Genesis 2:17
. . .for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
This teaching section outlines what we believe The Word of Truth explains on this vast and vital subject.
Death is just as challenging to define as "life." In the being, when God made Adam, He gave Adam the breath of Life. This Life manifested as breath and can be said to exist, but what it is, we know not. After Adam sinned, in every man, there was and is a sinful nature which ultimately results in what we call death. Even as we live, we are dying.
From Exodus 19:12-13 we learn that death is the opposite of Life. When one is "put to death," that one "shall not live." A man cannot be dead and alive at the same time. He might be dying as he lives, but when Life goes out and death comes, he cannot be said to be still alive.
The 139th Appendix to the Companion Bible says, "nekroi (dead ) denotes persons who were once alive, but who is alive no longer; this we feel is one of the clearest definitions we have found for "death."
But the best definition is to be found in God's own words to Adam in Gen. 3:19 "...unto dust shalt thou return." Death then is a returning or reverting to the former state - dust - of the ground. From it we came, of it we are, and to it, we shall "return." The Wisdom of Solomon sets before us this same truth in Ecc. 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." And in the next breath, he quickly adds, "Vanity of vanities - all is vanity."
Yes, for the sons of Adam, all end in an empty return to the earth. Only if we believe in Jesus Christ and be found in Christ, the New Head of Humanity, can we escape that Vain--Death.
A man found to be outside of that New Humanity in Christ is no different than the beast of the earth (Ecc. 3:20). And as the writer of Psalms 49:14 put it, he is like the beasts that perish; "like the sheep, they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them..." (devour them). Oh - Vanity of Vanities!
This hideous thing we call death originated in that one to whom God ascribes the 'Power of Death' - the devil (Heb. 2:14). The Greek word for power here is rendered four times "dominion"; death then characterizes the dominion of Satan.
The result of satan's rebellion was the interdiction of death for mankind into the created universe, and death shall remain a part of it until God has swallowed it up in Victory by Christ Jesus in Resurrection Life. Then 'Death and Hades (Hell) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.' (Rev 20:14)
The fulfillment of God's Divine Purpose in man required freedom of choice and the ability to reason; they must also bear full responsibility for the choice resulting from that reasoning. Should man choose evil, death reverses the creative process of his birth, for evil can not abide where God is ALL and IN ALL.
The Creator Himself tasted of death in the Person of Jesus Christ that He might redeem those under its curse. He alone was sinless and gave His Life as a ransom for us all, and then through Resurrection, He Triumphed over death to overcome it for everyone.
The Lord God of all has never been fooled or surprised, so we cannot imagine Him at any time being unaware of what was going to happen with His cherub satan - who became the father of lies, murder, and death. The Eternal God has Perfect Foreknowledge; He saw everything coming, He foreknew and knows every detail, He knew some would call this Predestination, and since He allowed everything to happen, He knew they, in a sense, would be right. In His Divine Wisdom, He allowed heaven and earth to be subjected to death so that every sentient being in all of creation would have a choice to choose Life or death. (1 Cor. 15:22-28).
God being ALL signifies that never again will such a being as satan hold such power as he once did. "IN ALL" signifies that all creation will be in absolute harmony with the Creator and His Divine Purpose. Not our will, but Thine Be Done.
We must know that God could have made Himself all manner of puppet creatures who would have obediently served and worshipped Him forever. But such is not what He desires. He desired and designed creatures that could respond of their own volition. Creatures that would, of their own reasoning faculties, choose Him as their Lord and God and Life.
His design called for vitally sentient beings capable of being moved by what His Word expressed and motivated to employ the principle of Faith (Rom. 10:8-18).
God's own experience of death in Christ Jesus frees Him to move in Grace on behalf of Man. In Grace, He could make provisions; by faith, the creature could appropriate unto his own need that which the Creator provided.
Death feeds on all it touches until everything is consumed (Psalms 49:14) or in the case of a man who, in faith, appropriates The Redeeming Power of the Christ of God. That one is given a new life principle - he becomes a part of a new human race in Christ Jesus. Death has no more hold on that one. But the seed of Adam shall be totally consumed in the grave (sheol or hell) (Rom. 5:12-21). However, nothing is lost to God, as so many think. All things simply revert to their former state, the body of clay unto dust, and the spirit of Life unto the One who loaned it for a season. The soul is thus consumed away in this dying process.
So we see this hideous thing called death originating in Satan will be the very instrument our all-wise Creator will employ to rid His universe of all that opposes Him. He then will be ALL and IN ALL.
We have been thinking together about "death"; we should now perhaps consider the subject of "life," for as death worketh in each of us, so too that which we call Life. But the age-old question What is Life? still nags at even the best of human minds. From the smallest of seeds and microorganisms to the largest trees and mighty mammals of the seas, we see one common denominator - "life." In truth, we are engulfed in Life. Yet the question persists: What is Life? Whence does it come? Where goeth it?
We who know the answer shall continue to evade the wise of this world (1 Cor. 2:11). Man can know (find out) the things of a man, but even the most knowledgeable and wise of men cannot know the things of God-and True Life is a thing of God for God IS Life: "In Him, we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Paul is speaking to "we " - the sons of Adam. In John 1:4, we see in Him (Christ Jesus ) was "life" and the "life" was the light of men (all men). Study the use of the Hebrew word Neshamah - Strongs #5397, also Appendix 16 in the Companion Bible.
