As countries around the globe are coming to grips with a silver tsunami, with more and more qualifying for the “super-aged” category, a strange slogan seems to reverberate in our societies. That slogan is “Age is just a number.”
The purpose of this slogan can be said to be quite noble in most cases. It is meant to encourage older people to take charge of their health, lead an active lifestyle and adopt a positive attitude.
However, while its goal is honourable, the slogan itself must be called to question. It is simply a myth to assert that age is just a number—and it is never a good idea to encourage a wholesome attitude towards ageing on the basis of a myth.
This myth, which has been repeated so many times that some have even come to believe it, is in fact a form of dangerous denial. It is a denial that ageing is a natural biological process, one which takes its normal toll.
There is a sense in which this myth has emerged from a culture which appears to be resistant to the idea of the finitude of living organisms. Carolyn Rosenblatt makes this astute observation in her piece for the Forbes website, where she writes:
Generally, in our society, we seem to be unwilling to face that all living organisms have a life cycle. All come into existence, and develop over time. All die at the end of the life cycle. There are no exceptions, no matter what you buy to try to avoid this.1
Gerontologist Kerry Burnight puts it even more arrestingly in her article in The Guardian:
Anyone who says ‘age is just a number’ has not reached the high numbers. Ageing is not easy, and ‘forever young’ is not a plan. Regardless of how many burpees you can do or protein smoothies you chug, the passing of time brings challenges. Roles that you relished change, words on menus seem to shrink, necks sag, diagnoses arise.2
This reluctance to face up to the truth about our finitude and mortality is seen in the products which promise to “stop ageing”, the current obsession with longevity studies, and the transhumanist quest for immortality.
The Bible presents a radically different outlook to ageing and the elderly in society.
In the first place, it does not deny the decline that accompanies ageing but approaches it with unflinching realism. This is captured most poignantly in the prayer of the Psalmist: “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent” (Psalm 71:9).
The Bible regards ageing as part of the human condition in a fallen world. While modern medicine and science have done much to improve the quality of life of the elderly—especially in more affluent societies—they are unable to halt the march towards mortality.
Yet, while the Bible faces the decline that accompanies ageing without denial, it is never cynical or despairing. Instead, it consistently affirms the intrinsic dignity and worth of older persons.
Yet, while the Bible faces the decline that accompanies ageing without denial, it is never cynical or despairing. Instead, it consistently affirms the intrinsic dignity and worth of older persons.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, every human being, regardless of their age or state of health, is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27), is valued by God and therefore must be respected by the community. Secondly, older adults are often regarded as the bearers of wisdom that comes from faithful living.
The Bible therefore teaches that the aged in the community must be honoured. In Israel’s wisdom literature, we find this statement: “Grey hair is a crown of glory” (Proverbs 16:31). And in Leviticus 19:32, respect for the elderly is explicitly commanded: “You shall stand up before the grey head and honour the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.”
The elderly in society continue to have a significant role to play in it. In the Bible, old age is never portrayed as a period of passive withdrawal but one in which one continues to fulfil God’s purposes and contribute to the common good of society.
Thus, Psalm 92:14 declares: “They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.”
Even though limited by frailty, the elderly can still serve as mentors and nurturers of the young: “So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come” (Psalm 71:18).
The biblical view of old age is both realistic and radiant.
It is realistic because it does not sugarcoat decline. It is radiant because it emphasises the dignity of the elderly and their continuing role in the community and society.
Dr Roland Chia is Chew Hock Hin Professor of Christian Doctrine at Trinity Theological College and Theological and Research Advisor at the Ethos Institute for Public Christianity.
1 Carolyn Rosenblatt, “Let’s Bust That Myth: ‘Age Is Just A Number,’” Forbes, March 29, 2024, https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolynrosenblatt/2024/03/29/lets-bust-that-myth-age-is-just-a-number/.
2 Kerry Burnight, “I’m an Expert on Ageing. Here’s What I Know about Thriving in Later Life,” The Guardian, July 18, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/ng-interactive/2025/jul/18/best-ageing-advice-expert-tips.
