Life and Death: What Happens When We Die? (Part 1)

“What happens when we die?” This question goes beyond biology. While we know that, physically, our hearts stop beating, our lungs cease to function, and our bodies return to the earth, there is a deeper reality for Christians—the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Before we explore what happens after death (which we will cover in the next blog), let’s first look at life itself—how we came to be and what it means to truly live.

How Did We Come to Exist?

The Bible gives us a clear answer:
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
—Genesis 2:7

God used two essential “ingredients” to create mankind:

1. Dust of the ground – The physical elements needed to form the human body.
2. The breath of life – The divine gift from God, making man a living soul (nephesh in Hebrew).

This process is echoed in Job 33:4, where Job declares:  “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”
Adam’s very name means “red clay”, emphasizing how God molded him from the earth. Yet, it was God’s breath—His divine power—that transformed Adam into a living being.

King David also recognized this truth:
“Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at Thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.”
—Psalms 18:15. David understood that everything in existence—including humanity—was created through the power of God’s word.

The Potter and the Clay: God’s Masterpiece.

The prophet Isaiah beautifully illustrates this truth:  “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”
—Isaiah 64:8. Isaiah acknowledges that every human being exists because of God’s craftsmanship. Life itself is a gift, sustained by His divine breath.

“Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk in it.”
—Isaiah 42:5

In Hebrew, the word for “breath” is linked to the spirit of God imparting life and wisdom—it signifies God’s sustaining power over all living things.

What Does It Mean to Be a “Living Soul”?

Interestingly, the Bible uses the term nephesh (translated as “living soul”) not just for humans but also for animals:

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.”
—Genesis 1:24.  Both humans and animals share the breath of life, yet only mankind was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). We were set apart with a divine purpose.

The Fall: How Sin Changed Everything

We all know the story: God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, where they had access to the Tree of Life. At that time, death did not exist for them.

However, God gave them a command:  “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely die.’”
—Genesis 2:16-17

But Adam and Eve disobeyed. Their sin introduced death into the world, as God pronounced their punishment:  “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
—Genesis 3:19

And even more devastating:  “Then the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’—Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden…”
—Genesis 3:22-23

At that moment, mankind was separated from eternal life. The Tree of Life was no longer accessible, and humanity was doomed to face death.

The Consequence of Sin: Death

Paul confirms this truth in Romans 6:23:  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Because of sin, death became inevitable. But God, in His mercy, provided a way out—a Savior.  So, what happens when we die? That is the question we will explore in the next blog. Stay tuned!

Final Thoughts
This blog sets the stage for understanding what happens after death by first exploring the gift of life. We are created by God, sustained by His breath, and given a purpose. Yet, because of sin, we are all subject to death—unless we accept the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  In the next post, we will dive into what happens when we die and explore the hope we have in Christ.