Lord’s Day 16
Q42. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?
Our death does not pay for our sins. Rather, it puts an end to our sinning and is our entrance into eternal life.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
John 5:24
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
Philippians 1:21–23
“For to me to live Christ, and to die gain. But if I live in the flesh, this the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”
Romans 7:24–25
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
Question
42. Since Christ died for us, why must we also die?
Answer. Our death is not a payment for our sins, but simply the abolishing of sin and the passage into eternal life.