Why did he die?

by Rose~

A certain Jehovah Witness is chopping vegetables in his kitchen. During an awkward manuever, he manages to accidentally cut a major vein. The bleeding commences. His wife gets him to the car and they rush off to the hospital with the two children in the back seat. In the emergency room, while one doctor has attended to the wound and stopped the bleeding, another wheels in the blood. The man has lost a lot of blood. In the midst of the well-orchestrated effort to save the man’s life, the man manages to say, “I am a Jehovah’s Witness. I will not accept that blood. Please don’t give me any blood. I would rather die.” After some time, the man is dead, for without replacement of the lost blood, his life could not be sustained.

The two teenage children have seen the entire string of events. In their distress, they ask their mother, “Why did he die?” She sadly tells them that Dad cut himself in the kitchen and he bled to death. It is a sorrowful situation, but it could not be helped. One of the children then says, “No! He died because he wouldn’t take that blood.” … and angrily flees the hospital.

Why did the man die? We know that officially, he died from bleeding to death, but under the circumstances that he found himself in, his death was not certain until he refused that blood transfusion. It could validly be said that he died because he refused the blood transfusion, although the cause of death would be listed as “bled to death.”

Why do sinners die? (IOW, why do unsaved people go to hell?) Is it because of sin, their sin nature and all their misdeeds … or is it because they refuse the life-giving work of Christ, by not believing and receiving Him who is offered as a remedy for their sin?

Scripture references are encouraged in your answer. Please explain how you come to your conclusion with those scriptures.