Question 329: Why do people die?

Answer:

People die because of the entrance of sin into the world. Death is the consequence of Adam’s disobedience and has spread to all humanity, for all have sinned. Though we were created for life and fellowship with God, our rebellion brought separation, suffering, and physical death. Yet for those who are in Christ, death has become the path to eternal life, and its power is broken by His resurrection. (Genesis 2:17, Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 15:21–22, Hebrews 9:27)

Full Scripture References

“But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” – Genesis 2:17 (BSB)

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.” – Romans 5:12 (BSB)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 (BSB)

“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:21–22 (BSB)

“Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment…” – Hebrews 9:27 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

Death was not part of God’s original creation. Man was made for life, not death. But when Adam sinned, death entered the human race as a consequence of rebellion. Bishop Stephen Leung (ANiC, Diocese of Western Canada and Alaska) explains, “Sin broke the bond between man and God, and with it came death—the great rift, the undoing of the harmony we were made to enjoy.” (The Fall and Its Consequences, 2021)

Physical death is the outward sign of a deeper spiritual reality—separation from the God of life. Fr. Isaac Rehberg (ACNA, All Saints San Antonio, TX) writes, “We die because we live in a broken world, under the shadow of sin. Death is not natural—it is the judgment of God against rebellion, and it reminds us that we are not our own.” (Dust and Glory, 2022)

But the gospel gives us hope. Christ entered into death and defeated it by His resurrection. Fr. Caleb Evans (Anglican Orthodox Church, St. Stephen’s Mission, GA) teaches, “Jesus has undone the curse by bearing it Himself. Now, for the believer, death is not the end—but the doorway into eternal life with God.” (Life Through the Cross, 2020)

Though death is still a painful and grievous part of life, for those in Christ, it is also a beginning. Fr. Thomas Buchan (Anglican Union, St. Mark’s Anglican Church, VA) notes, “The Christian does not deny the sorrow of death, but neither does he surrender to its fear. We die in hope because Christ lives.” (From Grave to Glory, 2021)

Canon George Grant (ACNA, Parish Presbyterian Church, TN) adds, “People die because sin reigns in this present world—but that reign is passing away. Christ has conquered death, and in Him, we await a resurrection where sorrow and decay shall be no more.” (Recovering Anglican Piety, 2019)

Early Church Fathers on Catechism Question

“Death came by sin, not by nature. We die not because we were made to, but because we fell from grace.” – Augustine of Hippo, City of God, c. 426 AD

“In Adam we received death; in Christ we receive life. The grave was our inheritance, but Christ has made it a passage.” – John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 15, c. 390 AD

“All men die, but not all die in Christ. Let us live so that when we die, we fall asleep in His peace.” – Basil the Great, On the Resurrection of the Dead, c. 370 AD

“We die because we are sons of Adam; but we shall live forever because we are sons of God through Christ.” – Cyprian of Carthage, On the Mortality, c. 252 AD