The Benefits of Being Christian

Most Christians know the value of belonging to Jesus. There is the assurance that all who obey the gospel have their sins forgiven. The old man is buried, and a new creation comes forth from the waters of baptism (Rom. 6:3-5). Many are the advantages of living a righteous life (John 10:10). An eternal future with God in Heaven is guaranteed to the faithful. Christians periodically remind themselves of these blessings by examining the Scriptures.

The two advantages recently reported in the news may not find corroboration in the Word, but they are interesting to mention and certainly sound plausible. Both of these were posted on June 13th of this year. The first article is titled, "Why Suicide Rates May Rise as Christianity Wanes." The author of this piece is J. Warner Wallace, who includes some thought-provoking facts, such as: "suicide rates in the United States have risen nearly 30% since 1999.

Now why would that be? The economy has varied somewhat during this time period, but it has not been so severe that people could not find any other solutions to their financial problems. It does come in the wake of Jack Kevorkian’s popularity and his push to help people die. He was jailed and has now himself passed on, but it may be that some of his ideas live on.

Wallace pointed out that historically it has been thought that there was a "connection between mental illness and suicide," but now more than half of those taking their lives were not identified as mentally ill. What are reasons for this macabre trend? Could it be that people don’t take death seriously? How many television programs and movies (especially the violent ones) have we seen in which numerous bad guys are dispatched? We know that, despite whatever the special effects tell us, nobody really died; many of them will star in future films. Also available are video games in which players kill bad guys in droves.

But this is not the only influence. Humanism acts as though death is nothing to be concerned about. In most cases, the person who dies just ceases to exist (in the minds of atheists); they are satisfied to remember the lost loved one, knowing he will continue to live in their memory. Most people do not believe in hell (at least for their relatives and friends), and if the person lives on, it is probably in Heaven, since that's where nearly everyone goes when they leave Earth (they reason).

With some of these attitudes in society, it is not difficult to see why non-Christians may not fear death. They simply don’t believe there is anything to fear; they may even look at death as the next grand adventure. In the minds of many, either they will cease to exist, or they will be in Heaven. The Bible presents one other choice besides Heaven: Hell. Non-existence is not an option. If people had only read as far as Matthew 7:13-14, they would know that death is indeed something to fear.

The author of the article suggests that suicide rates are climbing as the influence of Christianity wanes. So, what is the reason that Christians are less likely to commit suicide? Wallace argues that Christians pursue holiness over happiness and significance over success. In other words, Christians value more than just material things and physical circumstances. If we waited until we were wealthy to be happy, not many would ever be pleased. If our outward circumstances dictated our sense of well-being, the majority of people would be in a state of perpetual dissatisfaction.

Christians are more likely to appreciate life and sing that it is well with our souls rather than it is well with our bank accounts. We know that this world is not all that there is. It is a temporary place where we take up residence for maybe 100 years. This world is not our home. Here the body grows tired and wears out, but in eternity we are ever fresh and energized. Pain is absent; the spirit rejoices continually. If we enjoy beauty on this earth, imagine what God has yet waiting for us.

So Christians are willing to endure the adversity of this life for the reward of the next. We suffer when it becomes necessary, although we pray for relief. Brethren in the first century gave their physical lives to secure an eternal reward for their spirits (2 Thess. 1:6-10). Spiritual realities and matters of real substance are the focus of the child of God. Wallace writes:

When we seek holiness over happiness, we willingly embrace opportunities to refine and develop a Godly character, even when times get tough. We understand the relationship between suffering, endurance, character and hope (Romans 5:3-5), and we find contentment in our current situation, despite our weaknesses, the insults we endure, or the hardships we may experience (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

When we seek significance over success, we willingly surrender our personal desires for a greater cause and Godly purpose, even when we could be selfish. We recognize that our personal lives are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), we embrace the overarching purpose for which we were created (Romans 8:28), and we strive to bring joy to others, even when we would focus on ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

Another observation of Wallace's is that Christians understand that God is "more concerned with our character than our comfort. In other words, He works to perfect us while we are on the Earth, and one way that goal is achieved is through adversity. Sometimes we must endure various hardships so that we mature properly. God does not leave us alone to face these battles. He faces them with us and furthermore will not allow us to confront more than we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13).