We take this Neshamah-life to be distinctively the life principle given to all mankind. In it, by it, and because of it, all men have an intuitive consciousness of a Creator Being (Rom. 1:19-32). However, mankind would prefer to erase that bit of knowledge from their minds, for acknowledgment of this Creator demands a responsibility to Him.
The wise of this world celebrate (worship) Life. The man of God will only worship and celebrate the Divine source of Life-The Creator. Not that which is but created (Rom. 1:25). Yes, man lives for Life; a man of God will live for God. We sometimes hear men speak of Life: "She lost her life in an auto accident," "He gave his life for his country," "They took his life from him." Strictly speaking, we have no life of our own (only Deity has Life). "So hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself " (John 5:25 )
When someone is killed, their Life is not taken, only their time, for Life is not theirs. The best we have in Adam is Time. A few days, a few years, but we cannot make any claim to Life being ours - All Life is God's. The Creator is now, at this very instant, flowing out to all, imparting Life to each of us. "If He gathers unto Himself His spirit and His breath all shall perish" (Job 34:14). All that live are still ABSOLUTELY DEPENDENT on the Creator - God. "All the while my breath (neshamah) is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils" (Job 27:3)
The author of Death, being the archenemy of Life, came to Eve with the most destructive lie that has ever been perpetrated on the human mind. "...ye shall not surely die" (Gen 3:4). Young's Literal Translation has it, "dying, ye do not die," and so yet today, 99%+ of all the so-called preachers of biblical truth are still echoing that great lie, telling their listeners "even though you may die physically, you do not surely, or actually die, for you have immortal 'life.'
When in fact, the real Truth of God's Word is that we have no life that we can call 'our life,' especially the 'ZOE' life, that power which allows us a time of existence. We might perhaps think of our "BIOS" life as our own, i.e., our own biography, that history and manner of Life we have lived; that BIOS life we have lived with the ZOE life-principle that He who is Life has so graciously loaned us for the short time we are the SOULISH living sons of Adam.
We would like to pause here and recommend to those who account themselves serious students of Biblical Truth and true Bereans to make a complete study of these three Greek words. Also, note appendix 170 in the Companion Bible.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was, and is, absolutely unique and distinct from all other living forms in that He has Life in Himself, and He alone hath "Life" (John 5:26 ) and "He only hath immortality " (1 Tim. 6:16) we suggest to you that anyone that teaches the immortality of man is, in fact, preaching the gospel of Satan- " ...for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). The 'it' here is that great lie of Gen. 3:4. He was telling Eve that she was immortal, having Life in herself.
Now some might argue that technically he was not lying, that before The Sin, she did have immortality. But they have nothing to rest that argument on. The record clearly shows that the man Adam needed food, and he must partake of the Tree of Life to continue to live (Gen. 2:7-17).
The truth is Adam had no life in himself, and make no mistake - no seed of Adam has Life in itself. The only "life" we can hope for is in the Second Man - the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Let no man deceive you..." (Eph. 5:6). In 1 Tim. 2:14, we are told that the woman was deceived (lied to), and she believed The Lie, perhaps because she did not understand the truth of the matter. But we are also told that Adam was not deceived, implying he did understand that it was a lie. Some misinformed folks might be excused with Eve. But not you, for you have now been cautioned. You must now search and see for yourself.
LIFE IN CHRIST vs. DEATH IN ADAM "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world...I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God" (John 1:29-34).
What is 'the sin' of the world? Note it is sin - not sins, but what sin? Perhaps Rom. 5:12 holds the answer, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men..." Rom. 5:21 tells us, "...sin hath reigned unto death... " Allowing the figure of speech Metonymy to stand here, we have sin being equal to death.
Turning to 1 Cor. 15:22, we are told, "In Adam, all die," and Psa. 49:14 tells us "that man is like the beasts that perish...like sheep they are laid in the grave (hell)." Yes, every man is going to Hell, saved and unsaved; death shall feed on them, and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave. However, the writer of the Psalm had hope, "...but God will redeem my soul (me) from the power of the grave (hell)" (Psa. 49:15). What made this man different? He was accounted of God as "In Christ." Therefore, he will be made alive on the day of Christ. We are told in 1 Cor. 15:22, "...in Christ shall all be made alive."
How will man be made alive? In Christ. Why are men made alive? Because they are In Christ. When will men be made alive? In the Day of Christ, each in his own order. What men are made alive? All men, those in Christ, will be raised to Life, and those not in Christ will be raised to judgment. Since the Lord Jesus Christ has become the Son of man, all will be raised because Christ has become The New Head Of The Human Race, and thus The Scripture calls Him - The Son Of Man. He is the only source of Resurrection Life.
The man who is in Christ has Life - he that is NOT in Christ has no life, only judgment. Why do some have Life and others do not? 0nly because they are not in Christ. But why are they not in Christ? Because they have chosen NOT to be in Christ or have never been told of our wonderful Savior.
In John 1:9, we are told that Christ has enlightened every man. He is offering LIFE to each one - He died for each one -for the sin (death) of the world. But many reject Him and His gift of life "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life..." (John 5:40 ).
Sin is not the issue. Christ died for the sin of the world. Death is not the issue. He has overcome both death and hell and holds the keys that open its gates (Rev. 1:18, Matt. 16:18). The only reason men die without any Hope of Resurrection is that there is no life outside of that Life in Christ - that Life alone can redeem a dead soul from the grave (hell). IN HIM alone is Life. All judgment is of The Son of man. He knows those that are IN HIM and those that await judgment.
