Some people in trying to refute the doctrine of the Trinity will ask questions about the death of Jesus. In a simplistic way they will ask, “So what happened when Jesus died on the Cross? If He was true God, does that mean that God died when Jesus died? Is it even possible for God to die?” And then, “If Jesus died, does that mean for a period of time that there were only two entities in the Godhead, i.e. the Father and the Holy Spirit, because Jesus was dead?”
According to the Christian faith, when a person of faith dies, their body perishes but their soul continues to live and goes to be with God in heaven. When humans suffer physically, this suffering and anguish can have an effect on the mind, will and emotions of the person, i.e. the soul of the person. Have you ever noticed that at some times you may be so exhausted or so much in pain that it is almost impossible to think, much less to pray? In the same way that our physical suffering here on earth can affect our spirit responding to God. Similarly, when Jesus suffered before and upon the cross, His physical body suffered and His soul and Spirit would have suffered also. This was a complete level of suffering, necessary for paying the debt which we are guilty of, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Yet when Jesus died physically, the soul and spirit of Jesus would have continued to live even as it does for believers who die. As an aside, when the unbeliever dies, their soul and spirit also continues to live, however by their own choice, their end is not with God in heaven.
Yes Jesus died physically (i.e. His physical body), so that we could live spiritually. Just as Jesus has not died spiritually so also we who have our faith in Christ will not die spiritually. For this we can be thankful.
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