Hamartiology The Penalty of Sin

The Bible is very plain about the depravity of sin and the resultant penalty. (Rom. 6:23) Wages are earned compensation. They are the by-product of effort. Sin both imputed and practiced, earn a compensatory response from God and that response is death. Sin ever and always produces death. (Jam. 1:13-15)

Spiritual Death God’s warning to Adam concerning the tree of knowledge, must be understood in context and result. (Gen. 2:16,17) The primary death alluded to was not physical but spiritual. At the moment Adam sinned, Adam died spiritually. His relationship with God was broken and a spiritual separation transpired. Paul’s argument as to the nature of man as a fallen creature centered in the spiritual death transferred to all men through Adam. (Rom. 5:12-21)

This is the reason that all men are described as being spiritually dead though physically alive. (Eph. 2:1-5) The consequence is that mankind is “lost” (Luke 19:10; 2 Cor. 4:3), “condemned” (John 3:19:5:24); and “guilty” (Rom. 3:19; Jam. 2:10).

Physical Death The pronouncement of doom, thou shalt surely die (Gen. 2:17) is an acknowledgement of the effect of sin upon the human body. The Hebrew term translated die literally means “dying thou shalt die.” A degenerative principle was introduced into God’s creation so that everything eventually dies. Sin itself is degenerative in character. (Rom. 5:12)

The resurrection is a necessity because all men die. (1 Cor The resurrection is a necessity because all men die. (1 Cor. 15:20-22 ) All of man’s best efforts to forestall death end in failure because physical death is the direct result of sin. (Eze. 18:4)

Eternal Death The root meaning of death is not cessation of existence. Every person continues to exist after death either in the presence of God or the prison house of despair called hell. (Luke 16:19-26) Eternal death, for all do not know Christ as Savior, will result from the final judgment. The book of the Revelation calls this the “second death.” (Rev. 20:6 ; 11-15; 21:8)