The Cross
Notes
Transcript
THE
CROSS
Copyright 1985,1993,2001,2007
Crossroads Full Gospel
International Ministries
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by The International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Also used: The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (Wuest) translated by Kenneth S.
Wuest. Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Bracketed comments following some scriptures assist the reader in understanding the intended
meaning of these verses
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CONTENTS
THE CROSS..............................................................................1
CALVARY.............................................................................1
“JESUS DIED SPIRITUALLY” DOCTRINE......................4
REDEMPTION THROUGH IMPUTATION.......................8
WHY THE PAIN AND SUFFERING ?..............................19
THE DEATH OF JESUS....................................................22
THE RESURRECTION......................................................29
THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS........................................32
THE REDEMPTION OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS....34
SUMMARY: JESUS DID NOT DIE SPIRITUALLY........37
THE CROSS
CALVARY
Background Reading: Matthew 27:27-54; Luke 23:32-47
MARK 15:25 And it was the third hour (9 a.m.) and they
crucified Him.
MARK 15:37 And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and
gave up the spirit.
MARK 15:38 And the veil of the Temple (that hid the
Holy of Holies) was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom.
MARK 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood over
against Him (beside Christ), saw that He so cried out,
and gave up the spirit, he said, “Truly this man was the
Son of God.”
We find the shed Blood of Christ at the Cross, for the Cross is
where the price was paid. The legal union of a Believer and Jesus can
only come through the Cross.
This union, however, should progress beyond mere legality, and
enter into a union based on relationship which is experienced in an
ongoing way on a day-to-day basis. After salvation should come the
daily experience of the Blood-bought relationship, where God and
man commune together, and man comes to know his Saviour in a
personal way. This takes place through holy interaction, following
repentance and a commitment to the union in which the Lord is the
acknowledged Head.
Jesus went through suffering in order to be tested, so that the
worth of the sacrifice would be proven. Perfect justice would only be
satisfied when Jesus, on behalf of man, was made ready to become
the sacrifice, then to die on a rugged cross.
1
“. . .Perfect justice would only be
satisfied when Jesus, on behalf of man,
was made ready (through testing) to
become the sacrifice, then to die on a
rugged cross. . .”
Every person who wants to go to heaven must accept the
Saviour, born of a virgin, and make Him Lord. Each must come to
the altar of Calvary to confess their sin and acknowledge that they
are a sinner needing the Blood of the Cross, Jesus’ Blood, to wash
them clean by the grace of God.
REVELATION 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, Who is the
faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and
the Prince (Ruler) of the kings of the earth. Unto Him
Who loved us, and washed (has freed) us from our sins
by His blood.
In Charles Spurgeon’s commentary, his explanation of Leviticus
Ch.16 contains type-patterns of Christ on the cross.
As Spurgeon wrote, “Before Adam transgressed he lived in
communion with God; but after he had broken the covenant, and
grieved God’s Spirit, he could have no more familiar fellowship with
God. Under the Mosaic dispensation, in which God was pleased in
His grace to dwell among His people and walk with them in the
wilderness, it was still under a reserve: there was a holy place
wherein the symbol of God’s presence was hidden away from mortal
gaze. No man might come near to it except in one only way, and then
only once in the year, “The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way
into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first
tabernacle was yet standing” (Hebrews 9:8). This chapter shows
that the way of access to God is by atonement, and by no other
method. We cannot draw near unto the Most High except along the
blood-sprinkled way of sacrifice. Our Lord Jesus said: “No man
cometh unto the Father, but by Me;” (John 14:6), and this is true in
many senses, and in this among them, that our way to God lies only
through the sacrifice of His Son.
2
The reason for this is that sin lieth at the door. Brethren, a pure
and holy God cannot endure sin: He cannot have fellowship with it,
or with those who are rendered unclean by it, for it would be
inconsistent with His nature so to do. On the other hand, sinful men
cannot have fellowship with God: their evil nature could not endure
the fire of His holiness. Who among us shall dwell with the
devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting
burnings? What is that devouring fire, and what are those
everlasting burnings, but the justice and holiness of God? The
apostle saith, “Even our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
A guilty soul would perish if it were possible for it to draw near to
God apart from the Mediator and His atonement. The Fire of God’s
nature must consume the stubble of our nature so long as there is sin
in us or about us. Hence the difficulty of access, a difficulty which
only a divine method can remove. God cannot commune with sinful
men, for He is holy. Sinful men cannot commune with a holy God,
because He must destroy them, even as He destroyed Nadab and
Abihu when they intruded into His holy place. The terrible
judgement is mentioned in the opening verses of the chapter before
us (Leviticus 16) as the reason why the ordinances herein contained
were first of all made.
