You are Indestructible
I was standing in a backyard outside Berlin last week. Four men gathered around, after dinner, chatting in the cool air. All of us serve as pastors.
One man described how, just before Christmas, a man at his church had learned about a cancerous mass in his chest and immediately called him, wondering what to do and how to tell his family. My friend’s counsel was to gather the family together, talk about the wisdom, sovereignty and love of God, and to share his news with that foundation.
The man’s response? “Easier said than done.”
To which my friend answer, “I know, I just had the same conversation last week with my family.”
Of the four men gathered around us, two are cancer survivors and the above man is approaching treatment. That’s 3 out of 4. Talks like these remind us of how weak and frail we are. As Ecclesiastes 3:20 says, “All came from the dust and all return to the dust.”
We watch movies about superheroes because we are captivated by invincibility. As we exit our twenties, that feeling of immortality diminishes. We grow tired and dusty. The world ceases to be new and we become comfortable, often too comfortable.
We forget that we remain indestructible.
You may be sick. You may be tired and worn out. Or you could just be drinking a coffee and skimming your email as you read this. No matter your present condition, you remain indestructible.
Though you are created, you will never die.1 Whether you believe in Jesus or you absolutely deny him, you have a vast, eternal future ahead of you. Every person who has ever lived on this earth, regardless of their beliefs, religiousness, or morality, will live forever. Though your body may die, it will be resurrected and raised up, rejoined with your soul. Every person you meet is essentially indestructible.
The Big Question
You can try to live a protected life or you can live with gusto and wild abandon. Either option will result in your eventual physical death and future resurrection. The real question is What will your eternity be like? If you live forever, then life on earth is a very short part of your existence.
The Bible says, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).2 That’s the thing you should be worried about.
What will that future judgment be like? Will you be a good enough person? What’s the standard by which God will judge? And what are the possible outcomes?
The Bible's Answer
According to the Bible, that judgment of your life will happen either when you die or when Jesus returns, whichever comes first. There is a single criteria God will use to evaluate your life — perfection. If you have EVER disobeyed him, then you will be condemned.
Sure, your future may not be as horrific as someone who lived worse than you on earth. But if I’m forced to eat rancid tuna, it would be no comfort to me to have someone point out that the other plate has maggots. The one enduring eternal torment will never say to himself, “at least I’m not THAT guy.” The Bible offers no comfort to those who have rejected God. At the time of judgment, some will decide that being made indestructible is more a curse than a blessing.
But for others, being indestructible and everlasting is going to be a source of great joy. Not because there are some who are perfect, but because they have believed in the one perfect man, Jesus Christ, who was sent by God to live the perfect life we never could. On the cross, he bore the full weight of God’s wrath towards the sin of everyone who would ever believe in him, and then after being dead for 3 days, was raised back to life, displaying his power over sin and death.
What will your eternity be like?
Yeah, you are indestructible. You may die on this earth, but you will live forever. Whether rich or poor, popular or lonely, no matter what you’ve done, you will never cease to exist. No one will be able to plead their own case before God, for we have all done bad things. Your only hope is in the perfect life of Jesus.
Psalm 90:12 » Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
1 To be clear, you are not eternal. Only God is eternal — without beginning or end. Man is everlasting, which is to say that we have a beginning, but no end.
2 This passage is referring to physical death on this earth, for how will we be judged if we are not indestructible?