Physical death vs Spiritual death

 

A Surprising Verse That Made Me Think Deeply

While reading the Bible, I once came across a verse that truly amazed me.

📖 Matthew 8:21-22
“Another of the disciples said to him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.’”

This made me wonder—does God’s definition of death differ from our human understanding?

If so, am I truly alive before God, or am I spiritually dead?

According to Jesus’ words, simply having a living body does not mean one is truly alive. Then who, in God’s eyes, is truly considered to be alive?

Finding the Meaning of Life in the New Testament

As I searched for the biblical meaning of life and what it means to be truly alive, I found this verse:

📖 John 11:25-26
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’”

We usually define life as a sign of existence, but the Bible speaks of different types of life, each with a unique meaning.

1. Life in the Old Testament

Chayyim (חַיִּים – Life)

📖 Genesis 2:7
“Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים, nishmat chayyim), and the man became a living creature.”

The word Chayyim generally means “being alive” or “the state of life.”

Nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ – Soul, Life)

📖 Genesis 1:20
“And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.’”

Nephesh can literally mean “breath” or “soul,” but it often refers to life itself, extending beyond mere physical existence to encompass the essence of being.

2. Life in the New Testament

Zoe (ζωὴ – Eternal Life, Divine Life)

📖 John 1:4
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Unlike bios, which refers to biological life, zoe signifies divine, eternal life—the life that Jesus gives, a life in fellowship with God.

Psyche (ψυχή – Soul, Life)

📖 Matthew 16:25
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Here, psyche is not merely physical life but one’s identity and entire being. Losing one’s psyche for Christ means dying to self and being transformed through union with Him.

Pneuma (πνεῦμα – Spirit, Breath, Life-Giving Power)

📖 John 6:63
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.”

Pneuma literally means “spirit” or “breath” and is sometimes used to describe the source of life itself.

 

What Kind of Life Must We Have to Be Truly Alive Before God?

The life we must possess is Zoe (ζωὴ)—the divine life that comes through union with Christ.

This is why Jesus came to earth: to give us true life. Those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord receive this life as a gift.

Through the Holy Spirit’s work in us, we are united with Christ and born again into a new spiritual life.

📖 1 Corinthians 6:17
“But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.”

Because of this, when God looks at us, He sees us through the prism of Christ. Through Jesus, we stand before God as spotless and blameless.

This is the gospel. This is God’s grace.

What is Life? A Perspective from God’s Truth