they can fake it, you know. Um, so like those those are just the kind of people who get ahead they're the kind of people who get opposite sex attention a lot more.

Yeah, so women like, you know, if you're a man who's introverted and women obviously gravitate towards like Extroverted people a lot more than they do introverted people. And so I mean, I think a lot of introverts they have like these deep-seated kind of insecurities that they're dealing with to where.

They um.

That can turn like very defensive, you know about themselves and then part of it's like they're doing the comparison thing. So they like, you know, a lot of introverted people they look at their extroverted friends and they think man.

You're just so superficial and you're so trivial and this is so ridiculous, right? That um and then. So there's a lot of like insecurity there. But then there's kind of like, uh, I can't relate with you and you're kind of person, right?

But you're the kind of thing that people like that people are selling, you know, and that's not me, you know. So a lot of people they feel that way uh, so a lot of it's that you know, but then a lot of it really is that like you can if you.

If you absorb these labels, you really can Run with them and just turn into just the most narcissistic kind of self-focused person imaginable who You know, you just can't handle. Like I mean if you imagine if you just ran with that.

Like you just you kind of I mean I know of guys who They come home after their long day of work and they just ignore their family for like three hours or something. Because they're they've had enough, you know.

And I know of women who like will literally just by the time that their husband gets home. They're like i'm done with it. I'm out of here. You watch the kids do dinner do everything else I need my me time you know kind of thing i've been around people all day unfrazzled or whatever and it's just like.

So so then when you're challenging this idea, you're you're really just kind of poking at this thing about them. It really does need to change, you know, so like there's part of this that's neutral. But the defense of this is showing like that.

There's a big part of this. It really isn't all that neutral too, you know. There's something that you're very protective about that really reveals like. Some things about you that aren't good, you know.

So like when you touch a person's idol they scream and so for many people this is like dear to them, you know like it's. This is who they are. And it's their excuse for a lot of things. They shouldn't be doing, you know.

So when you kind of put your finger on it, you're basically taking away that Club they use to bash away Personal responsibility.

Biblical Aloneness Versus Self-Focused Isolation

Right, right. Yeah, and I think i've noticed a similar thing not necessarily isolated to The introverted kind of person but just in general normally you know, I mean You you had asked me once. Hey if if a heretic came along.

And.

You know question your salvation. Would you start? Would you just crumple. Would you just start questioning everything about yourself. And you know, my answer was essentially Well, no, I don't I don't care what a heretic thinks at all about my salvation.

Um.

Because they're a heretic. Like so what they it doesn't matter what they say. I don't feel insecure about anything that they're bringing up but then It seems like a lot of times when you have these types of conversations, especially when it comes like being introverted or anxiety or depression um, obviously.

You know the hot the hot button social issues of our day like abortion and and um, You know Homosexuality all that stuff. Those are the type of things that people get really bent out of shape about really fast.

Uh, and and they're constantly and it seems like they're constantly demanding that you Affirm them in what they're doing. Probably because of what you're saying.

Um.

About like hey their conscience is is uh. Is screaming out to them, you know assuming it hasn't just been totally seared and and is no longer capable of telling them anything. Their conscience is telling them that there's something wrong with what they're doing.

And they don't like the fact that it's wrong because they love whatever that sin is.

Um.

And so so I feel like i've noticed that as well. Now one thing I would ask Tim is you know, we define we. You defined introversion for us in the beginning uh of the episode, but then you do see in the bible plenty of times where Uh people go to be alone for uh for a period of time.

Um, whether that be for mourning whether that be for some, you know prayer or some some form of communication with god directly, um. So what. So what then is there a difference between that.

And.

Introversion as we would define it today. Or you know, are they. Are they similar. Are there aspects about them that overlap? How does that work in though. Because even jesus he would go to be alone for periods of time.

So does that mean that. Is that some sort of biblical case for an introverted? Person to you know. Lean into their preferences.

I mean people people often bring that kind of thing up. But yeah, no, that's just fundamentally a different kind of thing now. I mean, obviously if jesus goes into wilderness to pray. Like he's in praying fast.

He's not alone. He's with the father. So that's not me time. If you understand me time in the sense that it's meant to be right? So he's not having his self-focused narcissistic time where he's off on his own playing video games by himself to recharge his batteries or something.

Like he's going to pray. So, I mean that's that's relational time, you know. So that's the opposite that would be the opposite of like me time or whatever uh self-care, you know. So a lot of a lot of what's happening is you're just we have we're mixing categories when we talk about like these kind of things.

So the idea of me time or self-care. That's just time where a person spends you know, typically a time where a person will you know, um. Engage most of the time engage in entertainment by themselves, you know where they don't have to think or interact with anyone else.

So it's just like this is time where I get to do something. I want to do all by myself, you know. So i'm not criticizing like the idea of people pursuing their own interest.

Um.

But you know, I obviously have a lot less time to pursue my own interest now that i'm married and have five kids Than I did as a single person. So and i'm not, you know demanding that I come home every day and Have three hours worth of me time or something like that, you know, that's kind of absurd you have responsibilities.

So yeah, I think that Um, there's any number of activities that require sustained thought so right now i'm coding for living and I need silence and solitude in order to do that. It's not like a it's not really a team job.