Since this is about looking at ourselves, let’s look in the mirror and ask the person we see there, Do you want to be immortal? To be honest, if it’s about being immortal in this word, the way it is and where it seems to be going, saying yes is very hard. I think most of us know there’s something wrong with this world. And we want something better, even though we don’t seem to be able to do anything to keep it from getting even worse.
So let’s say the question is do you want to be immortal in a better world? Even here, I guess it depends on what “better” means. Who defines better. And what will it be like?
Since we do have a very widely accepted, although by no means globally accepted, book on what this better world could/should/will be like, let’s use it. That book is the Bible. And the next life is eternity with the God of the Bible.
But here’s the thing. No matter what some of you might think, we aren’t going to be like that image. We’re not going to be angels. We’re going to be people. But we won’t die. Or get sick. Or have any of the other stuff that makes us think at least two or three times about whether we want to be immortal on this planet as it is now.
Immortal to mortal to immortal
To see that, let’s go back to the beginning. You know – The Beginning.
Immortal – for a time
The Beginning
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
…
Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
…
Ge 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
…
Yes, it’s just a portion of God creating, well, creating everything. But since we’re only looking at people, it’s all we need today.
Mortal – because of the fall
First of all, notice that Ge 1:31 says God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Not “good” as it was for everything else in creation. No, it was very good, after everything, including us, was done. Of course, we need to remember that this was before the fall. After the fall, things weren’t even good, let alone very good. Everything was corrupted. Yes, everything, as we read from Paul.
Future Glory
Ro 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Ro 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Ro 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Immortal – but in the next life
So we just completed the journey – God’s creation was very good – God’s creation was corrupted because of the fall – God’s creation will be restored to what was originally intended. Of course, there are many passages to look at to explain this. These just happen to be the ones I chose today.
There was a reason why I picked “The Beginning”. It has to do with the title – Do you want to be immortal?
Remember, from Ge 1:26 – Let us make man in our image. Here’s the Hebrew word for “man”: אָדָם
120 אָדָם, אָדָם, אָדָם [ʾadam /aw·dawm/] n m. From 119; TWOT 25a; GK 132 and 133 and 135; 552 occurrences; AV translates as “man” 408 times, “men” 121 times, “Adam” 13 times, “person(s)” eight times, “common sort + 7230” once, and “hypocrite” once. 1 man, mankind. 1A man, human being. 1B man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT). 1C Adam, first man. 1D city in Jordan valley. 1Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
Can we be immortal? What does Micah say?
So let’s take that Hebrew word – אָדָם – and fast forwards to Micah. That’s where we pick up the thought of mortal, as in not immortal. In case you’re not familiar with Micah, here’s a bit of a description of what it’s about.
Old testament prophets are often thought of as providing not much more than “doom and gloom” predictions, but the Book of Micah presents an impassioned and artistic interplay between oracles of impending judgment and promises of future blessing on Israel and Judah. The peoples of both nations had broken covenant with their Lord. Through His messenger Micah, the Lord confronted His people, but He also promised to bring future blessing through the One who would be coming. This One would be the true Shepherd of God’s flock. 2Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1071). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
Let’s take that apart and make some things clear. We’re moving from the Old Testament (Old Covenant) to the New Testament (New Covenant). As such, some meanings change. That’s what we’ll examine first, Without that, it’s probably hard to really make the transition from the word mortal, in this life, in Micah with its Old Covenant meaning to the New Covenant with the next life being immortal.
We need to start with the end of the excerpt above, since that’s where we are told about future blessing through the One who would be coming. For us today, this is where we know the reference is to Jesus. Back then, the people anxiously awaited the promised Messiah. These days? I’m sorry to say, it’s far from what it was. In any case, God told them, and through His Word, God also told us. And so, if we believe God, we can now make that transition from Old Covenant promises to New Covenant promises.
So let’s go back to the start of the excerpt.
Old testament prophets are often thought of as providing not much more than “doom and gloom” predictions, but the Book of Micah presents an impassioned and artistic interplay between oracles of impending judgment and promises of future blessing on Israel and Judah.
Because we are under the New Covenant, the prophecies of impending judgment and promises of future blessing apply to us as Christians as well. However, one difference is in the timing. The oracles of impending judgment and promises of future blessing were more immediate under the Old Covenant. But for us, it’s about the next life. The life we’re talking about in the question “Do you want to be immortal?”
