Why do we die if Christ has redeemed us from the punishment of sin, which is death?

Christ has saved us from spiritual death and moral death. If spiritual death is separation from God, the Apostle says, “We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). As for moral death, the Lord redeemed us from it by restoring us to our original rank. He restored to us the divine image, and as the Apostle says regarding baptism, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). He restored our moral dignity by making us children of God (1 John 3:1) and temples of His Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). He also saved us from eternal death. The Scripture says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Thus, through Christ’s death for us, we have been given eternal life and saved from eternal death. This is the foundation of salvation. However, physical death is no longer truly death. By physical death, we mean the separation of the soul from the body. We say in the prayer for the departed, “For there is no death for Your servants but a departure.” It is a departure to paradise, to be with Christ. That is why the Apostle Paul longed for it, saying, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23). Paul called it a departure, as did Simeon the Elder, who prayed, “Now, Lord, let Your servant depart in peace according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30). Both Paul and Simeon longed for this (death), and both saw it as a departure from the prison of this body, with Paul saying it was far better than this life. Therefore, this physical death is not considered a punishment. It is merely a golden bridge that leads us to eternal happiness. Without this so-called death, we would remain in this corrupt physical nature. But through it, we will be granted a higher nature—it is the way to shed corruption and put on incorruption. God, in His love, does not want us to remain in this nature, which has been corrupted by sin. He does not want us to stay in this nature that is subject to decay, a nature that hungers, thirsts, tires, and can sin. Therefore, in His love, He wishes to transfer us to a better state, of which the Apostle speaks in 1 Corinthians 15, “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.” He elaborates, saying, “For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:49, 53). He also says, “The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Thus, death is a natural path that leads us to the glories of resurrection. If we were to remain in this current nature without death, it would be a great loss for us. Therefore, it is not correct to view physical death as a result of salvation. What would be the expected outcome if this were the case? Do you think that remaining in this earthly, material body is the ideal state for humanity? Certainly not, given that such a life brings with it old age, weakness, and sickness, causing suffering for both the individual and those around them. As the poet said: _”Man hopes to live long, but long life may harm him, His joy fades away, and the sweetness of life turns bitter, The days betray him until he sees nothing that pleases him.”_ There is no doubt that the ideal state for humanity is the radiant, spiritual body that will rise in power, in glory, and in incorruption. This is what God intended for us through death. This question might have had significant weight if there were no resurrection after death with all its glory. The resurrection will free us from the bondage of decay, for which all creation groans together and suffers, awaiting this liberation, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:21-22).