Why Death Was a Gift in Disguise?
A different look at spiritual death, physical death, Adam, Jesus and the resurrection.
Can you stop with the “How dare you?” 😂
Just hear me out and let's see where this takes us.
We have been told from the day we were born, throughout our childhood and into adulthood:
And death is bad.
It is something we fear. Something we try to avoid. Something we mourn when it comes.
And it is true that death entered humanity's story through sin.
Then Jesus came and conquered death.
Now we live forever.
We are eternal beings.
At least, that is what we have sung in our songs and heard in our sermons.
But something didn't quite add up for me.
What is death?
Why was it created?
Why did Adam—and why do we—fear it?
How did Jesus conquer it?
Are we supposed to still fear it?
And if Jesus conquered death, why do we still die?
Before we go any further, there are two types of death we need to understand:
Spiritual Death
Separation of man from God.
Physical Death
The separation of the spirit from the physical body.
Why Was Death Created?
Before we were created, God had already created other beings and hosts—angels in particular.
These beings were spiritual beings, and Scripture describes angels as heavenly beings who serve God.
Yet one angel, Lucifer, together with others, rebelled against God.
They were cast down.
But here is where the story becomes interesting.
These beings were spiritual beings.
And their rebellion could not simply be solved through physical death.
Their punishment was eternal condemnation.
Then God decided to create man in His own image.
But if God was going to create a being capable of choosing Him—or rebelling against Him—then there had to be a way for that being to be redeemed if he fell.
And this is where humanity was different.
God created man as both spiritual and physical.
Man had a spirit, but he also had a physical body.
And perhaps this is why humanity could experience two dimensions of death:
Spiritual death would separate man from his Creator.
Physical death would separate the spirit from the physical body.
Think About It This Way
God tells Adam:
God had already warned him:
Adam ate.
And something immediately happened.
He did not physically collapse and die that very moment.
Instead, he hid from God.
The relationship had been broken.
The man who once walked freely with God was now afraid of Him.
And because man had been separated from the source of his life, everything else began to deteriorate.
The ground would no longer respond to him as it once had.
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…”
The earth and its hosts would no longer respond to Adam as they once had.
Adam was created to rule.
He was given dominion.
But now he was no longer functioning in the same relationship with the One who gave him that authority.
He had fallen.
But Here Is Where Death Becomes Interesting
Since physical death would eventually come, the physical body would deteriorate and return to the earth.
And strangely enough, physical death could also become a form of mercy.
Why?
Because imagine if fallen humanity were allowed to remain physically immortal forever.
Imagine living forever in a world of sin, corruption, disease, violence, hatred and separation from God.
Forever.
That would not be salvation.
It would be eternal captivity.
God therefore did not allow fallen humanity to remain forever in that condition.
After the Fall, God prevented Adam from reaching out and eating from the Tree of Life:
So physical death meant that the fallen physical condition would not continue forever.
The body would eventually rest.
And while it may look like a punishment, perhaps there was also mercy hidden inside it.
God was preparing something greater.
Why Did Adam Fear Death?
Because spiritual death robbed Adam of almost everything that made him who he was.
Fellowship with His Father
Adam was separated from God.
He became an orphan, in a sense, from the very One who had created him and walked with him.
Imagine that.
You were created to live in fellowship with your Father, and suddenly you are hiding from Him.
That hurts.
Inheritance
The whole earth had been created for humanity.
Adam was given dominion over it.
The earth was part of Adam's inheritance and assignment.
But when Adam fell, everything became corrupted.
Immortality
Adam had access to the Tree of Life.
But after the Fall, that access was removed.
He could no longer simply continue living forever in the fallen condition.
He now faced physical death.
God's Nature
Adam was created to live in the presence of a holy and incorruptible God.
But sin brought corruption into humanity.
Pain.
Disease.
Old age.
Decay.
Eventually, death.
The Crown
Adam was created as the ruler of the earth.
But kings only rule through the authority behind them.
Once humanity rebelled against God, that authority was corrupted.
And this helps us understand why Satan could later make such a bold claim when tempting Jesus.
The crown had been lost.
Physical Life
Adam would eventually experience physical death.
His spirit would separate from his physical body.
