How do we understand God? How do we understand death? If we look at it theologically, it is quite different from human or pastoral perspective. And it is always difficult to know the lines between spiritual death and physical death. Spiritual death, is for the unrepentant in this life Rev 20: 14. And physical death is for all without exception due to sin Rom 6:23. Sometimes God is portrayed as a God who plans death, wants people to die. That death is required, and necessary is a fact due to God’s sovereign decree Gen 3:19. Death is also a judgement and result of some sort of specific sin, as well as the end fate of all- but a death can be a “cutting short of the life” due to misbehaviour of an individual 1 Cor 11: 30. Death has many aspects to it, and you cannot lump all aspects into one- death- but we must look at types of death, reasons for death, cut short, even within the perfect time. But how does God, emotionally if you will, view death? We go no further than John 11: 35. Jesus wept. This is feeling, emotion, sense of tragedy, all the feelings associated with the passing of someone close to you. So, here we see, death affects Jesus, the fullness and image of God, very much. Mth 27: 42 Jesus was accused that he could save others from death, as he resurrected Lazarus, who was to die again; but he could not save himself (though later too, he resurrected himself). But my discussion is death, as a natural phenomenon. So, how does God view death? Ezek 18: 32 I take no pleasure in the death of anyone. Lam 3: 33 He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to me. 2 Peter 3: 9 not wanting any to perish. So clearly, God does not “want” us to die. That we must, that it is inevitable, is not the issue. It is like when something bad happens to someone, you can say “good”, they deserve it; or you can say “how sad”. Well, in a sense, God says “that’s sad”. Why? Now that also ties up to death. Death can be a beautiful, blessed thing for God as in Ps 116: 15 or death can be a sad thing. Yet, death in itself, is “the end”. Meaning? No more opportunity to repent, which is what makes it sad. Ezek 18: 32 God has no pleasure, because in Ezek 18: 30 there is an injunction to “repent”; turn from evil ways. Sin leads to both down fall of body and soul. And death, without repentance, which is being restored back to God, is not what God wants. He wants all people everywhere, to repent, turn to him, and be with him forever. Death, in and of itself, is tragic. But death, and dying away from the presence of the LORD is eternal tragic. And in all this, people say- then why doesn’t God just end death, end sin, bring us all to himself, save everyone? But then that would take away from your freewill, your free choice, to make a decision to believe in God or not. To believe in Jesus or not. If God took away our choice to choose, would that not be wrong? Countless and countless of times a day, you have choices, and make them. You make choices because of your fear of people. You make choices because of your personal wants and wishes. So, how can then we blame God? Turn to God, repent from sin.
MCC Admin
27 Tishrei 5781