Satan has obscured the real sacrifice of Christ

Setyoufree · Jul 26, 2014

Scripture brings to view two kinds of death. There is the first death, which the Bible refers to as a sleep [see John 11:11-14; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14]. This is the common experience of all humanity, saved and lost alike. Then there is the second death, which is an eternal death. It is goodbye to life forever. This is the death that the lost will experience at the end of the millennium [see Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8]. The first death, terible as it appears to us, is not the wages of sin. It is only the consequence of sin. Therefore, all who die the first death will be resurrected the saved to eternal life, and the lost to face the second death, the wages of sin. In the second death, God, the Source of all life, abandons the unrepentant to their own choice of unbelief, leaving them without any hope whatsoever. Christs death on the cross was to sin [Romans 6:10]. This simply means that, as our substitute and representative, He experienced on the cross the second death, the eternal death that the Bible describes as the wages of sin [Romans 6:23]. As Hebrews 2:9 puts it, He by the grace of God ... might taste death for everyone..

The Scripture promises that those who have accepted by faith their position in Christ, and who will be raised in the first resurrection, will escape the second death. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the second resurrection. The second death has no power over them... [Revelation 20:6]. Why do these avoid the second death? It is because Christ, their Sin Bearer, has already tasted the second death for them [Hebrews 2:9]. On the cross, Christ actually experienced the second death on behalf of fallen humanity. It was this that constituted the supreme sacrifice.

Setyoufree · Jul 26, 2014

At this point, the question arises, How could Christ possibly experience the second death, since He was divine? Besides, He predicted His own resurrection and actually did rise from the dead. How could He experience eternal death?

Of course, the divinity of Christ did not die on the cross. Christ died as a man and as our Substitute. It was our corporate human life, which He assumed at the incarnation and which stood condemned, that died. Divinity is immortal and, therefore, cannot die either the first or the second death.

But what about His resurrection? How can we reconcile eternal death with the fact that He rose again? The answer lies in the self-emptying that took place at His incarnation.

When Christ, the second person of the Godhead, was made flesh and became the Son of Man, He made himself nothing, humbled himself, in order to represent the humanity He came to redeem [Philippians 2:6-8]. What did this actually involve? Clearly, in order to be our Saviour, Christ placed His entire being, along with every divine prerogative or power, entirely into the hands of the Father. He willingly, voluntarily made Himself a slave to the Father. The Father, in turn, took Christ and placed Him in the womb of Mary through the Holy Spirit [see Luke 1:26-35].

This meant that Christ still retained His divinity, but He gave up the independent use of that divinity while living on this earth as our representative and substitute. That is why the Scripture says that, as a child, Jesus grew in wisdom [see Luke 2:40, 52], something that would not have been possible had He retained His divine prerogatives. As a man, He declared that He could do nothing apart from the Father [see John 5:19, 30; 6:57]. He had to live on this earth as men have to live: totally dependent on God by faith alone.

Willie T · Jul 26, 2014

Interesting. But what do you do with the first time the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. They were going to throw Him off a cliff.

from scratch · Jul 26, 2014

[Staff Edit of quoted post]

It appears you don't understand death, especially the second death.

Setyoufree · Jul 26, 2014

from scratch said:
It appears you don't understand death, especially the second death.

I'm all ears....

Setyoufree · Jul 26, 2014

Willie T said:
Interesting. But what do you do with the first time the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. They were going to throw Him off a cliff.

Would you give me a reference?

squint · Jul 27, 2014

Setyoufree said:
At this point, the question arises, How could Christ possibly experience the second death, since He was divine? Besides, He predicted His own resurrection and actually did rise from the dead. How could He experience eternal death?

If you start with an absurd foundation, that being some so called 'second death' any derived sights from there are going to be skewered.

And you got there by the assumption that crucifixion was somehow considered a cursed or SECOND death by the Jews.

Which is somewhat patently absurd, in associating that with 'second death.'

Of course, the divinity of Christ did not die on the cross. Christ died as a man and as our Substitute. It was our corporate human life, which He assumed at the incarnation and which stood condemned, that died. Divinity is immortal and, therefore, cannot die either the first or the second death.

But what about His resurrection? How can we reconcile eternal death with the fact that He rose again? The answer lies in the self-emptying that took place at His incarnation.

When Christ, the second person of the Godhead, was made flesh and became the Son of Man, He made himself nothing, humbled himself, in order to represent the humanity He came to redeem [Philippians 2:6-8]. What did this actually involve? Clearly, in order to be our Saviour, Christ placed His entire being, along with every divine prerogative or power, entirely into the hands of the Father. He willingly, voluntarily made Himself a slave to the Father. The Father, in turn, took Christ and placed Him in the womb of Mary through the Holy Spirit [see Luke 1:26-35].

This meant that Christ still retained His divinity, but He gave up the independent use of that divinity while living on this earth as our representative and substitute. That is why the Scripture says that, as a child, Jesus grew in wisdom [see Luke 2:40, 52], something that would not have been possible had He retained His divine prerogatives. As a man, He declared that He could do nothing apart from the Father [see John 5:19, 30; 6:57]. He had to live on this earth as men have to live: totally dependent on God by faith alone.

You have claimed that iniquity dwelt in the man, Jesus. That alone tells volumes.

A general premise you continue to violate regarding orthodox measures of Trinity is this:

"Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance"

So, for example, when you place iniquity in Jesus, you are technically also placing same in God in Trinitarian understandings.

A flagrant foul to say the least.

And equating the cross to the second death? Please control the leaps and bounds.

Strong in Him · Jul 27, 2014

Setyoufree said:
According to John 19:5-7, the Jews insisted that Christ be crucified because he claimed to be the Son of God [verse 7]. However, when we examine the penalty prescribed for blasphemy in the Old Testament, we discover that the law stipulated death by stoning, not crucifixion [see Leviticus 24:16].

Absolutely.
But the Jews lived under Roman occupation. They were not allowed, and did not have the right, to put anyone to death unless the Romans said so.

Setyoufree said:
Werent the Jews in Pilates courtyard aware of this? They certainly were. Earlier, when Christ declared, I and the Father are one, the Jews picked up stones to stone him [John 10:30-31]. Why, then, did they demand that Pilate crucify Him, especially when crucifixion was not practiced by the Jews?

Because they were an occupied nation and did not have that right. THEY wanted Jesus dead and out of the way, so they fabricated a charge, tax avoidance and treason against Caesar, (Luke 23:2), to get the Romans to kill him for them.

They would also have been aware that stoning Jesus was illegal; not under their own law, but Roman rule. But it wasn't Jesus' time to die at that point, so it wouldn't have happened anyway - ditto when they tried to throw Jesus over a cliff, (Luke 4:28-30.)

Setyoufree said:
The answer is that they had more in mind than merely putting Christ to death. The Jews equated crucifixion with hanging on a tree, which to them meant that the person so executed was under the irrevocable curse of God [see Deuteronomy 21:23].

Earlier they had claimed that Jesus drove out demons only by the power of Beelzebub, (Mark 3:22; John 8:28), and clearly believed he was a false Messiah. They probably already thought Jesus was under God's curse because of these things. Also, the man born blind told the Jewish leaders that if Jesus had been a sinner and not approved of by God, he could never have performed a miracle, (John 9:30-32.)

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Satan has obscured the real sacrifice of Christ

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