Doctrine of Deaths

July 14, 2010

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DOCTRINE OF DEATHS

This doctrine is designed to solve the interpretation of problem passages like:
Lk.9:60 “Let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jn.11:26 “and everyone who … believes in Me shall never die.”
Lk.15:24 “for this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again.”
1Cor.15:31 “I die daily.”
Jd.12 “doubly dead.”
Note that death involves a separation.

I.    Physical death.
A.    For the unbeliever, it involves the soul leaving the body (Lk.16:22) and:
1.    Torment in hell (Lk.16:23,24).
2.    Remembrance of life on earth (Lk.16:25).
3.    Desire not to see earthly loved ones (Lk.16:27,28).
4.    Is permanent (Lk.16:26).
5.    Occurs in the midst of temporal pursuits and is unexpected (Lk.12:16-21).
6.    Principle: Mk.8:36,37 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his own soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”.
7.    Apply Mt.10:28 “And do not fear those who can kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
B.    For the believer, it involves the separation of soul and spirit from the body (Eccl.12:7 “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was and the spirit will return to God who gave it”; Jn.2:26; Acts.5:10), and includes:
1.    Conscious existence in heaven (Lk.16:25, Abraham & Lazarus; Phil.1:21; 2Cor.5:8; Ps.72:24).
2.    Bliss (Lk.23:43; cp. 2Cor.12:4; Rev.2:7, as implied in the term “Paradise”).
3.    No judgment, only reward (Rom.8:1; cp. 1Pet.1:4,5).
4.    No sin.
5.    No more pain, death, or sorrow (Rev.21:4).
6.    Full realization of Ph3 blessing (2Cor.4:16-18).
7.    In the case of martyrdom: Rev.14:13; cp. 12:11.
C.    Divine regulating principles.
1.    God is the ultimate cause (directive and permissive; Acts.17:28; Ps.66:9; Job.34:14,15).
2.    Protection against death lies with God (overruling will; Pss.30:3; 118:18).
3.    He determines the time and manner (Eccl.3:2; 7:17 “Do not be very wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?”; Rom.14:8).
4.    It has an end (Rev.20:14; 21:4; 1Cor.15:26).
D.    As applied to the believer.
1.    Bible Doctrine removes the fear of death (Ps.23:4).
2.    The positive believer is kept alive by grace to attain maturity (Ps.119, esp. vs.17).
3.    The reversionistic believer dies the sin unto death (Prov.5:23; 8:36; 10:21; 12:28; 13:14; 14:12; 15:10; 19:16; 23:13,14; Deut.30:15; cp. Jer.21:8; Jn.5:19,20; 1Jn.5:16).
4.    There is dying grace for the positive believer (Ps.116:15; Phil.1:21).
5.    Church Age believers (“dead in Christ”, 1Thess.4:13-18) are promised resurrection.
6.    The Rapture generation will not experience it (1Cor.15:51ff; 1Thess.4:15-18; cp. Mt.16:28; Mk.9:1; Lk.9:27; cp. Heb.11:5,6).
7.    Christ died physically and Faith-Rested His resurrection (Ps.22:15; Isa.53:9; Mt.27:50; 1Pet.3:18; cp. Acts.2:22-28; Heb.5:7).
II.    Spiritual death.
A.    Definition: all men are born physically alive but spiritually dead. Born without a human spirit (Jd.19), man is separated from God and is dead.
B.    Spiritual death began with Adam and was passed on to all mankind (Gen.2:17; Rom.5:12,14,15,17-19,21; 1Cor.15:22 “For as in Adam all die”; 2Cor.5:14,15; Eph.2:1; Col.2:13; 1Pet.4:6; Jd.12).
C.    Christ died spiritually on the Cross for all men, which provides salvation as a potential (Rom.5:6,l0; 6:10; Col.1:22; Heb.2:9).
D.    Spiritual death is canceled by the Holy Spirit in the new birth (Eph.2:1; 1Pet.3:18; 1Cor.15:22; Rom.5:17,18; Col.3:4; 2Tim.1:10).
E.    Faith in Christ is the mechanics (Jn.11:25-27).
