Dear Minister: Do you think there is any truth to the saying that only the good die young?
Answer: First of all, let me say that if you have lost a young person in your life my heart goes out to you in sympathy.
The Bible says in Psalm 90:10 – “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years.” In that sense, we might say that anyone who dies prior to their seventies or eighties has died too young.
I suppose it is also possible that a person who has died younger has had less time to do wrong things, and is therefore good in comparison to older folks who have made more than their share of mistakes.
Here is where that theory falls apart. Romans 3:10 reminds us that “There is no righteous person, not even one.” And verse 23 adds that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
So, the idea that a person can be good on their own is simply a fallacy based on comparing one flawed human being to another. In God’s eyes we all fall short of goodness. As Jesus said in Luke 18:19, “No one is good except God alone.”
Although that can seem discouraging, the wonderful news is that God has made a way for each of us, no matter what our age, to become good in His sight. 1 Peter 3:18 proclaims that, “Christ suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God.”
In a sense, the good did die young. Jesus, the holy one, died at age 33. Through His death we can be forgiven and made good.
May you embrace His goodness and live a long, healthy life!
Sincerely,
Dr. Steve Rahter
Pastor
Praise Tabernacle
Egg Harbor Township, NJ
