In verses such as Romans 5:12 and 6:23, to what kind of death is Paul referring?
In verses such as Romans 5:12 and 6:23, to what kind of death is Paul referring?
The word “death” has three distinct manifestations in biblical terminology: 1) spiritual death or separation from God (Eph. 2:1, 2, 4, 18); 2) physical death (Heb. 9:27); and 3) eternal death (also called the second death), which includes not only eternal separation from God, but eternal torment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–15).
When sin entered the human race through Adam, all these aspects of death came with it. Adam was not originally subject to death; but through his sin, death became a grim certainty for him and his posterity. The “death” referred to in Romans 6:23 includes the first and third descriptions above. That verse establishes two inexorable absolutes: 1) spiritual death and eternal separation from God make up the paycheck for every person’s slavery to sin; and 2) eternal life is a free gift God gives undeserving sinners who believe in His Son (Eph. 2:8,9).
©BY PASTOR JUDAH OLATUNDE
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