Suffering and Death For Those Who Are Forgiven - Part II

4. Death Destroys the Body of Death

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). The human body is corrupt (Rom. 7:18). It is defiled by sin and incapable of being perfect. Yes, death was intended primarily for judgment on the sin of mankind (Gen. 2:16-17), but for believers it serves an important role in removing the “body of death.” The flesh, as the Bible repeatedly calls our fallen nature, is filled with sinful desires (Rom. 13:14). The only way we can be rid of our sinful desires once and for all is to shed our mortal bodies and obtain new bodies in the Resurrection of the Just.

For the believer, we have already died with Christ (Gal. 2:20). I believe part of what that means (though secondarily) is that the judgment aspect of death is removed, since Jesus was judged in our place for our sins. So, death is no longer a horrible curse for the believer. The day of one’s death is better than one’s birth (Eccl. 7:1). As Paul said, “to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Our corrupt bodies are as defiled temples. We cannot have perfect fellowship with God when our flesh is soiled with sinful desires. (Don’t get me wrong, our “flesh” is not just physical. It has mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, no doubt. Our flesh is still “us.” We cannot excuse our fallen nature by saying it’s just our flesh—as though our flesh is just a physical part of us that can be amputated. No, it’s central to who we are as people.)

Our bodies are decaying. There is something intrinsically imperfect with something that is decaying. We are “corruptible” creatures, but we look to put on incorruption (1 Cor. 15:53). Death is the primary way in which God appointed this exchange to happen: the sinful, decaying body breaks down, and God eventually replaces it with an immortal body, free from sin.
 
5. God Intentionally Provides No Proof of Himself

It is taught in the Bible that God is not desperate to win people to Himself. He will save those He chooses without blasting them with proof of the Bible. As seen by how Jesus interacted with the crowds, God sometimes conceals the truth from those who are “indifferent” (really more like hostile) to know the Truth.

What does this have to do with death? Well, if Christians were not subject to death, what would be the alternative? Would we be raptured? Would we be suddenly changed to be perfect beings? All the alternatives to death would virtually prove the Truth of the Bible. Thus, it seems reasonable that one reason God would not keep His children from death is that He does not want to prove Himself to the world in this age. Believers and unbelievers die alike, so that skeptics are left with their skepticism about the reality of the Messiah, eternal salvation, and the resurrection. Can you imagine what scientists would do if we believers were suddenly given glorified bodies? They would have no choice but to acknowledge that something extraordinary—or supernatural—was happening for Christians. (Additionally, God does not desire to provide instantaneous proof to all people of the reality of someone’s faith in Him, but expects believers to bear fruit worthy of repentance such that they are known to be “good trees.”)

Instead, we are left here on earth to witness to others. We are left to carry on for the benefit of others. Paul said that to remain on earth “in the flesh” was for the benefit of others (Phil. 1:23-24).

6. Salvation is Not Intended to be the “Easy Way Out” of Life’s Problems

Everyone would like an easy way out of this life that does not involve suffering or death. Yet, if there were no death it would distract from part of the message of the gospel—that one must be willing to abandon all things for Jesus’ sake, including one’s own physical pleasures and benefits and life (Mt. 16:25; Lu. 14:26,33), to claim Him as the eternal reward. We must consider Him more valuable than anything else. If we are willing to lay down our lives for His sake (both figuratively and literally), then we show the world the great value of our God. When a believer is able to overcome the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-16) and to say that death is gain, they display the all-surpassing worth of the Lord. This opportunity to clearly display the infinite worth of God would be missed if there was no death for the believer. It seems clear to me that if faith in Jesus allowed us to bypass death it would cheapen the gospel.

If death could be escaped by belief in Christ, then the masses would rush to Him in a false hope of escaping death, with no true belief or repentance. Twice as many fake Christians would be running around everywhere. It would be the health-and-wealth, prosperity gospel on steroids.

For all these reasons, I believe God has appointed all men to die. Nevertheless, those of us are in Christ will never die (Jn. 11:26), for Death has been put to death by the work of our Savior on the cross.