Topical Bible: Natural Death: Illustrates the Change Produced in Conversion

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Natural death, as understood within the biblical context, serves as a profound metaphor for the spiritual transformation that occurs during conversion. This transformation is often described as a passage from death to life, symbolizing the believer's transition from a state of spiritual death to one of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

In the Scriptures, natural death is frequently used to illustrate the condition of humanity apart from God. Ephesians 2:1-2 states, "As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Here, the Apostle Paul describes the pre-conversion state as one of spiritual death, characterized by separation from God and enslavement to sin.

The concept of natural death as a metaphor for spiritual death is further elucidated in Romans 6:23 : "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This passage contrasts the outcome of sin—death—with the gift of God, which is eternal life. The natural consequence of sin is death, both physical and spiritual, but through conversion, believers receive the gift of eternal life.

Conversion, therefore, is depicted as a resurrection from this state of death. In John 5:24 , Jesus declares, "Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life." This crossing over signifies the transformative power of faith, where the believer is no longer subject to the spiritual death that once held them captive.

The imagery of death and resurrection is central to the Christian understanding of conversion. Colossians 3:3-4 articulates this transformation: "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." The believer's old self, marked by sin and death, is considered dead, and their new life is hidden with Christ, awaiting the fullness of glory.

Moreover, the process of conversion is likened to a new birth, a theme that underscores the radical change from death to life. In John 3:3 , Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." This new birth signifies a complete renewal, a departure from the old life of sin and death to a new life in Christ.

The Apostle Paul further expounds on this transformation in 2 Corinthians 5:17 : "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!" The imagery of the old passing away and the new coming highlights the profound change that conversion brings, akin to moving from the realm of death to that of life.

In summary, natural death serves as a powerful illustration of the change produced in conversion. It underscores the believer's transition from a state of spiritual death, marked by sin and separation from God, to a new life of righteousness and communion with Him. Through faith in Jesus Christ, believers experience a resurrection from death to life, becoming new creations in Him.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 6:2
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Colossians 2:20
Why if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Acts II
... them escaped that, by dying a natural death before it ... It strikingly illustrates the
blinding effects of partisan zeal ... But another change had occurred within them ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts ii.htm

Regeneration.
... this is not only true of the natural universe, but ... If the death is moral, and the
sleep moral, why ... by the Holy Spirit through the truth illustrates the wisdom ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxviii regeneration.htm

Period I: the Imperial State Church of the Undivided Empire, or ...
... ousia] or a creature, or capable of change or alteration ... for the destruction of sin
and death; begotten of ... True likeness belongs to a true natural connection. ...
/.../ayer/a source book for ancient church history/period i the imperial state.htm

Spiritual Growth
... a man in a moment 'passes from death unto life ... other, and must be viewed in its natural
perspective ... as a place where things grow, and thus illustrates the garden ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xvii spiritual growth.htm

The Shortest of the Seven Cries
... sabachthani?" is the fourth cry, and it illustrates the penalty ... I thirst." I cannot
think that natural thirst was ... is to us THE PATTERN OF OUR DEATH WITH HIM. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 24 1878/the shortest of the seven.htm

Another Wonderful Record of 25.
... an incident in his own life, which well illustrates the provident care ... agonizing
prayer that God would so overrule natural causes that death would not ...
/.../various/the wonders of prayer/another wonderful record of 25 00.htm

Acts XVI
... days was already in the Church by natural birth, and ... we come within an inch of death,
like the ... His conduct, on this occasion, happily illustrates this precept. ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xvi.htm

The Trinitarian Controversy.
... Spirit himself; in the devotions of a death-bed, and ... doctrine of the Trinity; and
he illustrates this by ... writer must be the reverse of the natural and obvious ...
/.../chapter vi the trinitarian controversy.htm

The English-Speaking Peoples: Action and Reaction
... the sacramental significance of all natural objects or ... and learns concerning the
death of Fogazzaro ... like Supernatural Religion, 1872, illustrates a proclivity ...
/.../chapter vi the english-speaking peoples .htm

St. Gregory the Great.
... us his servants the mercy of his natural disposition, and ... the Popes were to take
in change for the ... The death of Senatus populusque Romanus discovered even to ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter v st gregory the.htm