Death; a Consequence and a Mercy

June 4th

Read: Genesis 3:1-7, 20-24

Death; a Consequence and Mercy

“But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die…” (Gen. 3:4)

Physical death is not God’s punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden; It is a necessary consequence of their disobedience and an act of His great mercy.  Let me explain:

Imagine if I told my son never to stick a fork into the electrical outlet. Let’s just say because I wired the house up and understand electricity and conductivity that I understand the dire outcome that would take place. Because I love my son, I warn him. Now imagine I leave and come back. Upon my return I find my son lying dazed on the ground with burns, char marks on the wall, and a fork that is burnt next to him. How do you expect I would respond? Would you say I punished my son by electrocuting him!? No. Did my son disobey me? Yes. Were there consequences? Yes. Do you think I would walk off and just leave him there suffering? No. I would probably ask him what just happened (even though I already knew) and I would bandage his wounds and carry him away to the other room.

This is a lot like God’s reaction to Adam and Eve’s sin. He comes into the garden and finds them hiding. (Gen. 3:8,9) He asks them what happened… even though he already knows. Then he covers their “wounds” with animal skins and sends them away, out of the garden so they do not / cannot do it again. (Gen. 3:20-24) Notice how they do not fall physically dead right then and there. In fact, notice what God himself says about the scenario and the reason HE HIMSELF gives for separating them from what would have kept them alive forever:

“Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” (Gen. 3:22)

God’s words do not paint the framework that physical sin is the punishment for disobedience. Adam and Eve at their core nature had changed… they had lost their child-like innocence that they had in the garden. They had disobeyed, and that disobedience had changed them. They “knew” both good and evil now in a unique way because they had participated in it. They went from conceptually knowing “good and evil” to experientially knowing good and evil. God couldn’t… he wouldn’t… let them live in that state forever. In fact, living forever in the opposite state of how you were designed to live… would be just plain cruel. So God, as an act of mercy, cuts them off from the tree of life. This way, they would not live forever in this fallen state… they would not live forever in the domain of the serpent/dragon/devil. Death is actually a mercy from God.

There is indeed a death though that took place in that moment when Adam and Eve disobeyed. God speaks only truth - so when he said “In that day you will surely die” he meant it. (cf. Gen. 3:3) In that Adam and Eve did not fall down physically dead at the moment, we know that the death God spoke about must be something different. Throughout history, people have spoken of this as a “spiritual death”. This is the death that DID take place in that moment… the death of innocence… the death of human free will (we are now slaves to sin, death, and the Devil apart from Christ)… and the death of previous nature. Through Christ, the Lord is restoring all of these things back to us as his sons and daughters. He is bringing back to life what died! He is setting us free from sin, death, and the Devil. He has made us guilt-less… innocent again. He is restoring our freedom - “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free”. (cf. Gal. 5:1)

So we need not fear physical death as followers of Jesus Christ. (cf. Heb. 2:14,15) Furthermore, even physical death will one day be overthrown on our behalf at our own resurrection. (cf. 1 Cor. 15) Even Christians physically die still… but this is not a punishment for our sins! Christ has indeed washed us clean of our sins. We will physically die because it is God’s gracious and merciful way of setting us free from this world and continuing his transformation of us in the next. There is only so much transformation into Christ-likeness that can take place here… eventually, the process needs to continue on the other side of this world. The one who began the process of transforming us into the likeness of his Son will indeed complete it! (cf. Phil 1:6) When we mix up “spiritual death” and “physical death” that creates confusion and fear. The enemy - the Devil - he traffics in confusion and fear… NOT the Lord. Love you guys. - JDP