Why do we still have physical death?
The reason for death is because sin entered the world through Adam. When Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins and free us of the power of sin, why do we not have eternal life on earth once we believe that He is The Life, The Way, and The Truth?
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
JD Abshire
Most have the misconception that forgiveness constitutes reversal. For instance, I could shoot someone, the victim may graciously forgive me but the law declares I am guilty of a felony and must pay for my crime. In Genesis 2:17 God told Adam "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This is reverberated in Ezekiel 18:4 and throughout scripture "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." So we see that physical death is punitive. As with King David, there was no lack of forgiveness on The Lord's part for the terrible crimes he committed but God sent Nathan the prophet to him declaring in 2 Samuel 12:10 " Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife." David paid dearly yet in spite of all this God used him mightily. Genesis 3:22 "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" Genesis 3:23 "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." Genesis 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." God forgives yet man still reaps what he sows, the wages of sin is death. Can we imagine a worn out, diseased, ancient, society living on earth today? Most never make it to 100. What would it be like if we lived to be a few thousand years old? As Paul said in Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The promise of eternal life is available today but the new, glorified and immortal body will have to wait.
Bruce Lyon
All men/women die because they are descendants of Adam. Those who are in the lord Jesus will be resurrected and at that time have glorified immortal bodies that will not die, ever. We are now new creations in the lord Jesus who is now the federal head of God's new creation and as such we when we are resurrection will be as the lord Jesus is now, only on this earth. At that time we will co-rule over all that we co-inherit with the lord Jesus over all the earth and the nations thereof. What a glorious future awaits us!
Martin Ferreira
Why do we have to die? It's so that we can be raised in our immortal bodies through Jesus. I recently read 1Cor 15 where Paul writes in response to those who doubted the resurrection. At the same time he explains how the earthly body is a seed for the heavenly transformed body. Please read the whole chapter for yourself. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 (NKJV Strong's Bible) A Glorious Body 35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. This made an impact for me when seen in the context with one of God's powerful principles and purpose of seed in His creation. It's established in the first chapters Genesis, again after the flood, the life principles of sowing and reaping throughout the law and the prophets, Jesus saying that He himself is like seed to be sown in John 12. The seed dies but contains new life in it, a transormation of the seed. Now I look at my body in a whole new way, it's seed! For my external glorified form through Jesus! Further in chapter 15 1 Corinthians 15:42-46 (NKJV Strong's Bible) 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. To put it simple my spirit gets to shake off the curse of the earthly mortal flesh to live in a new glorified body, fit for enteral life. 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 (NKJV Strong's Bible) Our Final Victory 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Hallelujah!
Al Mari
Humans were created "matter-composed"(from dust, earthy), not "spirit-composed". As matter, man is mortal and can die, unlike "spirit-body" that is immortal. We were created as an "image" (Gen. 1:27) of the immortal God, although "matter-composed" we will be "like him" (I John 3:2), in the future, spirit-body and immortal. The "image" is "earthy", meaning from dust or earth and unlike man-Jesus "from above" (I Cor. 15:46-48), who came from heaven and not formed on earth nor of " dust of the ground". But, at resurrection Paul states that we will change into immortality (I Cor. 15:51-57), "spirit-composed body", like Jesus' body post resurrection. Sin did not need to be committed for us to die. Genesis 2:17 does not refer to 1st death that is "physical" and has resurrection, but to "eternal death", wherein there is no more resurrection. All humans will die as man-Jesus died but resurrected "spirit-bodily". Anyone who got resurrected to physical body (as Lazarus and others" John 11:14; Lu.7:15; 8:51-56;Acts 9:40-41;20:9-12) and died again, will again experience resurrection, whether to life or judgment. There is a first and second (or 3rd) resurrection as there is first and eternal death. See Rev. 20:4-6, v-14). Meanwhile, the Spirit of God (Jn 16:7-8) that was promised by the Father after Jesus' death and resurrection, will "in-dwell" to humans as it did to the apostles and others at Pentecost for the purpose of (v-6) "will reprove (elencho/rebuke) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment". The spirit will also help us discern spiritual things (I Cor.2:14-16), as eyeglasses help poor vision and hearing aids for poor hearing (Matt. 13:9-17; Mk. 4:9; Rev. 3:22), "empower" us "to heal the sick, raise the dead, etc." and express the "fruits of the Spirit"(Gal. 5:22-23). This is the "spirit" guiding us to follow the Law, "written" by this Spirit (2 Cor. 3:3) in the "fleshly tables of our heart(mind)", not in "tables of stone" and as promised, the "new covenant" (Heb. 8:7-13). This Spirit is giving us the "mind of Christ" (Phil. 2:5-11), so we will be "one" with him as he is "one" with the Father (John 17:21).
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible