4/11/24

Death in the Bible is multi-sided. It contains a physical side which is the end of physical life and it also has a spiritual side which is the existence of the soul outside the presence of God. When we read the Bible and we see death we must look at it in context to decide if it means one, the other, or both. Paul speaks of death in an in-depth passage of scripture referenced by Romans 5. Listen to some of this text. ‭Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Here we see both a physical and a spiritual death. The one man is Adam who lived a physical life in the presence of God a Spirit being. However, when sin brought death it separated Adam from God as He was removed from the Garden where the presence of God dwelled. This was both because being out of the Garden and not in the presence of the Tree of Life He began to physically die as well as losing the spiritual presence of God. This then transferred to every man as every man descended from Adam. This brings us to a point of hopelessness. At this point, apart from a reconciliation, death is a surety. However, nothing takes God by surprise. Whether it is nothing in life, in death, in physical, or in spiritual, God is not surprised. Look at the hope God gives in Paul's writings. ‭Romans 5:6-10 for while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Death came in by sin it is removed by life! Jesus was sent by God at the perfect time so He could pay the wages of sin in both the physical and spiritual death. While we still can not eat of the tree of life in our physical position we can be saved by the life of a resurrected living Jesus. ‭Romans 5:11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Reconciliation, spiritually in the presence of God.

A follower of Christ moves from physical life in a split moment through physical death into life eternal spiritually in the presence of God. ‭2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

‭1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ‬O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Love Bro. Scott