“. . .We cannot draw near unto the Most
High except along the blood-sprinkled
way of sacrifice. A pure and holy God
cannot endure sin: He cannot have
fellowship with it, or with those who
are rendered unclean by it. . .”
How, then, shall men come to God? Only in God’s own way. He
Himself devised the way, and He has taught it to us by a parable in
this chapter. It would be very wrong to prefer any one passage of
Scripture beyond another, for all Scripture is given by inspiration;
but if we might do so, we should set this chapter in a very eminent
and prominent place for its fullness of instruction, and its clear yet
deep doctrinal teaching. It treats upon a matter which is of the very
highest importance to all of us. We are here taught the way by which
3
the sin that blocks the door may be taken away, so that a seeking
soul may be introduced into the presence of God and stand in His
holy place and yet live. Here we learn how we may say, with the
astonished prophet, “I have seen God, and my life is preserved.” Oh,
that we might today so learn the lesson that we may enter into the
fullest fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ, in
that safe way, that only way, which God has appointed for us! Oh,
for the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, that we may know and
use “the new and living way”! (Hebrews 10:20)” 1
(references and underlines added)
Indeed “the new and living way” provided for us, the only way
for us to have fellowship with God, is through the Blood of Jesus
Christ.
Calvary brings us to the crossroads of choice. One way leads
to life with God through Jesus Christ. Any other way leads to death
through rejection of truth found only in the Saviour. We are born
separated from God, on the wrong road. If we do not choose Christ,
we remain dead to God on the road of death, the road which leads
ultimately to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:15). He who does not
find the crossroads of choice, and so does not hear and accept the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, will stay separated from the love of God
forever, tormented firstly in a place called hell, then later in the Lake
of Fire (Revelation 20:14). Indeed the road to heaven goes through
Calvary, and there is no alternate route.
“JESUS DIED SPIRITUALLY” DOCTRINE
Background Reading: Psalm 22:1-19
There is a doctrine which teaches not only that Jesus died
spiritually at the crucifixion, but that He became impregnated with
Satan’s nature in His spirit at this time. Let us examine this particular
doctrine, looking at it in terms of the argument against it, and the
way the issues which are raised by this argument can be addressed
and clarified.
Firstly, it can be ascertained that the “Jesus died spiritually”
doctrine denigrates the Cross of Christ by placing the Cross in a
subservient or lesser position. When it does this, there are
4
repercussions in terms of the sinner who needs salvation, the sinner
who needs to be pointed to the Cross. Those who believe this
doctrine to be true, teach that Jesus died spiritually on the cross and
became a sinner in order to bear the sin of mankind. In other words,
He yielded Himself to Satan and took on his evil nature, thus
becoming one with the enemy of mankind at this time. They validate
this view by quoting Jesus’ cry on the cross:
MATTHEW 27:46 And about the ninth hour (3 p.m.)
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani?” that is to say, “My God, My God, why
have You forsaken Me?” (The question as to why God
had forsaken Him was not asked in a sense of not
knowing, but in a sense of acknowledging the act. God
didn’t deliver Him, even as He always had, because, to
have done such, would have forfeited Redemption for
mankind. Incidentally, Jesus spoke in Aramic, which was
commonly used by the Lord.) (E.S.B.)
This cry of anguish had been prophesied hundreds of years
before:
PSALM 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken
Me? why are You so far from helping Me, and from the
words of My roaring?
They then say because Jesus’ spirit had become totally
impregnated with the sin nature, He descended into hell and had to
be born again before He was resurrected. Thus, as an unregenerate
sinner, Christ needed to be born again in hell! This means that the
Church had its actual beginning in hell, with Christ, in this place,
becoming “the firstborn of many brethren” (Romans 8:29). All this,
they say, was done because He had to identify fully with man.
