Death
What is it? Why is it? Where does it come from? Is there any stopping it?
Is there hope in death? Is there life after death? Is death the end of your
existence? What happens when a person dies?
How does our Creator God answer these questions?
What does He teach us about death?
What does He say in His Word?
A one word, simple definition of death is "separation." There are at least three kinds of death:
1. spiritual separation 2. physical separation 3. eternal separation
Physical death is the separation of the soul or spirit from the body. When a person dies they do not cease to exist. They move out of their earth house, their physical body to another location. In 2 Corinthians 5.6-9 our Creator God says: "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him." The "we" in this passage are the committed followers of Jesus Christ.
To be "at home in the body" is to be physically alive. To be "away from the body" is to be physically dead. The person is "away from" or separated from their body. Remember, you are not a body, you are a person created in the likeness of your Creator God. Your body is your physical residence in this life. At death you move out of your body and continue living in another location.
Spiritual death is the separation of a person from her or his Creator God. Every person is born in the state of spiritual death. Every person is born cut off, separated from God because of sin. You were born into the condition of sin and death. Pastor Charles Spurgeon's catechism speaks of your sin in this way:
Q What is sin?
A Sin is any lack of conformity to, or transgression of the law of God (1 Jo 3:4).
Q Did all mankind fall in Adam's first transgression?
A The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself but for his posterity, all mankind descending
from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression
(1 Co 15:22 Ro 5:12).
Q Into what state did the fall bring mankind?
A The fall brought mankind into a state of sin and misery (Ro 5:18).
Q Wherein consists the sinfulness of that state into which man fell?
A The sinfulness of that state into which man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam's first sin (Ro 5:19),
the lack of original righteousness (Ro 3:10), and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly
called original sin (Eph 2:1 Ps 51:5), together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it
(Mt 15:19).
Q What is the misery of that state into which man fell?
A All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God (Ge 3:8,24), are under His wrath and curse
(Eph 2:3 Ga 3:10), and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of
hell for ever (Ro 6:23 Mt 25:41).
Speaking to the believers in the church in Ephesus our Lord, through His Apostle, said "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." Ephesians 2:1-3
Sin results in spirtually being cut off from your Maker, your Creator, the only True, Living God. God said this to our great, great grandparents Adam and Eve: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16-17 When they ate the forbidden fruit they died spiritually, even though there were few physical evidences of their death. Every moment of your life you are living with the consequences of your sin against your God. You are among the living dead, spiritually dead, separated from your God.
The Lord Jesus Christ came 2000 years ago to rescue us from our sin and death, to deliver us from the wrath and righteous judgment of God because of our sin against Him. Jesus brought us His life, eternal life.
Eternal death is the separation of a person, created in the likeness of the eternal God, from God for eternity. Cut off from Him and His love, life, light, peace, joy and glory. The place of eternal death is called hell in God's Word. To be cut off, separated from God forever, this is eternal death.
HOW TO DEFEAT DEATH:
God Himself has already defeated death. The Lord Jesus Christ is God almighty who came to this earth. He lived perfectly. He perfectly obeyed His own Word, His commands given to humanity instructing us how to live. He is the only one who has ever done this. He willing gave Himself to suffering on a Roman cross for your sins. He suffered in your place. He gave His own perfect life up to death on the cross in order to deliver you from His wrath, your sins, death and hell.
After He suffered and died in your place, He was buried in a borrowed tomb. That happened on Friday evening.
On Sunday morning He was resurrected from the dead. He literally, physically, supernaturally came out of the tomb. He defeated death and the grave. He is the victorious One. The only one in history to defeat death. He lives right now. He gives eternal life to all who will trust Him for His rescuing power. He has defeated death. In Him, through Him you can defeat death too.
He says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11.25)
Do you believe Him? Do you know what it means to believe in Him? Go back to the tabs at the top of this page. Click on the "Life" tab. Scroll down to the article "Do You Believe?" Carefully read it. Ask God in heaven to help you believe in Jesus Christ the Lord. Call upon Him through prayer. Keep on seeking Him until you have peace that you belong to Him and that He is your Savior.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
that whoever believes in Him
should not perish
but have everlasting life." (John 3.16)