Forms of death

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

The Scriptures make us aware that the being called man is made up of three components; the body, the soul and the spirit. Each of these three can separately experience death. The body is mainly the flesh; water, blood, tissues and organs. The soul comprises of the mind, emotions, feelings and will. These form the consciousness of man. The spirit is the spirit. Now, the soul and the spirit make up the inward man and the body (flesh) is the outward man ( 2 Corinthians 4:16). It is crucial therefore to learn about the forms of death these three undergo. There is physical death, spiritual death, and death of the soul.

1. Physical death is actually the cessation or ending of the life of the physical body. it is the stoppage of life on earth that ushers a transition into the realm of eternity, also known as change of location. This is characterised by absence of sensations to touch, breath and movement. The body is just a frame formed from the dust of the earth that houses the spirit and soul of man (Ecclesiastes 3:20). When Adam fell to sin, death came as a consequence of it (Romans 5:12). This death meant both physical and eternal. Men are appointed to die once (Hebrews 9:27), both the righteous and the unrighteous , if Christ tarries.
2. Spiritual death is when the spirit of man is dead due to sin (Ephesians 2:5). As God is Spirit (John 4:24), He can only connect with man through the spirit of man, but due to sin, there was a disconnection between God and man, hence the flesh took control over the soul. The natural man is spiritually dead even though he is alive in the flesh, as there is nothing good in the flesh (Romans 7:13-23), he is held captive by the law of sin in the flesh thereby manifesting the works of the flesh using the members of his body (Galatians 5:19-21), – that is bondage and slavery. The signs of spiritual death are; lack of a hunger the for word of God, a dead prayer life, unwillingness towards the things of God, strong desire for immorality and decadence, sinful cravings, guiltlessness while living in sin  etc.
3. Death of the soul is simply eternal separation from God. Death of the soul is also known as eternal death or second death. Unlike the physical and spiritual death which are about the end or stoppage of an existence, death of the soul is the final and eternal separation of man and God in gruesome torment (Matthew 25:31-33). This begins immediately a sinner or believer experiences physical death (Luke 16:19-31).

Prayer points:

Let’s thank God for today’s word, and also ask Him to help us overcome death through faith in Christ Jesus.