5
“. . .They then say because Jesus’ spirit
had become totally impregnated with the
sin nature, He descended into hell and
had to be born again before He was
resurrected. . .”
What perhaps is the greatest difficulty with this particular
view or a similar view of the substitutionary death of Christ is that it
seems to relegate Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, His death in which
His precious Blood was shed, as being of less significance than His
born again experience in hell! In other words, the natural theological
repercussions extending from this particular belief will place
mankind’s redemption in hell, not on the Cross. This becomes a
major problem in the light of the absolute centrality of the Cross in
all of human history as the pivotal point around which God’s Plan of
Redemption was sealed. It also raises issues regarding the efficacy of
Jesus’ Blood to cleanse from sin if Jesus became an unholy sacrifice
on the Cross - for only an innocent animal, “without blemish”
(Leviticus 4:2-35), could be used for the sin offering. In fact the Old
Testament clearly teaches that at no point does the sin offering
become an unholy sacrifice, either before or after its death. And so it
was with Jesus Who became our substitutionary sacrifice. It will
become evident to those who make a proper study of Calvary just
how foolish this particular doctrine is, and how far it deviates from
the true foundation of scripture.
“. . .What perhaps is the greatest
difficulty with this view of the
substitutionary death of Christ is that it
seems to relegate Jesus’ sacrifice on the
cross, as being of less significance than
His born again experience in hell. . .”
Another major scripture which is used to support the “Jesus died
spiritually” doctrine is 2 Corinthians 5:21:
6
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For He (God the Father) has
made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Proponents of this doctrine have read the above verse (2
Corinthians 5:21) and concluded that the words “He has made Him
to be sin for us” mean that Christ became an actual sinner at the
Cross through bearing our sin which was reckoned as His own. This
is a totally wrong interpretation, for He bore our punishment, not our
sin. The Greek word for “sin” in this verse can also be translated
“sin offering” or a “sacrifice for sin.” It is to be understood that the
translators used the wrong word here, and that this mistranslation has
given much ground for error to be widely proclaimed in regard to
this issue. Another way we could say it is: “He Who did not know
sin in an experiential way, on behalf of us and instead of us, was
made (the representative of) sin, in order that, as for us, we might
become righteousness in Him.” 2
(underlines and bracketed phrase added)
Speaking of the “Jesus died spiritually” doctrine, one writer
comments:
“In brief, this particular doctrine teaches that Jesus became a
sinner on the Cross, the same as any other sinner, died and went to
Hell (the burning side), and was Born-Again in Hell, thereby being
the “Firstborn of many brethren.”
This teaching is wholly fiction and contains no Scriptural
substance whatsoever.
First of all, as stated, Jesus bore the sin penalty in our place, but
did not become an actual sinner. While the penalty for transgression
can be transferred to another, it is impossible to transfer the
transgression itself to another. Besides, the Scripture plainly says, on
which we are here commenting, “Who knew no sin.” How much
plainer could it be? . . .
Also, that He was Born-Again in Hell, is pure fiction as well. In
the first place, anyone “who knew no sin,” doesn’t need to be BornAgain.
And finally, “The Firstborn among many brethren,” does not
refer to being Born-Again as a sinner, but is intended to suggest
7
Jesus’ supreme rank and the uniqueness of His special relationship
with the Father. In the case of Jesus, it is referring to the
Incarnation. As such, He is the Firstborn in the new creation by
being raised first from the dead, and is thus Lord over the Church
(Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5). He is thus the Firstborn in a
whole family of Children of God who are destined to bear His Image
(Romans 8:29).” 3
(underlines added)
So we can see that from the misunderstanding of one or two
scriptures has sprung a huge doctrinal deviation from the harmony of
scripture itself, and a complete invalidation of Jesus’ sinless state,
before, during and after the Cross. In fact the result of this doctrine
is that the ultimate focus on the Cross for the Christian is distorted,
the efficacy of the Cross is denied and Christ’s finished work here is
largely discounted. Because of these repercussions, the doctrine
must be regarded as a very serious error and a real blight on the Body
of Christ.
“. . .The result of this doctrine is that the
ultimate focus on the Cross for the
Christian is distorted, the efficacy of the
Cross is denied and Christ’s finished
work here is largely discounted. . .”
