Can You Hope to Live Forever?
“THERE’S something going on inside the human body to determine a maximum possible life-span of 115 to 120 years,” notes Dr. James R. Smith, a professor of cell biology. “There’s a limit—but we have no idea what defines it.” Biologist Dr. Roger Gosden says that it is, therefore, no wonder that “scientists have yet to find a way of putting back the finish line, and few of them even contemplate it.” Is that about to change?
Facing “the Really Big Question”
Although there is no shortage of theories promising a cure for aging, most experts agree with Dr. Gene D. Cohen, president of the Gerontological Society of America, that “all these magic bullets have turned out to be blanks.” Why? For one thing, says science writer Nancy Shute, in U.S.News & World Report, “no one yet knows what causes aging and its inevitable consequence, death. And applying a cure to the ailment when you don’t know the cause is haphazard at best.” Dr. Gosden too states that aging remains an enigma: “It is expressed in each one of us but its underlying nature remains a mystery.” He notes that “the really big question of why it occurs at all” gets little attention.a
Evidently, just as there is a limit to how fast humans can run, how high they can jump, and how deep they can dive, there is also a limit to how much can be explained through human thinking and reason alone. And answering “the really big question of why” is apparently beyond that limit. Therefore, the only way to find the answer is to turn to a source that is above the limits of unaided human knowledge. That is exactly what an ancient book of wisdom, the Bible, suggests that you do. Speaking about the Creator, “the source of life,” the Bible assures us: “If you search for him, he will let himself be found by you.” (Psalm 36:9; 2 Chronicles 15:2) What, then, does a search of God’s Word, the Bible, reveal about the real reason why man dies?
The Root Cause of Death
The Bible tells us that when God created the first humans, he put “a sense of eternity in their hearts.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Beck) However, the Creator gave man’s first parents more than a desire to live forever; he also gave them the opportunity to do so. They were created with a perfect body and mind, and they enjoyed living in a peaceful environment. The Creator purposed that these first humans live forever and that in time the earth be filled with their perfect offspring.—Genesis 1:28; 2:15.
Life without a finish line was, however, conditional. It depended upon obedience to God. If Adam disobeyed God, he would “positively die.” (Genesis 2:16, 17) Tragically, the first humans did disobey. (Genesis 3:1-6) In doing so, they became sinners, for “sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4) As a result, they no longer had the prospect of eternal life, for “the wages sin pays is death.” (Romans 6:23) Therefore, when pronouncing sentence upon the first humans, God said: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.”—Genesis 3:19.
Thus, after the first humans sinned, the foretold effect of sin was etched in their genes, and the finish line was put into place. As a consequence, they became subject to aging, with death as the result. In addition, after being expelled from their original Paradise home, called Eden, the first humans faced another factor that influenced their lives adversely—the hurdlelike environment outside Eden. (Genesis 3:16-19, 23, 24) This interplay of flawed heredity and harsh environment affected the first humans and their future offspring as well.
A Sentence and a Promise
Since these harmful changes in their lives occurred before the first humans produced children, they could only bring forth offspring that were like them—imperfect, sinful, and subject to the process of aging. “Death spread to all men because they had all sinned,” says the Bible. (Romans 5:12; compare Psalm 51:5.) “We carry our own death warrants written in our cell structure,” observes the book The Body Machine—Your Health in Perspective.
This, however, does not mean that there is no hope for life without a finish line—life without aging and death. First, it is reasonable to believe that the all-wise Creator of human life and other forms of life in all their awesome varieties can heal any genetic irregularities and supply the energy needed to continue man’s life forever. Second, this is exactly what the Creator has promised to do. After he imposed the death sentence on the first humans, God revealed several times that his purpose for humans to live forever on earth had not changed. For instance, he gives the assurance: “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.” (Psalm 37:29) What do you need to do to experience the fulfillment of this promise?
How to Extend Your Life—Forever
Interestingly, after science writer Ronald Kotulak had interviewed more than 300 medical researchers, he stated: “Scientists have long known that income, occupation, and education are the most important predictors of people’s health and how long they will live. . . . But it is education that is emerging as the most critical predictor of longevity.” He explained: “Just as the food we eat gives our immune systems the strength to fight off life-threatening infectious germs, education protects us against bad choices.” As one researcher said, “with education you learn how to navigate your world” and how to “overcome potential barriers.” Hence, in a way, education is, as author Kotulak puts it, “the secret to a healthier, longer life.”
The first step toward attaining everlasting life in the future is also education—Bible education. Jesus Christ stated: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) Taking in knowledge about Jehovah God, the Creator, about Jesus Christ, and about the ransom arrangement that God has provided is the only form of education that will prepare a person to take the first step on the road to everlasting life.—Matthew 20:28; John 3:16.
Jehovah’s Witnesses conduct a program of Bible education that can assist you to acquire this life-giving Bible knowledge. Visit one of their Kingdom Halls to learn more about this free program, or ask them to visit you at a convenient time. You will see that the Bible contains solid evidence that the time is near when life will no longer be hindered by hurdles and limited by a finish line. True, death has ruled for millenniums, but it will soon be defeated forever. What a thrilling prospect for old and young alike!
[Footnote]
a Gerontologists have formed numerous different theories (by one count, more than 300!) that describe how aging may occur. However, these theories do not explain why it occurs in the first place.
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The first step to attaining everlasting life is Bible education