Question 42: Since then Christ died for us, why must we also die?
Answer: Our death is not a satisfaction for our sins (a), but only an abolishing of sin, and a passage into eternal life (b).
(a) Mark 8:37: For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Psalm 49:7: Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
(b) Philippians 1:23: I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
Romans 7:24: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
For your personal reflection:
I think that one of the primary problems with death is our understanding of death. We tend to think of death as the separation of body and spirit. And, this is truly death. But, biblically, death is much more than than the separation of body and soul. It is separation from God. This is why we are told in Genesis that our first parents died when they disobeyed in the Garden. It is, also, why Paul will say that we are “dead in our trespasses” though, clearly, writing to people who are very much “alive.”
Do you fear death? Why/why not?
Is the act of dying, death? Why/why not?
Related Articles
1 user responded in this post
To choose life for Christ has often been death of self for me. My pride, my will, my desires have often been the sacrifices left at the altar. Yet I know because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Do I fear death? Not in the since of my flesh dying or the body decaying. But to be separated by God is a thought I cannot bear. I fear the thought of facing the challenges of one day without the voice of God. What would I live for if not for Christ?
O death , where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin.