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 We have been discussing death from the Bible’s standpoint. The Bible is the only book that explains death’s cause and origin. No other man could have given such attention or answers. Because, then, the Bible is the very revelation of the Creator of life, He then is the only one that can give an adequate answer to the age old problem. Death is the result of sin; and because God said death would occur if and when man sinned, death did pass upon all of creation (cf., Genesis 2:17; 3:1ff; Romans 5:12). Genesis 5:1-31 is a morbid chapter detailing the fulfillment of God’s Judgment: “…and he (man) died.”

  James explains death: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26). The separation of our spirit—which is given by God—from our fleshly body equals physical death (Job 33:4; Ecclesiastes 12:7). The animation of our physical body by the spirit is life. The departure of our animating spirit leaves a physical body lifeless! So, again, as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is likewise.

  Now, last week we alluded to Calvinism’s quandary of Total Depravity. From that, we followed the line of implications that lead to the Once Saved Always doctrine, which states: “man cannot so sin as to loose his salvation having been saved/born again.” Therefore it is impossible to apostatize. This is sometimes called the Impossibility of Apostasy. If that doctrine is true, then pray-tell what these passages mean: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:20-22).

  Because of sin, man will die, but because of Christ man can live eternally if he lives faithful for Christ’s cause. If he sins, he must repent because we now have an Advocate with the Father. More to come…