The peoples of both nations had broken covenant with their Lord.
For sure, we’ve done this as well. Every single one of us. No matter how good we think we are, or someone else is, we have all done this. Christians especially should know this. After all, Paul made it quite clear. Notice the underlined verses in the passage below.
Righteousness Through Faith
Ro 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Ro 3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
And, if you need it, Jesus also told us who is “good” in the eyes of the Lord.
The Rich Ruler – Luke
18:18-30 pp — Mt 19:16-29; Mk 10:17-30
Lk 18:18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Lk 18:19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’’”
Lk 18:21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
Lk 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Lk 18:23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Lk 18:26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Lk 18:27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Lk 18:28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
Lk 18:29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
As often happens in the Bible, after Jesus tells this person that no one is good, we also find out how to rectify that problem. In doing so, Jesus also tells us something about the next life. The one last will last forever. Eternally.
Lk 18:29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”
This brings us back to where we started – the end.
Through His messenger Micah, the Lord confronted His people, but He also promised to bring future blessing through the One who would be coming. This One would be the true Shepherd of God’s flock.
More on Micah and immortality
What we read, as always, is generally something translated into our own language. It’s not necessarily Hebrew. Therefore, what we read depends on the translation we use. I happened to read this passage from the 2010 NIV, not my normal 1984 NIV. As it turns out, that made all the difference in what I saw from this passage. So, when you read it, notice the word “mortal” in verse 8, which I underlined.
Since this is so obviously Old Testament, let’s go through it to see how, and why, it also applies to us today as Christians.
First, let’s go through an analysis of Chapter 6.
We are once more in the courtroom.
The indictment (1–5). God called the mountains to witness His complaint against Israel. What had He done to His people that they should despise His Word and sin against Him? (See Isa. 5.) Had they forgotten all that He did for them? It is good for us to review God’s gracious acts toward us and make sure we express gratitude to Him.
The confession (6–8). All that the people could say was, “Guilty!” The Judge did not want sacrifices; He wanted obedience (Isa. 1:10–18). Verse 8 tells us how we should live as God’s forgiven people (Deut. 10:12).
The sentence (9–16). They would feel the rod of punishment because of their sins, and their efforts would be cursed. Omri and Ahab were two of the most wicked kings who ever ruled Israel (1 Kings 16:21–22:40), and the nation suffered because they followed their bad examples. 3Wiersbe, W. W. (1991). With the Word Bible Commentary (Mic 6:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Now, let’s take a look at this passage, which covers the indictment and the confession from that excerpt above.
Micah 6 – the indictment
The LORD’s Case Against Israel – 2010 NIV
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
Mic 6:2 “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
There are various times in the Bible when God’s creation, even inanimate things like mountains, are presented as witnesses. In this case, even the “foundations of the earth” are called out.
Why is this so? As also happens in other passages, other parts of God’s creation are called when the indictment is against His greatest creation- us.
And while it says Israel in verse 2, we already know that under the New Covenant, it’s expanded to include us today. Also by extension, it’s against those of us who call ourselves Christians. As we’ll see, the verses that follow make no sense for anyone other than believers when we come to the New Covenant.
Mic 6:3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
As I said, what follows is clearly going to be for Old Testament times. It is, after all, past tense and clearly is directed at God’s chosen people. At the Israelites.
Today, Christians must substitute things that God has done for us. It shouldn’t be hard. No, I’m not going to include anything here. However, I will say that if you find it difficult to come up with things God has done for us, either Christians as a group or each of us as individuals, you really should take some time to pray about it. Maybe even go back and read the New Testament (again) and acknowledge some of them.
Mic 6:4 I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
Mic 6:5 My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”
So there are some Old Testament reminders. As I said, every Christian really should be able to add some New Testament concepts for us today.
Micah 6 – the confession
Mic 6:6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Mic 6:7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Once again, this is very Old Testament. What kind of sacrifice is needed for the various sins committed.
However, taking this to the New Testament isn’t complicated. This one, I will give to you. It’s a two step process to go from these verses in Micah to something Jesus said.
Instead of sacrifices – mercy – from Hosea
Not surprisingly, we’re going to look at a passage from Hosea in the Old Testament where Israel has sinned. But even worse, they aren’t repentant either. Add to that the fact that Hosea dies shortly after Micah was born, and the two passages together have even greater significance.
