Friday, April 10, 2009
How To Achieve Immortality?
In her book Distracted, Maggie Jackson refers to a freakish and eerie display in the main building of University College London. The display is the frock-cloaked skeleton and wax head of a political philosopher by the name of Jerry Bentham, who died in 1832 at eighty-four years of age. For many years his real head, which had been mangled at an unsuccessful mummification attempt, lay at the foot of the skeleton
“Per his stipulation, Bentham sits in his own straight-back chair, his favorite walking stick resting on his knees, gazing back at gawkers from a glass-fronted wooden box, an eerie testimony to his faith in the power of permanent visibility in all realms… not surprisingly, the social critic and legal reformer had bigger plans for his auto-icon than resting quietly in a case like a preserved butterfly. Along with leaving detailed instructions for his corpse’s public dissection by his personal physician and for the subsequent preservation of his body, Bentham decreed in his will that his auto-icon should be brought to meetings of his friends and followers ‘to be stationed in such part of the room as to the assembled company seem meet.’ In 2004, the auto-icon attended a university retirement party.” (Distracted. Maggie Jackson, p.127-128)
I think it is safe to say that Mr. Bentham was one of those people who was looking for some way to make his life count beyond the grave. He, like many others was seeking immortality. Many have attempted to achieve immortality through acting, writing, donating, ruling, doing suicide missions, breaking performance records, etc. But, alas, although some of them managed to be remembered by subsequent generations, they have not truly achieved immortality.
There is only one historical figure who has achieved immortality and then returned from the grave to demonstrate that He had done so -- Jesus Christ. He predicted: his death, the kind of execution he would experience, the number of days he would be dead and the time he would return from death. Jesus Christ didn’t just talk about immortality, He achieved it. His death and resurrection were so evident that neither Rome nor the Jewish leaders of His day could prove otherwise. It was this undeniable proof that transformed his disciples from cowards to martyrs. They were willing to die because they had witnessed their Master conquer death.
After demonstrating His authority over death, Jesus invited anyone who would believes to follow Him into immortality. The Bible says, “Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.” (I Corinthians 15:21-22 NLT)
How does it work? That’s what people asked St. Peter. He answered like this:
“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 NLT)
St. Paul explained it like this: a believer dies to themselves, is buried with Christ in baptism (that is why we baptize in Jesus name), and then rises to a newness of life by receiving the Holy Spirit. (Romans 6:4)
Jesus described this process as being born again. (John 3:5) When you become a Christian, you are born into God’s kingdom – a kingdom where you live even after you die. That’s how to achieve immortality!
“Per his stipulation, Bentham sits in his own straight-back chair, his favorite walking stick resting on his knees, gazing back at gawkers from a glass-fronted wooden box, an eerie testimony to his faith in the power of permanent visibility in all realms… not surprisingly, the social critic and legal reformer had bigger plans for his auto-icon than resting quietly in a case like a preserved butterfly. Along with leaving detailed instructions for his corpse’s public dissection by his personal physician and for the subsequent preservation of his body, Bentham decreed in his will that his auto-icon should be brought to meetings of his friends and followers ‘to be stationed in such part of the room as to the assembled company seem meet.’ In 2004, the auto-icon attended a university retirement party.” (Distracted. Maggie Jackson, p.127-128)
I think it is safe to say that Mr. Bentham was one of those people who was looking for some way to make his life count beyond the grave. He, like many others was seeking immortality. Many have attempted to achieve immortality through acting, writing, donating, ruling, doing suicide missions, breaking performance records, etc. But, alas, although some of them managed to be remembered by subsequent generations, they have not truly achieved immortality.
There is only one historical figure who has achieved immortality and then returned from the grave to demonstrate that He had done so -- Jesus Christ. He predicted: his death, the kind of execution he would experience, the number of days he would be dead and the time he would return from death. Jesus Christ didn’t just talk about immortality, He achieved it. His death and resurrection were so evident that neither Rome nor the Jewish leaders of His day could prove otherwise. It was this undeniable proof that transformed his disciples from cowards to martyrs. They were willing to die because they had witnessed their Master conquer death.
After demonstrating His authority over death, Jesus invited anyone who would believes to follow Him into immortality. The Bible says, “Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.” (I Corinthians 15:21-22 NLT)
How does it work? That’s what people asked St. Peter. He answered like this:
“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 NLT)
St. Paul explained it like this: a believer dies to themselves, is buried with Christ in baptism (that is why we baptize in Jesus name), and then rises to a newness of life by receiving the Holy Spirit. (Romans 6:4)
Jesus described this process as being born again. (John 3:5) When you become a Christian, you are born into God’s kingdom – a kingdom where you live even after you die. That’s how to achieve immortality!
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