RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-06-21	The Bible And The Moment Of Death
		Apart from a divine miracle death is irreversible (He.9:27; 1Co.15:22). What it does not say, explicitly, is when death becomes “conclusive” or “official.” Medical advancements have provided the means to resuscitate those considered beyond hope. This leads to the question of where exactly the line is between “alive” and “dead.” Further, can a person's body be medically alive, while the soul and spirit have departed. Scripture does provide some insight; we cannot find absolute identifiers for declaring a person “really” dead. A biblical perspective understands “real” death when the soul and spirit leave the body. We cannot observe or measure this with medical equipment which is limited to physical phenomena and not spiritual. We would need to compare physical signs to the functions of the soul and spirit. When a person seems to irreversibly lose those functions, it is reasonable to believe he or she is truly dead. There are examples of those in a coma or vegetative state who recovered. Even in their coma they sometimes showed signs of awareness. Biblically such persons were never “truly dead.” Spiritually, they were in a state like someone sleeping. So, the soul is present but not actively aware of its surroundings. Those diagnosed as “brain dead” appear to be biologically alive, with cells continuing to function, but their brain has ceased all activity. They lack awareness of spirit. Thus, they are most likely devoid of a soul or spirit. Measurements used to diagnose death have varied throughout history. The medical community considers death a process, rather than a single moment. For many centuries, breathing was considered the litmus test for life. Those not apparently breathing were declared dead. As medical equipment improved, that standard shifted to the heartbeat. Today, it is possible to measure breathing, heartbeat, and brain activity on a scale imperceptible to the unaided eye. So, medical professionals today distinguish between “clinical death,” “biological death,” and even “legal death,” depending on the topic of conversation. We can be certain that death, when it truly occurs, cannot be undone by medicine or technology. Once a person is “truly dead,” his soul and spirit are entirely separated from the body. That separation can only be undone by the direct intervention of God. When people speak of being “brought back” from death in an ambulance or being “dead for ten minutes,” they are using biblically inaccurate terms. In such cases, those persons came awfully close to “real” death, but they were not truly dead. Jesus deliberately delayed resurrecting Lazarus until the fourth day after his death (Jn.11:17). This delay precluded any possible claim that it was a trick or that Lazarus was merely in a coma or sleeping. In fact, by the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus’s family was concerned about the stink of decomposition (Jn.11:39). Jesus prophesied that He would be in His grave for “three days and three nights,” since that was the customary waiting period after which death was considered official (Mt.12:40). A body that is “brain dead” (soul and spirit already departed) and mechanical life support is removed, does not cause death, because that already occurred at the departure. Most Christians are opposed to ending the life of a person in a coma or vegetative state. Yet, the brain is seen as connecting the body to the soul and spirit. If the brain is dead, the body is dead. Christians should prioritize the sanctity of life while being graceful with and forgiving of others. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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