Another bit of evidence pointing to the fact that the death that was experienced at the fall was spiritual, not physical, death and the life that Jesus imparted is spiritual life, not eternal life on earth is implied in
1 Corinthians 15:21-22: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Here one can see that the life that Jesus brought was meant to entirely repair the curse of death instituted by Adam. Since futurists believe that the fall of man instituted physical death on earth, then the resurrection of the dead is thus assumed to be a resurrection of eternal earthly bodies. However,
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 poses a significant problem for this view.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 indicates that Jesus Christ was to be the first to be resurrected from the dead. If this resurrection is a resurrection of earthly, physical bodies as is often assumed Jesus was not actually the first person to be raised from the dead in an earthly, physical sense.
1 Kings 17:17-23,
2 Kings 13:21,
Luke 8:52-55 and
John 11:43-44 all list examples of people who were raised from the dead in their earthly, physical bodies before Jesus’ resurrection. This fact therefore implies that the resurrection of the dead is a spiritual resurrection and not a resurrection of eternal earthly, physical bodies. And if the resurrection is spiritual, then the death experienced at the fall must also be spiritual since according to
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 the life that Jesus brought through the cross is expected to repaired the curse of death at the fall.
As explained above, the death that Adam experienced after eating from the forbidden fruit was spiritual death. Conversely, it was spiritual death that Jesus conquered on the cross. As stated above, spiritual death is separation from God. The day that Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge they were cast out of Eden and therefore–quite literally–separated from God. Likewise while hanging on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Here one can see that at the time of the crucifixion Jesus also experienced separation from God which is spiritual death. However, through His sacrificial death, Jesus brought forgiveness of sins to the faithful and thus restored fellowship with God. This restored fellowship with God is spiritual life. Thus spiritual life (restored fellowship with God) is the opposite of spiritual death (separation from God).
This notion of spiritual death (separation from God) and spiritual life (renewed fellowship with God) is echoed over and over in the Bible. For example, Don Preston notes that Paul while still physically alive said that he had once experienced death: “Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.” This idea is also conveyed in
John 11:25-26. Here Jesus tells Martha the sister of Lazarus, “[E]veryone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Of course, Martha eventually died physically as do all people. And Paul, like Adam, did not actually physically die the day in which he first learned right from wrong. Rather spiritual death (separation from God) begins when someone sins with the knowledge of right and wrong. Recall that in
Romans 7:7 Paul says that he was once alive apart from the Law but when he learned of the Law he was suddenly guilty of sin now knowing right from wrong. The same thing occurred in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they were immediately given knowledge of right and wrong and sin became sin and so they also died that day spiritually as did Paul when he learned of the Law.
Having explained how spiritual death is separation from God through sin, let us now delve more deeply into the relationship between spiritual life and the reception of the Holy Spirit. In
John 11:25-26 Jesus says, “[E]veryone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” As stated above, spiritual life is, of course, the opposite of spiritual death. If someone who is said to be spiritually dead is separated from God, then someone who has spiritual life is therefore someone who is in the presence of God. How is one restored into the presence of God? This occurs with the reception of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual life is marked by and begins on earth with the reception of the Holy Spirit. By receiving the Holy Spirit the saints are no longer separated from God because they have been brought into the presence of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 1:22 reads, “[God] who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [down payment].” Similarly
Ephesians 1:13 says, “[H]aving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit . . .” Upon receiving the Holy Spirit–the Spirit of God—the saints are , of course, no longer separated from God. This restoration into the presence of God through the presence of the Holy Spirit is a seal, pledge or down payment guaranteeing a more literal and physical fellowship with God in heaven after physical death (
2 Corinthians 1:22,
Ephesians 1:13). Thus spiritual death ends and spiritual life begins through the Holy Spirit while on earth and this eternal spiritual life comes to its ultimate fruition in heaven when the saints are ushered into the literal presence of God in heaven
Preston makes the following argument: “The wages of sin is death. Forgiveness removes all sin—the cause of death. Thus, those forgiven of sin do not receive the wages of sin, i.e. they do not die.” (Don K. Preston,
We Shall Meet Him in The Air: The Wedding of the King of Kings!, (Ardmore, OK: JaDon Management Inc., 2010), 18.) If sin brought about an instantaneous change in physiology such that Adam was destined to eventually physically die, then why doesn’t forgiveness of sins reverse the curse of Adam and ultimately result in eternal physical life on earth? (Ibid., 18-19)