III.    The second death.
A.    Definition: second death is perpetuated in the Lake of Fire for all who reject Christ (Last Judgment; Rev.2:11; 20:11-15).
B.    It is only for unbelievers (of all time).
IV.    Temporal death.
A.    Definition: the believer out of fellowship (carnality and/or reversionism; Lk.15:24,32; Rom.6:13; 7:9-11; 8:6,10,13a; 1Tim.5:6; Jam.2:26).
B.    The solution is the command “Arise (aor.act.imper. of avni,sthmi, anistemi) from the dead” (evk nekrw,n, ek nekron) in Eph.5:14.
C.    This is based on the Rebound Technique (1Jn.1:9).
V.    Operational death.
A.    Definition: failure to produce divine good (Jam.2:26; Jd.12 “doubly-dead”).
B.    Example (Jam.2:14-17).
C.    There is no application of Bible Doctrine (Jam.2:24).
D.    It means to be a hearer only (Jam.1:23).
E.    Precedents: the patriarch and the prostitute (Jam.2:21-25).
F.    It is possible for a local church (Rev.3:1).
VI.    Sexual death.
A.    Definition: the inability to have sex and therefore procreate.
B.    Examples: Abraham and Sarah (Rom.4:19); Zacharias and Elizabeth (Lk.1:7).
C.    Their sexual prosperity in old age is the challenge with respect to SG2 (Rom.4:17-21).
D.    In fact, Abraham and Sarah are the pattern for SG2 (Rom.4:12 “follow in the steps … of our father Abraham”).
E.    It occurs as divine discipline due to phallic reversionism (Prov.5, esp. vs. 11).
VII.    Positional death.
A.    Definition: we are identified with Christ in His death on the Cross. This “death” must be understood in the light of current positional truth.
B.    Via the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we share everything Christ is.
C.    This includes His deaths on the Cross (2Tim.2:11 “For if we died with Him we shall also live with Him”; Rom.6:3 “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized in His death?”; cp. vs.2,4,5,6,8; Col.3:3).
D.    Current positional truth (Eph.1:3-6; 2:4-6) carries with it an experiential challenge (Eph.2:7; Col.3:1,2).
E.    Likewise, retroactive positional truth also carries a Ph2 application to “die to sin” (1Pet.2:24; 1Cor.15;31 “I die daily”; 2Cor.4:10; Col.2:20; Rom.6:4 “so we too might walk in newness of life” [the Christian way of life]; cp. vs.6 “that we should no longer be slaves to sin”; vs.7, new freedom from the sin nature; vs.11 “consider yourselves to be dead to sin”; vss.12-14, victory over the sinful trend of Adam [STA] presents the challenge in retroactive positional truth).
F.    The filling of the Holy Spirit and Bible Doctrine put to death the influence of the STA (Rom.8:12,13), especially the statement “if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live”.
G.    Positional death is also called “crucifying the flesh” (Gal.5:24; cp. Rom.6:6; Gal.2:20).
VIII.    Isolation of the STA.
A.    The isolation of the STA via rebound, and the reprogramming of the brain-computer with Bible Doctrine, “kills” human viewpoint.
B.    It is not to be confused with temporal or operational deaths.
C.    The challenge of retroactive positional truth is to die to the STA (Col.2:20; Rom.6:2,4,6,12. These verses relate the challenge of retroactive positional truth; Col.2:20 gives the legalistic reaction to the STA).
D.    Isolation of the STA is equated with death in 1Cor.15:31, 2Cor.4:10, 1Pet.2:24, and Rom.8:12,13 (“die” in vs.13 is temporal).
E.    It is also called “crucifying the flesh” in Gal.5:24. Crucifixion was a slow death that could last for days, and the STA does not die easily. The function of the STA is not completely eliminated during the believer’s life on earth (cp. Gal.2:20; Rom.6:6 refers to retroactive positional truth).