An Obvious Truth
C.S. Lewis says it well. A human being is the only thing on earth who truly lasts forever. Because we’re made in the image of our Creator and we each are born with an immortal spirit.
As a younger Christian I appreciated him so much for opening my eyes to this truth.
Yet I tend to forget it.
Humans are amphibians – half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time. (C.S. Lewis)
C.S. Lewis’ Great Insight
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.
Heaven or Hell is the final destination for every soul on earth and immortality lasts forever. Unfortunately Hell is our “inconvenient truth.” Jesus himself spoke of it often. It’s what gave Christ’s ministry its urgency.
It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations.
Yes, immortals live among us. You and I see one every time we look in the mirror.
I downloaded this image from Pixabay.com.
Resources:
The “humans are amphibians” quote came from C.S, Lewis’ book, The Screwtape Letters. His other two quotes about humans being immortal came from Lewis’ book, The Weight of Glory.
Editor’s Note: The best Christian teachers offer a truth banquet to the body of Christ. No one, besides Jesus has ever taught spiritual truth perfectly, But I’m thankful for those who have helped me grow as a Christian woman. They often cause me to say, “I never thought about it that way.”
