–– Paul Schlehlein
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Every hour, over 300 people in Nigeria die. That’s five people every minute. This is more deaths per hour than any country in Africa and fourth highest in the world. China is first, at 1,300 deaths per hour, followed by India (over 1,000) and the U.S. (340).
The hundreds of Nigerians that pass into eternity every hour remind us of the brevity of life, as do life expectancy rates around the world, especially in Africa. Though numbers are on the rise compared to just a few decades ago, when life expectancy in Africa was 36 years old in 1950 (compared to 64 years old today), modern life expectancy is minuscule compared to the earth’s earliest days when Adam lived for 930 years and Methuselah died at 969. Enoch went to heaven as a young pup at age 365, but only because the Lord took him away before tasting death.
Compare this to today’s life expectancy in Africa, by far the lowest in the world. Nigeria, Chad, and the Central African Republic are the three nations with the lowest life expectancy, between 54 and 58 years old. Even when compared to the countries with the longest life expectancy, like Japan, South Korea and Switzerland—all at 84 years old—what are eight decades in light of eternity? Of what significant value is it to lengthen worldwide life-expectancy, when the soul will live forever, either with Jesus in Heaven or in torment in hell (Mt. 7:13-14)?
The writers of Scripture use metaphors to teach the impermanence of life. James compared our years on earth to a vapor (Jms. 4:14). Our existence is like the morning fog, like a swirl of smoke arising from the fire. Here one moment, gone the next. The prophet Isaiah compares people to grass. Their beauty is like a flower in the field. “The grass withers and the flower falls” (Isa. 40:6-8). The geranium is here on Monday and dead by the weekend. Charles Spurgeon said: “Here is the history of the grass—sown, grown, blown, mown, gone; and the history of man is not much more.”
Scripture gives the perfect balance between valuing life on earth and emphasizing the soul’s destiny in the future. On the one hand, humanity should do what it can to have dominion over the earth and thus prolong life expectancy. God tells us to enjoy his creation (Ps. 96:11-12) and to give thanks for all of his gifts (1Thess. 5:18). He rewards obedience with long life (Eph. 6:3).
For millennia Christians have worked at the forefront of movements to preserve, protect, and protract life. St. Basil built the first hospital, William Wilberforce smashed the slave trade, missionaries abolished widow burning, and pro-life advocates seek to make abortion illegal. Christians spearheaded each of these practices that elongated life expectancy because they know that God created humans in his image and thus values life.
On the other hand, Christians understand that this world is not our home. Paul knew his tasks on earth carried value, but he longed to be with Jesus, which was far, far better (Phil. 1:23). This is why Christians live differently than the world. We do not store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them (Mt. 6:19). We do not boast about what we’ll do tomorrow, for tomorrow may not come.
We also tell unbelievers the truth about their eternal destiny, even if they resist the bad news that the highway to hell is broad, a road on which most people travel. Spurgeon said it well: “If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled with the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
Conclusion
Because life is valuable, Christians should labor to preserve, protect and prolong life on earth where Scripture allows, all while acknowledging that our days on earth are short and tiresome compared to the blissful eternity with Christ in Heaven.