Why do people die?

TL;DR:

: Death came into the world through sin, separating us from God and making it the destiny of all people. But through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are offered forgiveness, eternal life, and hope that conquers even the grave.

what does the bible say?

People die because humanity turned away from God, the source of life, and chose sin, which inevitably leads to death. When Adam and Eve disobeyed in the garden, their sin introduced both physical death and spiritual separation from God into the world. Scripture affirms that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, and the penalty for sin is death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Yet God, in His love, made a way to restore fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ, who, fully God and fully man, lived without sin, died in our place, and rose victorious over the grave. By faith in Jesus, we are freed from the curse of sin and death and given eternal life. Though believers still face physical death, when they die, they enter God’s presence immediately and have the hope that they, too, will one day be raised with imperishable bodies. This assurance allows us to face life’s trials, grief, and even death itself with unshakable hope, knowing Christ has secured our future.

from the old testament

Most simply, people die because of the reality of sin. When Adam and Eve committed what is known as "original sin" in the garden of Eden, they ushered brokenness into the world. That brokenness includes death, as God had warned in Genesis 2:17.
As part of the consequences of sin, God said that people would return to the ground, "for you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). Death is a result of sin. Adam and Eve did not physically die immediately, but they did experience spiritual death right away—a break in their close relationship with God.
Man’s wickedness separates us from God and others and leads to death (Genesis 6:17).

from the new testament

All who live a life of unrighteousness deserve death (Romans 1:32).
All have sinned and deserve death apart from God (Romans 3:23).
Romans 6:23 tells us plainly, "the wages of sin is death." Death is the result of sin.
Romans 5:12 says, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin, we are all sinners by nature and by choice and are set for destruction and death, due to sin, apart from Christ.
Romans 8:13 warns us that if we live according to the flesh, we will die. There are only two options: we live according to the Spirit or we live according to the flesh. Those who live according to the Spirit have been saved from the curse of sin and death, are forgiven, and are no longer bound by their sinful nature. They can live for God in their new nature.
It is appointed for everyone to die (Hebrews 9:27). Where we go when we die is dependent on whether we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.

implications for today

Just as we are now all subjected to physical death, we are all born spiritually dead. Our intended fellowship with God is interrupted—for each person (Ephesians 2:1). However, God has an answer for that. Due to His great desire for relationship with people, He made a way to restore that relationship.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God" (John 3:16–18). The other end of the "wages of sin is death" in Romans 6:23 reads "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus did away with the law of sin and death to establish the law of the Spirit (Romans 8:2). Jesus is fully human and also fully God. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, and then rose from the dead victorious. It is through putting our faith in Jesus that we have relationship with God—spiritual life. Jesus also gives us eternal existence. Those who trust in Him will still die physically, but when they do, they will be united with God in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8). And beyond that, they will be raised to life and given bodies that are imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:1–58).

Although we will all die one day and although we still face the difficulties that death brings, believers live with hope because death is not the end for those who belong to Christ. Instead of being bound by fear or despair at the thought or reality of death, we can live assured that we are secure in Him. Jesus has conquered sin and death, and He has come to bring us life. Though we die, we know where we are going. Though we face difficulty and death in this life, we have hope. We can hold fast to the truth that while sin brings death, Jesus brings life. We can look with hope to the day when we will be made whole. We can face sickness, grief, and death with hope in the One who has secured our future.

understand

Death came into the world as a result of sin.
Sin separates humanity from God. Because of sin, both spiritual death and physical death are realities.
Believers are made spiritually alive in Christ. While they still face physical death, they have hope through and even after death because physical death is not their ultimate end.

reflect

How does knowing that death came into the world through sin shape the way you think about your own response to death and suffering?
How does the hope of eternal life in Jesus affect how you view physical death?
How does your assurance in Christ impact the way you face fear, grief, or loss?

engage

How can we explain why people die? How can we compassionately walk through grief and death with those who do not have the hope of eternity through Jesus?
How can we help other believers face the reality of death with faith instead of fear?
What difference does it make that Jesus has conquered sin and death?