Spiritually Dead

"And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. " (Luke 9: 59, 60)

"She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth" (I Timothy 5: 6).

There is a famous line from the movie "Sixth Sense" wherein one gifted boy says - "I see dead people, and they don't know they're dead." Such language is applicable to the above verses, for there are truly dead people walking around who do not know they are dead.

Of course, Jesus is not speaking of physical death but of spiritual death. So, we may rephrase the words and say - "let the spiritually dead bury their physically dead."

Paul too was not speaking of the death of the body when he spoke of people who are "dead while they live." The meaning is - they are spiritually dead while they are physically alive. What is spiritual death?

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2: 1).

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." (Colossians 2: 13)

To be "dead in sins" is to be spiritually dead, to be without the life of God (Ephesians 2: 12) in the soul or spirit. The basic idea in death is separation or absence.

"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59: 2)

Sinners are separated from God. Since God is life, to be without God is to be dead, or without life. Since God is light, to be without God is to be in darkness, or without light. Since God is love, to be without God is to be without love.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." (Matthew 23: 27)

The spiritual death of which the Savior and apostles often spoke is a death in the heart and mind regarding the things of God, in spiritualities.

The sinner's "conscience" is declared to be "seared with a hot iron" (I Timothy 4: 2), or "cauterized," so that there is no more feeling, for that which is cauterized is "deadened" to all sensation.

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (I Corinthians 2: 14 NIV)

Part of this spiritual death and separation involves spiritual deafness, the inability to hear God in a spiritual saving way. Part of this spiritual death involves spiritual blindness, the inability to see spiritual things. Part of this spiritual death involves spiritual paralysis, the inability to will and to do spiritually the things that please God.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5: 24)

Yes, the sinner who believes in Jesus and commits his life to him, is one who is no longer dead, but has, in soul, heart, mind, and spirit, "passed from death unto life." They are such who have been "quickened" (resurrected) from this spiritual death in sin.

"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." (Revelation 3: 1)

This was said by the risen Lord to the members of the Church in Sardis. It shows that not all who profess to be saved, to be spiritually alive in Christ, are truly alive. We must be careful to make sure we are truly risen from inner spiritual death, that we have truly received the things of the Spirit of God, things such as the "word of life" (Phillipians 2: 16).

Friend, are you spiritually alive or dead? How can you know? Have you received the gospel and the witness of the Spirit of God? If you do receive the things of the Spirit of God, then you are surely one who has "passed from death unto life."