Israel Unrepentant
Hos 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.
Hos 6:2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.
Hos 6:3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea is urging the Israelites to return to God. This call is based on the earlier chapters of Hosea. He tells the people of the good things that will come from such a return to the LORD.
However, God then says:
Hos 6:4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.
Hos 6:5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth;
my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.
Hos 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hos 6:7 Like Adam, they have broken the covenant—
they were unfaithful to me there.
Notice the underlined verse 6. All along, God wanted the people to show mercy rather than to sin and then have to make sacrifices to atone for those sins. You can read more about that thought in He has torn us to pieces and injured us. Let’s return to him. It takes a look at the entire passage in Hosea in greater detail. For today, I’ll just say that they entirely missed the point. God didn’t want an unending cycle of sin – repent – sacrifice – repeat. He wanted mercy, in order that the sin not be committed.
But you know what? We pretty much miss the point today as well. God also doesn’t want an endless cycle of sin – repent – be forgiven – repeat. He still wants mercy, so that the sins may not be committed in the first place!
Old Testament Hosea – but also New Testament Christians
Unfortunately, just like the Israelites, what follows in the next excerpt from Hosea also applies to us.
…
Hos 7:13 Woe to them,
because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak lies against me.
Hos 7:14 They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail upon their beds.
They gather together for grain and new wine
but turn away from me.
Hos 7:15 I trained them and strengthened them,
but they plot evil against me.
Hos 7:16 They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
Yes, we have strayed. Far too many do not fry out or return to God. And even too many who claim to have returned to God didn’t really do so with their hearts. Rather, it’s about words, not actually giving ourselves to God and following Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Or maybe only on Sunday mornings. Possibly Saturday evening, so that our football Sundays aren’t messed up?
Instead of sacrifices – mercy – from Hosea
So, now that we’ve seen I desire mercy not sacrifice in Hosea, let’s turn to the New Testament. This time, to a passage that we’ve probably heard. But how much attention did we pay to it? Maybe not all that much? Why not? Possibly because it’s not part of the NIV passage heading? Because it’s more of an afterthought and got lost in the weeds? Or, is it because it’s just asking too much of us?
The Calling of Matthew – Matthew
9:9-13 pp — Mk 2:14-17; Lk 5:27-32
Mt 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
Mt 9:10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
Mt 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Oh – may we didn’t pay that much attention because we aren’t sick? We’re healthy! We’re good Christians. But then, notice that word “good”. And remember what we already saw about that word. That none are good except for God? Uh oh. Maybe we should reconsider that? Maybe we should go back to what Hosea said about returning to the LORD? And while we’re at it, update our thinking to those New Testament topics I mentioned.
Do you want to be immortal?
Where are we after all this? We read Micah. We read Hosea. We head from Jesus. We’ve looked at the differences between and the progression from Old Covenant promises to New Covenant promises.
So I have to ask a question here. Do you want to be immortal, in the New Covenant manner? Do you want to live the kind of life that will exist in the eternity of the next life? In other words, do you want to, forever, follow Jesus and live the kind of life He taught? Yes, Jesus died for our sins. But His death will only cover our sins if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. If not, then we pay the price. And it’s a price we cannot afford to pay. Therefore, Jesus is the only way to achieve that life of eternity with God.
Is there anything in our lives to indicate that we even have any desire for that kind of life? Christianity is not a religion where what we do is the difference between Heaven or Hell. However, what we do is an indication of what’s in our hearts. It’s a barometer of whether or not we truly want to, in our heart and in our soul, have a desire to follow Jesus.
So, when we look in the mirror, and we ask the person we see, “do you want to be immortal?”, all these things play into the kind of immortal we’ll be.
Huh? We get to be immortal either way? Well, yes.
Do you want to be immortal?
I leave you with one final passage. One that I’m not going to expand on here. But I do invite you to check out other articles that look at the sheep and the goats.
The Sheep and the Goats
Mt 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Mt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Mt 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
Mt 25:40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Mt 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
Mt 25:44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
Mt 25:45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Mt 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
It’s our choice. The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Or the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
In which of them do you want to spend your eternity?
Image by Capri23auto from Pixabay
Footnotes
- 1Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
- 2Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1071). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
- 3Wiersbe, W. W. (1991). With the Word Bible Commentary (Mic 6:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.