Naked Newlyweds

Distinguishing among the different deaths

02/10/2023

Gn 3:1-8 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil." The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Boys and girls did you know there is more than one way to die? In fact, there are many ways that someone can die. For example, every Friday I drive a group of OCA students back and forth from Fort Smith. And sometimes, even though I am driving and they are sitting in the back, I eavesdrop on their conversations, even though they think I cannot hear them. But I can. One young lady in the bus has the habit of saying very dramatically at a certain point, “I’m dead!” And everyone else laughs when she does that.

Now, when she says that does she mean that she was literally dead, and that I should stop the shuttle bus and pull over to the side of the road and give her CPR, and call 911? Had she died physically and stopped breathing and her brainwave functions had ceased? No. She said, “I’m dead” in a figurative sense, that is, she meant it jokingly and dramatically, to emphasize some emotion that she was feeling. In other words, her feelings were are dramatic as death. And that is one kind of death.

In the first reading to day from Genesis, we hear about two more kinds of death. The two kinds of death revolve around the tree of the forbidden fruit. Even tells the serpent that God had warned that if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. But the serpent, which was the most cunning of all the animals, tells the naked newlyweds, if they eat of the fruit of that tree, they will not die. So, who’s telling the truth: Satan or God? Will Adam and Eve die if they eat the forbidden fruit or not die?

Well, in a sense, they are both right, but God is more right; he is a lot more right than the cunning serpent. How so? Well, just like the OCA student who says, “I’m dead” but does not mean she is physically dead but metaphorically dead, so the death God refers to is not physical death, but moral death. That is, God is not talking about the death of the body, but rather the death of the soul. And which death do you think is the worse? Spiritual death is worse, indeed, it is the worst form of death because it lasts forever. And that is why God is more right than Satan; a lot more right.

Boys and girls, we face death all around us, and it is important we distinguish between these different forms of death: physical death, metaphorical death, spiritual death, and so forth. Why? Well, because if we don’t, we will make the same mistake as Adam and Eve. And their ultimate mistake was sin. In other words, they mistakenly thought that spiritual death was no big deal. What they really worried about was physical death, just like me and you.

For instance, you may have heard of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The death toll has reached 21,000, and the number is still climbing. And that is truly terrible. Of course we are glad the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and stopped legalized abortion, at least for now. The death of unborn babies in the womb is truly tragic and reprehensible. Yesterday, I anointed a lady who’s body is filled with cancer, and she will die in a day or two. And her impending death is a great loss for our church community.

But, as bad and as lamentable as all these deaths are, did you know there is another form of death that is even worse than all of that, a lot worse? And that is the death of the soul when we commit a mortal sin. That is why Jesus died on the cross, not to save us from physical death, but to save us from spiritual death, because Jesus knows which is worse.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want to diminish how devastating physical death is, and the great suffering that is causes those who are left behind. Rather, I want to highlight how horrible spiritual death is, and why we should be far more concerned about dying spiritually through sin. There are different kinds of death, and it is imperative we distinguish them. Why? Because our eternal salvation depends on it.

The OCA student who likes to say “I’m dead!” does not die physically, but she sort of dies metaphorically. When we commit a mortal sin, we do not die physically, but we do die morally and spiritually. God tells Adam and Eve they will die if they break his commandment. The cunning serpent tells them they will not die. But both God and Satan are right, but one of them is much more right than the other. Why? Because there are different kinds of death, and one is worse than all the others. Indeed, it is worse than all the others combined.

Praised be Jesus Christ!