A Biblical Perspective on Death and LifeSýnishorn

Is death part of life?

“… It is appointed for man to die once.” (Hebrews 9:27)

The letter to the Hebrews mentions death almost casually in its line of reasoning: every human being will die once. The author does not need to give much further explanation because this sad fact is known to everyone. Death is simply part of life. It has always been that way.

But no, it has not. At the very beginning, when God created the earth and mankind, death was not part of His creation. There was plenty of life: plants, trees, fish, birds, land animals, and humans. The living creatures were instructed to multiply, filling the earth with even more abundant life. But there was no death.

Romans 5:12-17 explains to us how death came into the world: “through one man’s trespass.” That one man was our first ancestor, Adam. He disobeyed God, and all mankind inherited Adam’s sinful nature. Therefore, all humans are subjected to the punishment for sin that God announced beforehand: “You shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

Since then, death has indeed been an inevitable part of life. We cannot change anything about that fact. But it is important to realize that death did not belong to God's original creation. It is not part of His ideal world. Therefore, God broke its power, as we will see over the coming days. That gives hope!