The answer
Life is a gift from God, and death is contrary to the original human nature, because God created man immortal, and made him in His own image (Wisd. 2:23). Death, then, is the result of sin (Rom. 5:12; 6:23), which entered into the world through man the day when he obeyed the call of the devil (Heb. 2:14) to turn away from the Source of Life.
This means that death occurs as a result of God’s absence. Where God is, there can be no death. Therefore, the soul that is thirsty for God, and that is always seeking to live in His presence, does not die, for its desire for God keeps it alive.
Moreover, the life of man continues after death in as much as it is connected to God. That is, the one who lives on this earth in Christ, continues in this life after his death, for Christ is the Bestower of Life (John 8:51).
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope Tawadros II, My Faith: A Series of Dialogues on the Creed (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 2014), 146–147.
The pages in the book (146–147)
