Blog

by Steve Risner

[This blog post is part of a series. The previous post is here and the next one is here.]

We started to look at death vs resurrection life last week as we began to answer for theistic evolutionist Tyler Francke’s question: If physical death is part of the consequences of sin, why do Christians still die? This is Tyler’s third question that he claims is unanswerable if you hold to a Biblical worldview/Biblical creation philosophy. Last week we just started touching on this most important issue for the Christian—the issue of salvation and what it actually means for us.

God pronounced death upon mankind as a result of his sin in the Garden of Eden. We know this meant immediate separation from God—a broken relationship. But we also know, because God said so, that this meant our bodies would age and physically die. God said, after man had rebelled against God, “…By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19). If physical death was not the result of sin, why would God proclaim it as a result of sin? I think we’ve made it fairly clear that man died in Adam because in Adam all sinned. 1 Corinthians 15:20,26 tells us, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive… For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

One point of interest here: death here is mentioned as an enemy. Death is an enemy that Jesus will destroy. Let's consider for a moment that for the theistic evolutionist (and perhaps for some old earth creationists), death is part of God's design. In fact, we know this is what the theistic evolutionist believes because Tyler is one and he says that “...death isn't one of those consequences” of sin. He says, “I believe God appointed that man should die once, not as a punishment, but as an inherent part of the current created order.” So the “current created order” includes death. But we know that the Garden of Eden was perfect and we know that God tells us He will restore us to that perfect place once again where… wait, death reigns? No—but the theistic evolutionist's position is that all these things (i.e., creation and death) are “very good” according to God Himself. Why would He want us to live in paradise with Him and leave out all these wonderful things that He designed for us to enjoy here on earth? That sounds absolutely crazy, doesn't it? To think that God, who is love and light, would design a world of death and sorrow and pain, call it “very good,” and then later put us in a place that He actually does think is very good—heaven—just makes my head spin. This is the theology of humanism as it intertwines with Christianity. That’s so absurd that I wonder who on earth can hold such a position.

So if Jesus did die for our sins, why did He need to do that? Why was death the penalty that God would accept, and why Jesus? Because the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. And because Jesus was without sin—truly a spotless offering, and He was one of us. Animal sacrifice under the Old Testament covenant could not atone for sin forever. Christ, the lamb of God, was perfect and human and died in our place. However, there's so much more! He rose again so that we might have life eternally! How awesome is that! Had Christ not been raised from the dead, our faith would be useless and we would be a pitiful group of people who are still lost in their sins. This is why the Christian does not need to fear death—the enemy and the last one to be destroyed. Our death is the beginning of eternal life found only in Christ Jesus.

I feel like I could just post a great deal of Scripture and be done with it, but then you may think I'm just lazy. But, in all honesty, Romans 8 tells us so much on this topic. Let's take a look:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit… But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.... For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

That is mind blowing! We are alive in Christ. Gives you goose bumps, doesn't it? That's the resurrection life! That's why death, for the believer, has been defeated. Oh, how sad it is that Tyler walks through life much like the zombie he has pictured in the blog post we're discussing. Romans 10:9-10 tells us if you confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you’ll be saved. Notice the two parts there—the resurrection is critical to being a follower of Christ!

I'm just afraid theistic evolutionists are missing the entire point. Being saved from hell, which really seems like is all Tyler is interested in, is such a small part of the Christian life. What we don't get is not what I like to focus so much on—although it is very humbling to consider what we deserve and how the Lord Jesus has spared us from this and the life that is not set apart for Him. These things are detestable and horrifying. I hate to think what sort of person I would be if Christ had not filled my heart and changed me. Praise God! He saved me from that! But He also opened up to me a life worth living—a life set apart for Him—a new life of joy and peace, love and light, and service to the Almighty God! Not only do I not get what I deserve, but I get awesome things I never could have imagined and certainly do not deserve. This is the Christian life—service to the King and we can do that because He has defeated death.

Now I'm not sure if Tyler is denying the bodily resurrection of believers. But we can be sure from Scripture, especially 1 Corinthians 15, that there will be a bodily (physical) resurrection of believers. We will not live as spirit beings in the presence of the Lord. We will be given new bodies like the one described in the Gospels that Jesus took on after His resurrection. This is part of the defeat of death—one of the penalties for sin. 1 Corinthians 15:13 tells us if there is no resurrection from the dead, if there is no resurrection of corpses (literally “dead bodies” in the Greek) not even Christ has been raised. That's heavy. If our physical bodies are not resurrected, Christ wasn't either and we have a worthless faith. So this is why Christians don't die! We are raised to life in Christ.

Ugh. There's so much more to say on this and I've just got started and I'm out of space. Next week I plan to conclude this mini series on death and the resurrection—the Thursday before Easter Sunday! Thanks for reading and, remember, pray for the theistic evolutionists you know. This is really important stuff and they need to get it. Be blessed.

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