Death is more than a physical state. Death is also a spiritual, emotional and a relational state of being. The Bible opens almost immediately with the Lord explaining to Adam what will happen when he eats of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, in Genesis 2:15-17. He tells Adam that he will surely die :
The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:15-17
This was the first death in the Bible, a spiritual death. The spiritual death represents separation from God. The root cause of this type of death is sin. It is sin that separates us from God. The first characteristics displayed because of spiritual separation, or spiritual death by Adam and Eve are notated in Genesis 3:9-10.
Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” Geneiss 3_9-10
First Adam was afraid. You might ask yourself why was Adam afraid; Adam was afraid because he was naked. Naked meaning, Adam sinned and in return his eyes were opened making him aware and knowledgeable of his sin. His sin had been exposed to his conscience. Now that Adam is aware of his sin he has the urge to hide. How many times has this process repeated in your life? It may happen very quickly although it was demonstrated or illustrated with Adam over moments in time . To further explain, let’s say you sinned. Now when you committed sin you consciously became aware of sin and were afraid because you knew you were doing wrong, so you hid your sin. Hiding doesn’t necessarily mean hiding in the sense of ‘hiding go seek’ for example. Hiding could very well mean ‘burying’ the conscience that would direct you to do right. When you are left with the choice to do either right or wrong and you choose wrong you have buried the conscience to do right thus birthing sin and causing spiritual a death.
Before sin is birth there is a tempting, there is a drawing away, there is an enticement. Do you recall in Genesis 3:4 the serpent said to Eve, ‘…did God say that you will surely die?’ He spoke to Eves conscience, he spoke to Eve’s ‘nature’ of good and evil. He caused confusion when he said, ” did God really say,…?” This statement set the preface for immediate confusion which in turn prompted Eve to view the commandment given from God differently. Later on, as you read, it says that she saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eye; now she is being enticed. And she also saw that it would make one wise and therefore she took a bite. Sin began with, 1) the enemy causing confusion, 2) the enticement and deception of the enemy, and finally the drawing away into sin with action.
As the story goes on we all know that Eve gave the fruit to Adam and he ate the fruit, this is notated as the ‘fall of man’. That action birth spiritual death into the world. How many of you, when you were younger, read the Bible and you saw where Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but they still lived when God said they would surely die. Truth be told, the Lord was true to His Word. They did not die an immediate physical death however they died a spiritual death.
Do you have symptoms of a spiritual death? What sin are you hiding and afraid it will be exposed. Don’t allow sin to disconnect you from God. Turn around and repent.
You can also read in the book of James 1:13-15:
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:13-15
James breaks down sin relating it to death as the end result. Spiritual death is just one type of death; now I will introduce to you Relational Death.
Have you ever had your heart broken? The Bible talks about a broken heart on several occasions. This is our introduction to a Relational Death. ‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds’ Psalm 147:3.
Have you ever experienced a heartbreak. A heartbreak is a separation from a relationship or a severance or disconnect from someone. During a relational separation there are unseen bonds or ties that are broken, causing a relational death. The Bible introduces the physical feeling of a relational death or separation by 1) experiencing heart ache 2)experiencing pain 3) three the urge to isolate .
Lastly, we will discuss emotional death. Emotional death can be detrimental to us all. Emotional death references giving up in a certain emotional state. Emotional death is the closing off of a healthy emotion and replacing it with a negative emotion, never to use that emotion again. Emotional death births bitterness, the feeling of worthlessness, suicidal tendencies, and other negative emotions to replace the emotion that was hurt. Have you ever had your heart broken and you decided never to love again, never to open your heart again, this is the love emotion being closed off with a negative emotion.
We must think carefully on the different states of death before we implement them into our lives. Death has a negative connotation attached to it the majority of the time, however the death of Sin in our lives always has a positive connotation. Make the decision today as the Lord states in his Word, “I set before you life and death blessings and cursing’s choose life.” Our Lord gives us the option as to whether or not we will choose death or we will choose life. Think about it.
I choose life.
I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” Deuteronomy 30:18-20
Journey Through My Life Lessons 