Jesus died for us

The death of the body

He died for us - we died with Him. Our bodies are dead because of sin. We will die.

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher; all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 12:7-8).

Many have formed their own elaborate theories about what follows the death of the body, but nowhere does scripture talk about a human soul or spirit even having a body or shape or limbs other than the human body that is dead in sin and is dying, and will die because of sin.

Eternal life [zoe] is in Christ alone, who alone has eternal life in Himself; and He died and rose again bodily so that we - created human beings created to live [zao] in created bodies on the created earth - will rise again bodily, because until the resurrection of the body from the dead, we are dead, not zao (not living | alive in the body); and what Paul called being "away from home out of the body" = souls without limbs.

The first three chapters of Genesis tell us that God created mankind to live on the created earth, in created bodies. In the Bible, a human soul | spirit without a living body is a human soul | spirit without a body. The Bible calls the death of the body 'death' (not "life").

In the context of talking about the resurrection of the body from the dead, Paul says that death is the enemy of God and the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:20-26). 

There is no "spiritual" death implied in the Bible's teaching about death, either in the Old Testament, or the New Testament. Many main-stream churches have replaced what the New Testament means by the word death, with a supposed 'spiritual' death. It's false doctrine:

The biblical concept of eternal life for created human beings is holistic (body, soul and spirit), and implies a life being lived in a human body that does not die:

Adam became a living soul when God breathed the breath of life into him, but because of sin the body dies but the soul continues, and a person who is born of the Spirit of God is a living soul whose dead body is quickened by the Spirit of Christ in him, and will be resurrected from the dead at the last day when Christ returns. The quickening of the body and the resurrection of the body are integral parts of the gospel, which is the gospel of redemption from sin AND death.

Those who have been born of the Spirit and placed in Christ are living souls. The body dies, but the resurrection of the body is certain:

"It is sown a body, natural [Greek: sōma psychikós], it is raised a body, spiritual [sōma pneumatikós]. There is a body, natural [sōma psychikós], and there is a body, spiritual [sōma pneumatikós]." (1 Corinthians 15:44).

Whether a natural body or a spiritual body, it's still a body, and there will be no spiritual body before the time of the return of Christ and the resurrection of the body from the dead. 

SO WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE DEATH OF THE BODY and BEFORE THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY?

 

With regard to those who belong to Christ, the apostle Paul teaches us that "none of us lives [zao: alive in the body] to himself, and no one dies [apothnesko] to himself. 

For both if we live in the body [zao], we live [zao] to the Lord; and if we die [apothnesko], we die to the Lord. Therefore both if we live in the body [zao], and if we die [apothnesko], we are the Lord's (we belong to Christ Jesus, we belong to God).

For to this end Christ both died [apothnesko] 

and rose [anistemi: resurrection of the body] 

and lived again [anazao - alive in the body], 

that He might be Lord both of the dead [nekros] and living [zao: alive in the body]." 

(Romans 14:7-9).

Jesus said,

"Do not fear, I am the First and the Last,

and the Living One, and I became dead, 

and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen. 

And I have the keys of hades and of death." 

(Revelation 1:17-18)

"God has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, 

which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 

but is now made visible 

by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, 

who has broken the power of death, 

and has brought life (zoe) and immortality to light through the gospel." 

(2 Timothy 1:9-10).

WHETHER BY LIFE OR BY DEATH

Paul said, 

"According to my earnest expectation and hope I shall be ashamed in nothing, but as always now Christ shall be magnified in my body with all boldness, whether it is by life or by death.

"For to me to live [záō] is Christ, and to die [apothnesko] is gain. But if I live [záō] in the flesh [sarx], this is the fruit of my labor. Yet I do not know what I shall choose. For I am pressed together by the two: having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." (Philippians 1:20-24).

TO BE AWAY FROM HOME OUT OF THE BODY

"Being always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight; then we are confident and we are pleased rather to go away from home out of the body, and to come home to the Lord. Therefore we are also laboring to be well-pleasing to Him, whether at home or away from home." (2 Corinthians 5:6-9). 

"Away from home out of the body" = souls without limbs.

Whether they imagine themselves as priests in heaven walking around swinging incense containers, or whether they imagine themselves driving a Ferrari fetching and dropping off angels for their missions, those whose imagination runs wild about what they will experience after death (the death of the body), are going to be sorely disappointed, because there is absolutely no biblical scripture to suggest or imply that the souls of humans who have died will have their own limbs:  "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9-11).

The New Testament uses the word gehennah every time Jesus talks about the everlasting destruction of body and soul. The Bible talks about:

gehennah and the lake of fire (everlasting destruction of body and soul), which Christ saves us from through our faith in Him.

Before the day both body and soul are destroyed:

The Bible talks about:

hades (sheol in Hebrew: the realm of deceased souls); and

tartaroo (as the deepest part of hades, where fallen angelic beings are imprisoned), 

The New Testament tells us that Jesus went to hades when His body died, but He came out from hades when He rose from the dead. Christ ascended back to God the Father 40 days after His crucifixion. 

It follows that those who are in Christ, belong to Christ, therefore the souls of those who die while they are in Christ will remain in Christ (who is "in the bosom of the Father", John 1:18); 

and Paul teaches us that when we are no longer "at home in the body" we will be "at home with the Lord". 

Nevertheless eternal life [zoe] is in Christ alone, who alone has eternal life in Himself; and He died and rose again bodily so that we - created human beings created to live [zao] in created bodies on the created earth - will rise again bodily, because until the resurrection of the body from the dead, we are dead, not zao (not living | alive in the body); and what Paul called being "away from home out of the body" = souls without limbs.

The biblical concept of eternal life for created human beings is holistic (body, soul and spirit), and implies a life being lived in a human body that does not die: The gospel is the gospel of redemption from sin AND death.

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