God has a different definition for the word “DIE” than we do. He told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that they would “surely DIE.” We think DIE means when the heart stops beating, the brain stops sending and receiving nerve impulses, and the lungs stop breathing. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, none of that happened, but they did DIE, because God said they would. If anyone knows what the word DIE means it has to be God! So, Adam and Eve DIED but they were still walking around, lungs breathing, heart beating, brain thinking and seemingly alive… yet they were DEAD.
Thousands of years went by and Jesus appeared on the scene. He made an incredible statement right before He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. He said, “Whoever lives and believes in me shall NEVER DIE.” He said those words to Martha. She believed in Him, yet several years later her body was buried in a grave. In our eyes she DIED. But Jesus said that she would NEVER DIE if she believed in Him. So, you have to ask yourself this question, “Did Jesus tell a lie… or do we just not understand what the word DIE means?” I think we can all agree that Jesus didn’t lie, so our definition of the word DIE needs to change.
I believe in Jesus, therefore, I will NEVER DIE. One day they will bury my body in a grave, but I will NEVER DIE because Jesus said I wouldn’t. So, I’ve come to this conclusion: It is not in our bodies where we experience the meaning of the word DIE… it is in our soul and spirit. This body will one day cease activity on earth… people may weep and mourn at my grave… but I won’t be DEAD because I believe in Jesus, and He said I would never DIE.
James 2:26 (NIV)
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
