The First Death

I have read often about the "first death". But today, I came across a contradiction. I always considered the first death to be the physical death. 2 Nephi 9 and Alma 12 hint at this. However, in Helaman 14: 16, Samuel the Lamanite talks about how the Atonement of Jesus Christ "redeement all makind from the first death - that spiritual death". 

So which is it? Is it the physical or the spiritual death? Well, sort of both.

The redemption from the first death covers two aspects of mortality. First, the fall of Adam resulted in a state where we are completely cut off from the Lord. There was no way we could even commune with God. The resurrection of Jesus Christ fixed this so that through Him we may commune with God. That is why we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. The resurrection also redeems us from our physical death. No matter who we are, the resurrection of the physical body and being able to commune with God is restored to everyone everywhere. 

As Samuel says, "the resurrection of Christ redeemeth all mankind...and bringth them back into the presence of the Lord. Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance" (Hel 14:17). This essentially opens the door so that restoration from the second death is possible.

The second death deals with our own sins and transgressions. Because of our mistakes, we separate ourselves from the Spirit and from God. We cannot make it. But because we have been redeemed from the fall, we can now work with and through our Savior, Jesus Christ, to repent of our sins so that we can enter the presence of the Father again.

Popular posts from this blog

Unfinished Creation (Thomas S. Monson)

The spirit of exploration, whether it be of the surface of the earth, the vastness of space, or the principles of living greatly, includes developing the capacity to face trouble with courage; disappointment with cheerfulness; and triumph with humility. God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation. In Quest of the Abundant Life https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/03/in-quest-of-the-abundant-life?id=p4-p5&lang=eng#p4
Read more

Safety for the Soul - Testimony of The Book of Mormon by Jeffrey R. Holland

May I refer to a modern “last days” testimony? When Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum started for Carthage to face what they knew would be an imminent martyrdom, Hyrum read these words to comfort the heart of his brother: “Thou hast been faithful; wherefore … thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.  “And now I, Moroni, bid farewell … until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ.”   A few short verses from the 12th chapter of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Before closing the book, Hyrum turned down the corner of the page from which he had read, marking it as part of the everlasting testimony for which these two brothers were about to die. I hold in my hand that book, the very copy from which Hyrum read, the same corner of the page turned down, still visible. Later, when actually incarcerated in the jail, Joseph the Prophet turned to the guards who held him captive and bore a powerful te...
Read more