One other aspect of the Christian's strength should be mentioned, and that is that the Scriptures teach us to respect life. We are to respect the lives of animals (Pr. 12:10), but even more we realize how precious human life is. God created us in His image although people make that difficult to remember (Gen. 1:26-28). Anyone who kills a fellow human being forfeits his own life in return (Gen. 9:5-6). The life of a child in the womb is still a human being and is entitled to birth (Luke 1:41, 44. 2:12, 16). This respect for life includes our own; therefore, we have no authority to destroy even our own life, since it belongs to God (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Job had lost all his material possessions, but he remained faithful to God (1:20-21). Then he lost his health and experienced great misery. He devoutly wished that God would end his earthly existence, but he never once considered taking his own life. And it is a good thing he did not. Think of all he would have missed (Job 42:12-13). Only the ungodly commit suicide in the Bible: King Saul (when he saw he could not live), his armor bearer, Ahithophel (who became a traitor against David), and Zimri.

The stronger one's faith is, the less likely he is to commit suicide. It may also have something to do with his connectedness. Wallace suggests that the Christian: 1) have good relationships with his Christian family as well as his own; 2) volunteers to help others; 3) interacts with others; and 4) is more involved in his community. Even if no reasons could be cited, the statistic would still show this advantage of being a Christian.

"Religious People Live Four Years Longer Than Atheists"

This claim might be of interest to some folks; it is based on a relatively small sampling of only 1,000 obituaries, but they were spread all over the United States. Since Ohio State University conducted the study, it is not likely to be biased in favor of Christians. The claim does not seem preposterous; it actually makes sense.

According to the study, church-goers live approximately four years longer than atheists. And what are the reasons cited to explain this discrepancy in lifespans? One reason is that Christians usually engage in social activities, and they volunteer. Social interaction has something to do with the longevity, but it does not explain the entire gap. Dr. Laura Wallace, a doctoral student in psychology at Ohio State University, said: “We found that volunteerism and involvement in social organizations only accounted for a little less than one year of the longevity boost that religious affiliation provided.”

So what about the other three years? Those doing the study cited behavior as an influence, such as low alcohol intake and sexual habits. Now that makes sense. More than 25% of the population does not drink alcohol—ever. True, according to the media, one would think 1% of abstainers would be a stretch, but as usual the media slants ideas in favor of ungodliness. A significant portion of those who do not drink alcoholic beverages fail to do so out of religious convictions. Most members of the Lord’s church refrain from imbibing, as do other religious folks.

Many others keep their consumption levels low, and this practice works in their favor, also. However, those who are drinking daily and occasionally binging will have fewer years. Probably someone has done a study on the much shorter lifespans of alcoholics.

Another factor is described by Dr. Baldwin Way, associate professor of psychology at Ohio State, who co-authored this study. He said that the reason for more years of life may be related to the rules and norms of many religions that restrict unhealthy practices such as alcohol and drug use and having sex with many partners. Those professing to be Christians would surely want to avoid committing fornication and adultery (1 Cor. 6:18; Heb. 13:4).

Whether for religious reasons or not, even the Bee Gees recognized the folly of promiscuity in their song, “Love You Inside Out,” when they wrote: “Too many lovers in one lifetime ain't good for you.” Some obviously think otherwise and suffer physically as a result of it. Although there might be an exception if a Christian sinned and then repented of it, generally speaking one does not find an obituary headline that reads: “Christian Dies of AIDS.”

The use of alcohol or any other drug should not be associated with Christians, as should sexual impurity. Not only is fornication morally wrong and a bad example to set for others, it is dangerous to oneself in terms of the diseases that a participant has a fairly good chance of contracting these days. Such have always been available, but the percentages have greatly increased in the last fifty years. Fewer are those who blithely “hook up” with others with no fear of AIDS or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These cannot be treated with a shot of penicillin or a pill. They serve to complicate a person’s life in a major way.

Besides abstinence with respect to these categories of sin, the Christian has yet another advantage. Dr. Way also said that many religions also “promote stress-reducing practices that may improve health such as gratitude, prayer or meditation.” None of these are engaged in by Christians to increase one’s lifespan, but it could have this kind of positive effect. Following God’s commands usually does.

A different study involved 505 obituaries published in the Des Moines Register in January and February of 2012. The gap between sinner and saint in that study was almost 9½ years. However, when adjustments were made for gender and marital status, it shrank to 6½ years, which is still pretty good. We have no way of knowing how reliable any of these studies are. If they were as objective as they could be, however, it is (to say the least) interesting.

However, regardless of how many years we live here, there is a future life to consider. Atheists may dismiss the future with a wave of the hand, but they really ought to ponder it. Living four to six years longer here does not mean much in terms of eternity. Such a small period of time is negligible later. A few more years may mean a lot while we are here on Earth, but eternity plus six years is still eternity. We should abstain from all immoralities here and partake of prayer and Bible study now—not because we will have a few extra years—but because it pleases God.