DEATH

Musick-al Note # 237               

     There is a difference in physical death and spiritual death.  When Paul made the statement in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death”, he was speaking of spiritual death as God had instructed Adam when He placed him in the garden to work and keep it (Genesis 2:15-17).  Satan used this to tempt Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit, saying that she would not die alluding to physical death.  Many people today make the same assumption when they read the Genesis account. Look more closely to the Genesis record and you will find that physical death came upon Adam (thus upon all men) when they were cast out of the Garden of Eden and separated from the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24).  This death came as one of the consequences following the sin of Adam and Eve.  If they had eaten of the tree of life, they would have continued to live in their sinful state forever (Genesis 3:22).

Spiritual death

     We are not RESPONSIBLE for Adam’s sin, but we must bear the consequences of it.  Just as an individual in a nation is not RESPONSIBLE for what the head of a nation may do, but he must bear the consequences of their decisions.  Men lived several hundred years of physical life before the flood, but later the Psalmist said the span of living was reduced to 70 years. (Psalms 90:10).  When we die the body returns to the dust from which man was made but the spirit returns to God who gave it (Genesis 3:19, Ecclesiastes 12:7). Yes, we do suffer physical death because of Adam’s sin, nor do we inherit sin because if Adam’s sin. Jesus said of little children, let them come to me for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Mark 10:14). Little children are unable to judge between right and wrong, thus they cannot sin because no sin is imputed to those who cannot choose. When a child becomes older and is able to know what he should do and does chooses to do wrong instead becomes a sinner and is guilty before God.  We have hope in Christ who came into the world to save sinners (Matthew 18:11). He gave his life on the Cross of Calvary to pay the ransom for all men (1 Timothy 2:6) enabling everyone to be able to go to heaven in obedience to Him (Hebrews 5:9).

                    Gordon Musick