Samuel the Lamanite described the difference between physical death, the first spiritual death, and the second spiritual death—as well as how the Savior’s Atonement helps us overcome these deaths.
Physical death. Elder Earl C. Tingey of the Presidency of the Seventy defined physical death and who will experience it: “Physical death is the separation of the spirit from the physical body. Because of the Fall of Adam, all mankind will suffer physical death” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2006, 74; or Ensign, May 2006, 73).
The first spiritual death. Spiritual death is when someone is “cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Alma 42:9).
President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) explained that both of these deaths are the result of the Fall of Adam and Eve: “Our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. By eating the forbidden fruit, they became mortal. Consequently, they and all of their descendants became subject to both mortal and spiritual death (mortal death, the separation of body and spirit; and spiritual death, the separation of the spirit from the presence of God and death as pertaining to the things of the spirit)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1978, 7; or Ensign, May 1978, 6).
For us, this spiritual death occurred when we left God’s presence and were born into mortality. Samuel the Lamanite called being cut off from His presence “the first death” (Helaman 14:16).
Samuel the Lamanite taught that all of Heavenly Father’s children who lived in mortality will overcome physical and spiritual death through the powers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see Helaman 14:17). Many other scriptures also attest to this fact (see 2 Nephi 2:9–10; 9:15, 22, 38; Alma 11:43–44; 12:12–15, 24; 42:23; 3 Nephi 26:4).
The second spiritual death. The second death is an ultimate or final spiritual death that comes not because of leaving God’s presence to be born into mortality, but comes because of unrepented personal sin.
The Savior has also provided help to overcome this second spiritual death. By suffering for our sins, He offers us the opportunity to repent. But to those who do not repent, there “cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness” (Helaman 14:18). This means that a person with unresolved sin cannot remain in God’s presence after he or she is brought back to Him for judgment.
Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described this condition:
“If physical death should strike before moral wrongs have been made right, opportunity for repentance will have been forfeited. Thus, ‘the [real] sting of death is sin’ (1 Corinthians 15:56).
“Even the Savior cannot save us in our sins. He will redeem us from our sins, but only upon condition of our repentance. We are responsible for our own spiritual survival or death (see Romans 8:13–14; Helaman 14:18; D&C 29:41–45)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 102; or Ensign, May 1992, 73).