"Death is part of life." Have you ever heard that before?

I ask myself: If death really is part of life, why does everyone have such a hard time with dying? You spend your whole life working hard, developing skills, networking in valuable relationships that make life worth living – and suddenly it's all over? That's really hard to bear. Could it be that we as humans are not designed for death? What if our longing for life is the antenna that God has given us to set out in search of Him?

The question that drives everyone is: What is humanity? Where do we come from, what defines us? The Bible makes an astonishing statement about human beings and our origins:

"So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)

God created humans with divine qualities: Individuality, spirit, capacity for happiness, creativity, and the freedom to think and act. From the very beginning, human existence was geared towards eternity. Nevertheless, humans were not independent of God, from whom they had received life and everything else. They were always intended to remain connected to God.

However, someone used his freedom of choice to stand against God: the great adversary, originally the "bearer of light" (Lucifer), but now the "accuser", the embodiment of evil.

Because of this adversary, man became involved with evil. This led to rebellion – to what the Bible calls "sin". Humanity suddenly considered itself detached from God, free to do as it wanted. And so, everything that was evil found its way in.

The likeness of God in humanity was destroyed by sin. Humanity became transient and mortal because it separated itself from the source of its life force. Separated from God, there is no immortality.

The mortality of mankind means we cease to exist: at death, we lose our consciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). We decay and disintegrate. Humans blossom fleetingly and wither away like flowers (Job 14,1-2). This is a terribly bleak situation.

It takes more than ordinary energy to change this; it takes creative power, a divine re-creation in the resurrection.

Not only has mortality characterised human life since the Fall, but has also gained an innate tendency towards evil. Moral weakness and rebellion against the good are inherent in humanity, in spite of our best intentions.

Many who understand this condition and feel an inner longing to escape transience begin a search. God Himself shows them the way: Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus, the image of God is restored in us. Through Him we can be set free from our sin. Because Jesus reconciles us with God again, heaven is open to us. We will regain immortality!

God has always destined us for eternal life. He pursues people and calls them to Himself. Anyone who has experienced this and connects with God has discovered a new purpose in life.

If you have found your way back to God through Jesus Christ, you are still mortal for this life, but you have found the key to eternal life. This eternal life is given to you today, and you can accept it in faith. When Jesus returns, He will also raise you up and take you with Him so that you can be where He is.

Then all of God's promises will be fulfilled and we will be what we should always have been: People created by God in His image, happy and free.

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Bible texts for in-depth study: Many who understand this condition and feel an inner longing to escape transience begin a search.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7, 15; 3; Psalm 8:5-9; 51:7, 12; 58:4; Jeremiah 17:9; John 14:1-3; Acts 17:24-28; Romans 5:12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20; Ephesians 2:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 John 3:4; 4:7-8, 11, 20