Death and Life

by Steve Bastin

When God told Adam, “From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die,” it is important that we understand what God meant by “die.”

There is death that separates us from this world and there is death that separates us from God.  Since Adam did not physically die the day he ate the fruit, it is evident that God meant the death that separated Adam from God.

When the serpent told Eve “You surely will not die,” it is evident that he referred to physical death.  Thus, he did not lie, but neither did he tell the exact truth.  Physical death did not immediately result from eating the forbidden fruit.  Spiritual death did.

The matter becomes yet clearer when one turns to the things that happened after God announced the punishment for what Adam and Eve had done.  God then said, “‘Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ - therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden.”

Physical death came because Adam and Eve were sent away from the tree of life.  Their life was dependent upon eating from that tree.  Their life with God was dependent upon their avoiding the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

It is important that we distinguish between the two ways in which a person may die.  Physical life will end because one does not have access to the tree of life.  Spiritual life will end when one sins and is separated from God.  That life can be renewed by God and we will have more to say about that later. 

Paul emphasized the spiritual side of this when he wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world.”  These were people who had received a new spiritual life from God.

Ezekiel spoke also of spiritual death when he said, “The person who sins will die.  The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity, the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.”

Consider what Jesus said:  “I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the one who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear him!”

Many people have a far greater fear of the death of the body than they do of being cast into hell.  They have decided that hell does not exist, even though Jesus plainly spoke of people being cast there.

In hell there is no possibility of life with God.  In that place one is separated forever from God’s presence.  Jesus considered being cast into hell a far worse fate than dying a physical death.  We ought to follow Jesus in our thinking.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”  Physical death happens one time for every person.  There is no reincarnation where a person might live multiple lives and suffer multiple deaths.  Death only comes one time.  Physical death is followed by judgment.

In judgment God decides whether we will be with Him or whether we will be separated from Him eternally.  We will either have spiritual life or we will suffer spiritual death.  Our fate is in the hands of God.

But Jesus came that we might have life.  “I came that they may have life,” were his words.

God’s plan was that Jesus should die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.  (John tells us that.)  Jesus did not pay for our sins.  The penalty for sin was eternal separation from God.  Jesus did not endure that.  His life was given as a ransom.  His life was given as a sacrifice.  His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins.  Our debt was not paid, but God offered forgiveness of our debt because of Jesus death.

I owe a mortgage on my house.  I will either have to pay the mortgage company or the mortgage company can forgive my debt.  (I do not expect forgiveness from my mortgage company!)  If payment is made I do not need forgiveness.  If forgiveness is given I do not need to pay.

In the same way, our sins are a debt we owe to God.  The wages of sin is death.  The gift of God is eternal life.  There is no barter, such as offering good deeds instead of payment.  There is no one who can pay the debt for me by offering their good deeds to satisfy God’s justice.

No, there are only two choices.  I pay.  God forgives.  The same is true for you.

In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, God emphasized again and again that sacrifice was necessary in order to have forgiveness.  For us, we must accept the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. God will not forgive without a sacrifice.

You can sing forever that “Jesus paid the debt,” and it will not make it true.  If Jesus death paid for sins, then it paid for all the sins of everyone who has ever lived and every one who will live in the future.  Some believe such and we call that “universalism.”

Others believe that Jesus only paid the debt for a few.  They call those few the “elect.”  The problem is that no verse confines the sacrifice of Jesus to just a few.  “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”

Paul would refer to what Jesus has done and is doing in this way, “There is one God and one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus.”  By his death Jesus satisfied God’s desire for an acceptable sacrifice for sins.  “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied,” is the way Isaiah phrased it.

Before the priest could enter the tabernacle he had to wash and the blood of the sacrifice had to be offered.  In the same way, before we can come into the presence of God, there must be a sacrifice (the blood of Jesus) and we must be washed (that is, baptized in the name of Jesus Christ).

God “is not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  He has provided the sacrifice.  He has told us plainly what the penalty is for sin.  He has offered His forgiveness (on His terms, not ours).

As Ananias, God’s chosen messenger, said to Saul of Tarsus, “Now why do you delay?  Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.”  (Acts 22:16)