Not satisfied with stories about the past, The History Channel is taking aim at the future. Taking a bit of the role of a prophet, the series Life After People speculates about what would happen to the planet after the self-destruction of the human race.

One must give credit to the developers of the series for their ingenuity. They look at the processes that are at work in the world today and forecast how they would operate if mankind were not here to sustain the structures and systems that we have created. It’s a bit like watching the weeds grow in a crack in a driveway and wondering what would happen if that process were not interrupted. Or it’s akin to speculating about the decay if you encounter an abandoned barn or farmhouse on a drive through the rural areas of most states.

The premise that mankind will become extinct while the world continues is totally divorced from the future plan of God as revealed in scripture. That is not the ending the Bible promises. Instead of dealing with those conflicting scenarios, I’d like to focus on what the Bible and this series have in common—they both recognize the reality of decay.

We now live in a universe where things fall apart. Over time, energy becomes more random and less useful. Given enough time, every star we see would grow cold. Here on earth, unattended gardens become choked with weeds. Even swimming pools of foreclosed homes fill with algae and begin to reek. Business founded by men or women with a clear vision and passion pass on to people who may be mindless of the ingredients that made it successful. If they replace those values with layers of management and bureaucratic structures, the odds of the enterprise retaining its vibrancy are slim. On the human level, neglected relationships do not become better. Where there is no energy put into affirmation, communication, reconciliation, or conflict management, the quality of the relationship ultimately suffers.

Decay in this world is inescapable. In the absence of ongoing initiative houses fall into disrepair, businesses drift into obsolescence, relationships suffer, and nations crumble.

The Bible depicts these realities from Genesis onwards. But instead of yielding to some measure of despair over the inevitability of such things, it offers a solution. The physical decay will give way to the creation of a new heaven and earth, including God’s gift to his redeemed children of new bodies that will not be subject to the forces that affect us today. But even now there is a response to the moral decay that all too often touches our lives.

After describing God’s promises, Peter writes, “through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (See 2 Peter 1:4.) The promise is not that we would avoid the presence of moral corruption. It’s a promise that we can fight the infection of that corruption. Those who have a relationship with Christ as their savior are given divine promises to hold on to and believe in. The dependability of God to keep these promises can empower us to embrace moral and holy choices when the temptation to yield or compromise is great. Though we may be touched by the decay that comes with moral corruption just as we are touched by the realities of wind erosion and rust, it need not get inside our hearts. Those who are Christ followers need not resign themselves to moral compromise as inevitable. Where we succeed, the credit goes to God, because success is not the result of our determination or our own perseverance. It is only through the appropriation of His grace and power that we can resist the seductions of our time. But the good news is that we can aspire to successfully battle moral corruption here and now. It’s one of the tremendous consequences of the power of the living Christ toward those who serve him.