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Announcer: What have people been taught about a spiritual death that is pure fiction? Mike explains.
Michael Pearl: "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Here is the misinterpretation of this passage: Most all Bible teachers say that this death that entered in was spiritual death. It's very easy to prove with the Scriptures that it was not spiritual death, it was physical death—that physical death entered into the world as a result of sin. I know it's not spiritual death for this reason: If you look up spirit in the Bible every time it's used, you will find dozens, many more than that, times, that the Bible speaks of the human spirit of a sinner.
It speaks of the spirit of Pharaoh, the spirit of Nebuchadnezzar, the spirit of man. Speaks of the depraved spirit, the wicked spirit, a mean spirit, a bitter spirit. It speaks of the human spirit as something that lives and is as present at all times. There's nothing in the Bible about a regenerated spirit or new spirit other than the Holy Spirit, which comes in and joins our spirit. Doesn't put a spirit where one didn't previously exist. It comes in and he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit then with God.
Even then, the spirit is capable of corruption and needs continual sanctification. The spirit that was in Adam did not depart and did not die. It's Adam’s physical body that entered into a state of death.
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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 4
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I have understood that death is simply separation. James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Our body dies when it is separated from our spirit. In this sense I do believe in the death of Adam's spirit. When he sinned he became separated from God. This is what I understand to be described as spiritual death. And likewise all humans born of Adam are born separated from God. This does not make them sinners, just separate from God, or spiritually dead (As a side note Jesus was born in fellowship with God but with the exact same human nature as the rest of us are born - He did not have a sin nature and neither do you or I). Great topic!
Hmmm. Well, I've been taught that scripture has 3 applications: historical, doctrinal, and devotional (I think that's right). And that Adam was created in God's image, perfect. But when he sinned, yes - physical death kicked into gear but also spiritual death as everyone born after Adam was born in "Adam's" image - a sinner.
In John 3 Jesus told Nicodemus he must be "born-again" and then He went on to explain that being born-again was about spiritual birth, not a physical birth.
It seems clear to me that in our sinful status our spirit is separated from God - why else would God himself say we "must be born again"? That suggests a dead spirit, does it not?
Dead in the sense of seperated from God, but not dead in the sense of inoperative.
Where in scripture does the Bible say we are born sinners? If we are born sinners where do babies go when they die, according to Scripture? The Bible always associates God's punishment with acts of sin, not for a state of existence. Also, if all people are born sinners, what about Jesus? How was he "In all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin?" Mainstream theology teaches us that Jesus was by nature different than us, but I find this contradicting to the book of Hebrews. He was truly 100% human like us. But He resisted temptation every time and in every way in which it was presented. Those are my thoughts 🙂