Spiritual Zombies

Fictional Monsters

In the world of fiction, and especially in Hollywood, there have been many fanciful creatures and monsters of imagination. Among them, one of the most unusual is the zombie. Originally taken from the occult pagan practices of voodoo, the Hollywood idea is of a monster formed either by the (classic) raising in “re-animation” of the dead, or the (modern) “infection” of the living by some exotic disease.

While there is no per se standard to what a “zombie” is meant to be in fiction, a common trait is a human being who has been transformed into a mindless, purely animated being. The idea of the dead being “raised” to walk among us is meant to be terrifying, although the ramifications of being “alive” but not aware should be even more disturbing.

It is interesting that in the world of fiction, the idea of the “risen dead” would be beings of such lifeless, mindless variety. In reality, the rare examples of those who have been raised from the dead were restored through miracle to perfect vitality (ex. Lazarus in John 11). Even better, Jesus was raised from the dead to never again taste death and is a promise of similar resurrection for all in Him.

Such terminology is also used in a spiritual sense, such as the idea of the Christian having died to sin (Rom. 6:5ff). Having been buried in baptism, when one becomes a Christian they have died to their former self, but they have also risen into a new life (Rom. 6:4). It is this new life that is of just as much importance as the death to sin, but some Christians may not realize it.

Important New Life

It is important to ask what use spiritually dying to sin would be without a new life to replace it. However, many times the focus of those coming to Christ, and many times the focus of Bible studies, sermons, and outreach efforts is the removing of sin, forgetting that which is meant to replace the life of sin. Christians are called to “make disciples” which includes both “baptizing” (removing sin) and “teaching” (explaining that new life) (Mat. 28:19).

Even in a spiritual sense, if one chose to come to Christ and to die to sin without ever embracing and growing as the new creation (2 Thes. 5:17) that they have become, are they nothing more than a spiritual zombie? This is of course a fanciful figure, but a fitting one. What else could someone be who has been raised through Christ, but never develops the mind of Christ?