Most people fear death and see it as something unpleasant, but there is no real reason to think that way. We all try to live longer, yet many of us don’t have a clear reason why. The apostle Paul offered a radically different perspective when he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NIV). From his viewpoint, death can mean freedom. In a sense, our physical existence is like being in a prison, without realizing that death is the only way out.
The story of Adam and Eve illustrates how sin entered the world and left humanity in its current fallen state. Having never known any other form of existence, physical death has become the most feared phenomenon. Even a newborn instinctively cries and gasps for survival, without being taught, already feeling the grip of the fear of death. This highlights the need to truly understand what death means and how misunderstanding it negatively impacts humanity.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die’” (Genesis 2:15–17, NIV).
These words came from the One who created humanity in His own image. The first commandment introduced death as the opposite of life, a concept understood only when God’s word is taken as the source. Before breaking it, Adam had the potential to acquire life—his continued existence depended on avoiding the forbidden tree. Naturally, God cannot be understood as saying one thing while meaning another.
Through Eve, Adam gave in, ate the forbidden fruit, and died spiritually. No one else fully understood what death meant, except as God had explained to Adam before he disobeyed. That death came immediately on the day they ate the wrong fruit, and their descendants inherited the same curse, affecting all of humanity regardless of background.
The key point is that, for humans, death was not tied solely to the physical organism known to exist for a season. God spoke of spiritual death to a man made in His image, unlike other species. Animals require regeneration to survive; without such regeneration, they face extinction. Pet lovers know the sadness of watching the life-cycle of their companions’ ageing and eventually dying, unable to prevent such realities.
In 1988, when my daughter was born, I bought an expensive suit imported from Germany, taking great care to wear it only for special occasions. Later, I felt a pang of disappointment when my daughter—married by then and sharing her birthday with that suit—told me she was upset that I placed as much value on a piece of clothing as on something tied to her age. She was right.
She suggested I keep up with the times. I didn’t like the remark, though I couldn’t deny its truth. Nothing lasts forever. After that, I felt awkward wearing that suit, no matter how perfect it looked, and eventually donated it to charity. Many people cling to valuable items for the sake of prestige, but that doesn’t impress me anymore.
Back in the nineties, I knew an older white man who kept a pristine 1940 Alfa Romeo in his backyard. It was gorgeous but clearly expensive to maintain. With everything that has happened in Zimbabwe since then, I wonder what became of him and that antique vehicle.
Maybe it’s now in the hands of someone trading in vintage vehicles. Such cars command high prices in a world where some people have more money than they know what to do with. Ironically, these flashy types don’t seem to realize that they themselves should hold more value than their outdated possessions. For them, wealth is simply a way to stay visible.
Life is all about balance. If you push yourself too hard without a break, you can easily burn out completely. On the flip side, spending too much time sitting around doing nothing isn’t healthy either. A bit of regular exercise goes a long way. Maybe that’s why retirees who stay active tend to live longer than those who don’t.
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:20–24, NIV).
Methuselah lived to an astounding 969 years, longer than any other known human. It might seem appealing to live that long, but then what? His father Enoch lived only 365 years, yet was commendable for having walked with God. Ultimately, all eyes should be on Jesus, who spent just thirty-three and a half years on Earth.
The worth of Jesus is beyond question, despite His brief physical existence. Paul says death is gain—how so? Because Jesus brought the promise of resurrection and the restoration of what was lost in Eden. With this perspective, Paul saw nothing in this life as truly valuable, revealing the emptiness of clinging to material things. Those who grasp this truth can let go of their physical bodies without hesitation.
The physical body is like that expensive suit I had to give up after my daughter embarrassed me. She had seen me wearing it for as long as she could remember. It was a luxurious German suit, but no matter how carefully I had cared for it, that didn’t mean much to her. This is one of the reasons life can feel more comical than real.
It’s like someone keeping a Vauxhall from the 1950s in perfect condition until today. It might have been impressive back then, but certainly not now. No matter how much care we give, everything eventually wears out and fades away. Some people have lived past 120 years, yet none were as blessed as Jesus, who lived only thirty-three and a half years.
“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54–57, NIV).
People often live in ignorance, confusing their physical bodies with their true selves. They cling to these bodies, even when they become frail or unproductive, unable to grasp that real existence is separate from the physical form. Adam’s death was spiritual, though many mistake it for the death of the physical body, which is merely a dwelling place.
The physical form only serves to keep the spiritual self confined. While living in a body, the spirit remains unaware, yet it loses nothing by leaving the body behind. Yet that same spirit risks losing it all when it holds on too tightly to the body’s fleeting desires. Paul illustrated this truth perfectly.
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15–18, NIV).
Being filled with the Spirit means keeping your thoughts centered on spiritual matters instead of getting caught up in material concerns. One way to do that is by reading the Bible with a genuine desire to understand its message. Prayer, especially when reflecting on the Bible’s promises, is another way to nurture that connection. In the same way, meditation helps absorb God’s truth and discover how to live it out daily. It’s the only way to connect with the Spirit truly.
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians 5:16–26, NIV).
For many, the real challenge is seeing the spirit apart from the body in the mirror. Such people desire to contain the Spirit without surrendering physical desires. It is impossible to retain the physical body while being aware that the Spirit of God is part of the communication. When someone dies, they lose conscious awareness, just as the spirit lost awareness of life in the body after Adam’s sin. What was lost in Eden can be restored through Jesus. There is more to a person than what is visible, as Jesus showed.
Jesus lived in a physical body but was not of this world, and those who grasp this become God’s children. Being made in God’s image isn’t about the physical body that ends up buried or cremated, no matter how long it survived. If God is eternal, then so are those made in His image. That image isn’t tied to physical appearance, status, or beauty.
Paul struggled with the physical nature, and once someone understands this struggle, they stop putting the physical body ahead of the spirit. True freedom in Jesus is often confused with wealth or comfort that satisfies the flesh and ego, but the freedom He spoke of is release from the grip of the flesh, whose allure is only temporary.
“He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him” (Luke 4:15–20, NIV).
Jesus spoke of a freedom that releases us from being controlled by our physical nature, but some Jews misunderstood Him, thinking He was promoting grandeur in the flesh. Because of this, wealth has often been mistaken for His true purpose. Misreading the Scriptures has led many to believe Jesus came to encourage the enjoyment of material possessions.
Death entered humanity as a curse through Adam, but for those who are spiritual, physical death can be considered a gain. Clinging to life in the body is tied to Adam’s curse, and such attachment is not fitting for God’s children. The way to life is that of the cross, as demonstrated by Jesus.
Even so, many still see remaining in the body as a blessing. They place more emphasis on Jesus’ death, believing it signifies their ongoing physical life, rather than focusing on His resurrection. To the awakened, the end of physical life is the reversal of the spiritual death described to Adam in Eden. Adam’s curse left all people spiritually dead unless they receive the miracle of being united with Jesus.
“Another disciple said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead’” (Matthew 8:22–23, NIV).
Jesus made it clear that physical life reflects the reality of death because of Adam’s sin. A person might live as long as Methuselah, but it means nothing without Him. Such a person remains under the curse of death, aware of losing everything at the end of their physical demise. Someone else might gain great wealth and seem to live in comfort, yet still feel endlessly empty.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” At this, they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” (John 8:51–53, NIV).
From a place of misunderstanding, the Jews could not grasp what Jesus meant, mixing up physical life with spiritual life. Jesus spoke from a perspective of insight—one that had been lost since the Garden of Eden. For those who understand this truth—and especially for those who share it widely—everything is as it should be. The end of physical life is the greatest gift for those who understand the spiritual existence that sustains it.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
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