Christian theology Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

, spiritual death is separation from

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

caused by

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

.Wayne Grudem, ''Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine'' (Zondervan, 1994): 810.

Protestantism

The phrase ''spiritual death'' is not found in Protestant scriptures, and definitions of the concept thus vary among Protestant Christians. Spiritual death is distinct from physical death and the

second death The second death is an eschatological concept in Judaism, Christianity, and Mandaeism related to punishment after a first/initial death on Earth. Judaism Although the term is not found in the Hebrew Bible (the Canonical collection of Hebrew scri ...

. According to the doctrine of original sin, all people have a sinful nature and thus commit sin, and are thereby spiritually dead. Those who have

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

in Jesus Christ are thereafter made spiritually alive. The unbeliever's physical death, subsequent resurrection, and final judgment is followed by the second death.Guy P. Duffield and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave, ''Foundations of Pentecostal Theology'', 1983, (Los Angeles: Foursquare Media, 2008), p. 524.

Mormonism

Members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

make a distinction between two types of spiritual death, respectively termed a "temporal separation" and a "spiritual separation" from God. The first type is a physical separation from God the Father, which was caused by the

Fall of Adam and Eve The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * The doctrine of the ...

. Because of their choice, all their descendants are born into a fallen world that is physically separated from God's presence. This separation is necessary so that individuals can be tested to see whether they will continue to be obedient even when not in God's presence. This separation is overcome unconditionally when all people return to God's physical presence for the Judgment, according to

Gerald N. Lund Gerald Niels Lund (born September 12, 1939) was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 2002 to 2008. Lund was released as a general authority and member of the church's Second Quorum of the Seve ...

. The second type is a spiritual separation from God's spirit or influence, which is caused by individual sins; when we sin we alienate ourselves from the influence of the Holy Ghost, God's spiritual presence. This separation is absolutely unnecessary, and only impedes our growth and ability to develop Godly attributes. This separation begins its resolution through the covenant of

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

, after which a person receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is only overcome on the conditions of faith and repentance. This distinction between two kinds of spiritual death gives Mormonism a unique approach to

the problem of evil The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encyclope ...

, compared to the rest of Christianity. That is, it obviates the need to explain the suffering of innocents with reference to Adam and Eve's sin. Instead, it allows for mortal pain and suffering to be necessary without implying that sinning is necessary.David Paulsen, �
Joseph Smith and the Problem of Evil
"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiritual Death in Christianity Christian hamartiology Christian terminology Christianity and death

Protestantism

Mormonism

See also

References