And humanity would experience the pain of death.
So How Did Jesus Conquer Death?
This is where everything changes.
God had established the consequence of humanity's rebellion.
Death.
So how could the sentence be removed?
The only way was for the penalty to be dealt with.
And God Himself came down.
Jesus took the form of man.
The Judge stepped into the position of the accused.
The One who had the authority to judge became the One who was judged.
He took the penalty upon Himself.
Jesus went to the cross.
He died.
And in doing so, He carried the penalty of sin.
But death could not hold Him.
He rose again.
He conquered it by entering it and coming out of it.
But What Happened After His Death?
Jesus descended into the realm of the dead.
Scripture speaks of Christ going to the lower parts of the earth:
And Peter speaks of Christ preaching to the spirits in prison:
This is where the mystery deepens.
Christ entered the realm of death and proclaimed His victory.
The One who had conquered death had entered death itself.
And death could not keep Him.
And Look What Happened to Us
Jesus didn't simply save us from punishment.
He restored our identity.
Do you see the connection?
Humanity lost its original authority and identity through rebellion.
Christ restores it through redemption.
And He gave authority to His followers.
The authority humanity lost is being restored through Christ.
Are We Supposed to Still Fear Death?
If we now understand death as separation from God, then the believer has nothing to fear.
Why?
Because God has promised:
And the Holy Spirit lives in us.
The separation that happened in Eden has been addressed through Christ.
We have been brought back to God.
We have been adopted.
We have become children of God.
So what exactly are we afraid of?
Physical death?
Jesus already conquered that.
If Jesus Conquered Death, Why Do We Still Die?
Jesus answered this Himself.
Think about what He is saying.
Jesus did not say physical death would immediately disappear.
And He said whoever lives by believing in Him will never die, so it means you can live until the end, till the end of time—but it is your belief and choice.
He said physical death would no longer have the final word.
The body may die.
But the believer lives.
There is resurrection.
There is eternal life.
There is a new heaven and a new earth.
So Why Do Some People Still Die?
Perhaps we can look at physical death in two ways.
Man's Choice
Some people simply reach the end of their physical journey.
Scripture sometimes describes the death of believers as sleep.
Paul also spoke about departing this life:
Death, for the believer, is therefore not annihilation.
It is a temporary rest while we await resurrection.
God's Choice
There are also moments in Scripture where God intervenes in the physical life of a person.
Enoch did not experience ordinary death:
Elijah was also taken from the earth:
And in the New Testament, Paul speaks about delivering a person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, with the hope that the spirit may ultimately be saved:
The point is that physical death is not the final authority over the believer.
So Could We Live Until the End?
The ultimate promise of salvation is not simply that we die and go somewhere else.
We got what Adam lost first through restoration, and we got to live forever or choose to rest till the end of time or we stay alive till we go to the new Earth and Heaven, where we got to rule with God forever.
thus makes a promise much bigger.
Resurrection.
Eternal life.
A restored creation.
A restored relationship with God.
And ultimately, the complete removal of death itself.
You can therefore choose to live your life completely for God, knowing that your physical life is not the thing that ultimately defines your existence.
Because Jesus said:
The Final Thought
Maybe we have looked at death from the wrong angle.
Death came through rebellion.
Spiritual death separated humanity from God.
Physical death separated the spirit from the body.
But God did not allow either to have the final word.
Jesus came.
He took the penalty.
He entered death.
He conquered death.
And He opened the way back to the Father.
So perhaps death was never the final punishment we thought it was.
Perhaps physical death became a gift in disguise.
Not because death itself is good.
Not because God originally wanted humanity to suffer.
But because God could use even death to prevent fallen humanity from remaining permanently trapped in a corruptible condition.
And now, for those who belong to Christ, death is no longer the end.
Adam lost fellowship.
Christ restored it.
Adam lost his inheritance.
Christ restores it.
Adam lost his crown.
Christ makes us kings and priests.
Adam lost access to the Tree of Life.
Christ gives us eternal life.
Adam brought death through a tree.
Jesus brought life through a tree.
So maybe the enemy thought death was the final sentence.
But God had another plan.
Death became temporary.
The grave became a waiting place.
And what looked like the end became a doorway to resurrection.
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