WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH
Accountable for Life
(Hebrews 9:27)
In 1831, Charles Robert Darwin, a student preparing for the clergy at Cambridge University in England, sailed aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a scientific expedition. Returning to England in 1836, Darwin developed his theory of evolution through natural selection, which he eventually published in 1859 in his book On the Origin of Species.
Prior to the publication of Darwin’s theory, the influence of the Bible on scientific worldviews, at least in the realm of creation, was still strong—that is, that individual species were created intact and separate from one another. Darwin’s views, however, based on natural selection, said that all living organisms are descended from common ancestors and have evolved over time, the stronger dominating the weaker. In the century and a half since the publication of Darwin’s work, the creation-evolution debate has reached a fever pitch.
At the end of the discussions, evolution and creation differ at the core in this way: If evolution is true, God either doesn’t exist or is not personally involved in His creation, and we are not accountable to anyone for our lives. All people exist as the product of chance, a roll of the genetic dice, and we are free to be and do what our strengths will allow us to get away with.
If, on the other hand, a personal and omnipotent God created us and acts as the moral governor of the universe, we are responsible for the stewardship of our own lives. One day we will stand before Him to answer for the honor or shame brought to Him by our lives. The Bible addresses this issue: “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” If the Bible is to be believed (and it is), all human beings are accountable to their Creator for the lives they have lived.
Some things in life do evolve, but humans from a primordial stew are not among them. Our conscience tells us that we owe our lives to our Creator (Rom. 1:20; 2:14–16), and the Scriptures tell us that after our life on earth is over, we will answer to that Creator. We can prepare for that day by letting this day be one of stewardship and honor to Him.
God’s Promise:
You are the steward of an important part of His creation: your life.