On April 1, 2025, we learned that Val Kilmer died. All will forever remember his character in Top Gun when Goose introduces Kilmer’s character to Maverick. “That’s the way he flies: Ice cold. No mistakes. You get bored, frustrated, do something stupid, and he’s got you.” In his roles, Kilmer portrayed a masculinity of confidence, youthful skill, and mental toughness that we all desire. But the actor who rose to fame with the call sign “Iceman” for his character’s killer instinct was stricken with throat cancer and a premature death at 65. Kilmer’s Juilliard education, acting brilliance, and incredible purchasing power could not save his health. Pictures of Kilmer in his last months reveal a frail and bloated caricature of the youthful Hollywood image that remains in our minds. The immortal characters of Kilmer live on, yet Kilmer the man dies.
Why does that feel so raw and wrong? Why do we desire the good life—to skillfully live out our purpose with vibrance and abundance, and dwell in harmonious relationships with those around us in perpetuity? Why do we have these expectations, and more importantly, why does death betray the sensibilities of our minds and souls?
This is because man was made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27), and contrary to what natural materialists assert, man has a physical nature as well as a supernatural or immaterial nature. This connotes heart and soul, brain and mind. Man has consciousness and agency, with the mental and emotional capacity to think and love in harmonious community with others. Man intrinsically has identity, purpose, and value, and must live in moral obedience. But we also know and feel that we act in self-interest to the detriment of others and in offense to God. We call this “sin,” and we are all guilty because it violates God (Rom 3:23). As a result, we feel shame and guilt, and we desire forgiveness. This is an existential itch that can be scratched!
As God’s image bearers and divine handiwork, we are also made for heaven, eternal life, and a rich relationship with our Creator. We know this because “we have desires that no natural happiness can satisfy” (Lewis, C.S. “The Weight of Glory,” Theology, Volume: November 1941. 2, 4). We have sensations for hunger, thirst, fatigue, love, sex, etc., because they are inherent to our human existence, and a fulfillment of those needs exists. A hearty meal satisfies a growling belly and heavy eyelids find rejuvenation from a nap. And your shame, guilt, and other transcendent yearnings, like justice? They have ultimate satisfaction in the atoning death of Christ for those who believe in Him. It is a spiritual thirst that is quenched through divine means. Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This good life is our purpose in Jesus: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
Humbly admit to God that you have sinned against Him, repent of your rebellion, and express your faith that Jesus Christ lived the perfect life to be the holy sacrifice to forgive your offenses against a holy God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Death is disconcerting because Jesus has defeated sin and death, and He wants to dwell eternally with us. Your heart already senses the fulfillment of these longings, and now your mind apprehends this truth!
