Back From the Dead - Part 2

Life and Death are consistent themes from Genesis to Revelation. In fact, the most central events of the Bible--the Fall of Adam and the Fix of Jesus--are focused primarily on life and death.

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God told Adam and Eve that the day they eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they would die. The serpent insists otherwise. Did they die on that day?

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No. And yes. I guess it depends on how you define "death."

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Death, in essense, is the separation of a life source and a host. In physical death, it is the separation of body and spirit. In spiritual death, it is the separation of the spirit of man with the Spirit of God. These deaths are not always eternal.

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Think of death as turning off a light. You flip the switch and the electricity is separated from the light bulb. Death. Darkness. Turn it on and the connection is re-established. The bulb comes to life. Illumination.

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Often it is the context, not the original language, that gives insight into which death and life is being referred to. For example: The wages of sin is death . . .

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From one perspective, you could see that verse as a warning to sinners that their lifestyle is foolish and will ultimately result in their physical deaths. From another perspective you could say that sin is what separates God and man, creating spiritual death. Many Christians choose to include both answers, saying that spiritual death ultimately results in physical corruption and death, though I think that most of the evidence for this view is based in many Christians bobbing their heads in unison rather than Scripture itself.

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However, if you go on, you must match this "death" with the ensuing "life": . . . but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

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So was Jesus coming to give physical life? Of course not. The people were already alive. What about corruption and eventual death? Did Christians start to look healthier than pagans? Did they start to live noticeably longer? If the wages of sin has something to do with our physical bodies, then the gift of Jesus would also have to affect our physical bodies. That's simple logic. Otherwise the sin of Adam is more powerful and pervasive than the salvation of Jesus.

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But although we do see a change in our spirits at salvation, we do not necessarily see a change in our physical bodies, therefore we must assume that the wages of sin is spiritual death--a separation from God.

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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. Romans 5:12

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For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 a

"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:10-11 (both spiritual and physical life mentioned back to back)

So Adam's sin brought a curse to all men. The curse was death. And what is man going to do when separated from God's Spirit? Miss the mark. Every day. All day. Sin is the only option. a Jesus came to reconnect God and man, to put the spiritual nervous system back between the body and the head in order to make righteousness an option. And what did he do to bring us from spiritual death to spiritual life? He physically died and rose again. a More to come . . . a Thoughts?