Way Truth Life Apologetics

(original post 4 Jan 2020)

As many of you are aware, the worlds #1 terrorist was killed in a US airstrike just outside the Baghdad airport. News of this report has brought out many reactions, flooding social media with closet foreign policy and military “experts” to opine about the operation and its impact(s) for the near and distant future. As I’ve reflected on the event over the past couple of days, my reaction has brought about a more intimate self-awareness of the dual nature of man.

As a human being, I have a physical nature—a body with parts, which can physically interact with the environment and other people. This body gets hurt, hungry, sick, tired, energized, excited, hot, cold, nervous, etc. This is an undeniable reality even non-Christians and those who hold a naturalist view would affirm; the physical nature of existence.

There is another part of who I am, though, which is unique to me, but which every other person also possesses. We all have a spiritual, eternal nature (a soul, if you will), which is actually the truest form of anyone. A quote attributed to CS Lewis (though the origin is debated) is, “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body,” is nonetheless an accurate reflection of the dual nature of mankind.

There are two realities in which we fundamentally exist: material (body) and immaterial (spiritual). This is established early in Scripture, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen 2:7). God created us all with a physical and spiritual nature. As such, there is a dichotomy at play which is sometimes in harmony and sometimes at odds. We see this further illustrated in Scripture in verses such as “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41) and others (Gal 2:20, Eph 4:22-24, Rom 12:1-2, Rom 8:12-14).

Here is where these two topics come together (dualism & death of a terrorist). The human (physical) part of me rejoiced that a monster of a person, responsible for numerous deaths over the years is no longer a threat. This vicious murderer can no longer harm another person by direct or indirect action. The death of this terrorist has been a cause for celebration as many considered him the #1 terrorist in the world; what’s not to celebrate about his death?

The other side of the coin became apparent when my son, watching the news report and asking some questions, made the comment, “I hate him and I’m glad he’s dead.” Immediately, my thoughts went to the spiritual aspect of life. How that even though this Iranian general was a killer, perpetrated acts of violence and evil against countless others, and would continue to do so if he were alive today, the Bible declares that Jesus hung on a cross, bore ALL of our sins, died, and resurrected to redeem mankind.

Even though this terrorist was most likely Muslim in his ideology, Jesus died for him. Even though he was responsible for the deaths and injuries of many people, Jesus died for him. Even though he hated Israel and Jews, Jesus died for him. No matter the many flaws this man possessed, God loved him and sent His Son to be a sacrifice for him, in order to provide THE way which this man and God could be restored in relationship.

That duality has repeatedly been in my thoughts lately. The first thought in my mind when a celebrity’s death is reported over the past couple months is “had anyone shared the Gospel with this person and was there a time when they surrendered to Jesus as Lord and Savior?” Just last week an 18-year-old motorcyclist died when he wrecked on I-95. While the travel delay was annoying, my mind wandered to the question of “did Jesus know him?”

It’s only in the past year or so that I’ve noticed this change in my thinking when hearing about someone’s passing. In retrospect it seems a bit untimely; having been a Christian for just over 25 years now, I would think that the spiritual (eternal) destiny for anyone would have been a point of interest for much of it. I know the Christian life is one of spiritual growth and maturity. I take this mindset to be a part of that maturity, where concern for where a person will spend eternity serves to motivate me to be more intentional in sharing my faith. I hope this post will stir your thoughts towards this issue as well!

~In Christ!