REDEMPTION THROUGH IMPUTATION
Background Reading: Romans Chapter 4
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For He has made Him to be sin
(a sin offering) for us, Who knew no sin; that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him.
We know that Jesus’ Blood was sinless, and He was “without
blemish and without spot” (1 Pete 1:19) and so a perfect offering. As
we have indicated, the statement in the above verse (2 Corinthians
5:21) “He has made Him to be sin for us” means that Christ bore our
8
punishment, not our sin. The Greek word for “sin” in this verse can
also be translated as “sin offering” or a “sacrifice for sin.”
One writer comments further in regard to this issue:
“The phrase, “Who knew so sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21), refers to
the fact and graphically so, that He was not guilty. He was perfectly
pure. This idea is thus expressed by Peter when he wrote, “Who did
no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). As
well, Hebrews 7:26 says, “He was ‘holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners’.” In all respects, in every way, and in all
conceivable senses, the Lord Jesus was pure and holy. If He had not
been, He would not have been qualified to make an Atonement.
Hence, the Sacred writers are everywhere at great pains to keep this
idea prominent, for on this depends the whole superstructure of the
Plan of Salvation.
The phrase, “knew no sin,” is an expression of great beauty and
dignity. It indicates His entire and perfect purity. He was altogether
unacquainted with sin; He was a stranger to transgressions; He was
conscious of no sin, He committed none. He had a mind and heart
perfectly free from pollution, and His entire life was perfectly pure
and holy in the Sight of God.” 4
(underlines added)
Scripture thus attests to the fact of Christ’s sinlessness. He
became eligible, through His sinlessness and His worth as the
acceptable sacrifice, to become the Lamb of God, Who would pay
the penalty for the sins of the whole of mankind (John 1:29).
Through identification and substitution, Christ took our place, before
a just and loving God, at Calvary, the altar of sacrifice. Our Lord
Jesus did not redeem us by His Deity, but through the Incarnation of
God becoming man. As the sin offering, Christ bore the weight of the
wrath of God’s judgement upon mankind’s sin, and it was the
shedding of His precious Blood which paid the price for our
redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19). This was Christ’s work upon the
Cross, and this is what He accomplished - the payment of the ransom
price. Now the sinner need only look to the Cross for the message of
salvation, finding their answer to the greatest of life’s questions in
the substitutionary death of Christ on their behalf, and the shedding
of His precious Blood (Romans 5:8; Colossians 1:14). This is the
basis of the Gospel message, and will always be the foundation stone
9
of the Christian faith. There is no other means of redemption, for the
price was paid at Calvary when the sinless Blood of Christ our
Passover Lamb was shed for the sin of the whole world (1
Corinthians 5:7).
“. . .Through identification and
substitution, Christ took our place,
before a just and loving God, at Calvary,
the altar of sacrifice. Our Lord Jesus did
not redeem us by His Deity, but through
the Incarnation of God becoming
man. . .”
Jesus became the substitute in our place by identifying with us.
As a result, He, though sinless, had to be treated as though He were
sin. Without this substitution, Christ taking our place, and we
identifying with Him, there could be no salvation. Christ identified
with mankind’s sin regarding its penalty, and man identifies with
Christ’s righteousness through faith.
It has been said that “our sins were the judicial ground of the
sufferings of Christ, so that those sufferings were a satisfaction of
justice; and His righteousness is the judicial ground of our
acceptance with God, so that our pardon is an act of justice. This is
a justification, or a declaration that justice is satisfied.” 5
(underlines added)
Greek scholar Dr Bernard Rossier also writes in regard to this
important verse in Corinthians:
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 For He has made Him to be sin
for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him.
“The monumental privilege and responsibility of being
ambassadors rests on our shoulders precisely because God “made”
(epoiesen) him “sin” (hamartian) “for us” (huper hemon). People
10
have all kinds of ideas about what this concise but cogent statement
means. In order to understand it scripturally, we must first look at
the qualifier that begins the sentence and therefore occupies the
position of most emphasis.
“The one not knowing sin” (ton me gnonta hamartion) begins
the verse in the original Greek and it governs the remainder of the
verse. Christ was completely conscious of His own absolute
sinlessness (John 8:46). He had no personal acquaintance with sin.
This applies to the fact that He was born without a sinful nature
(Matthew 1:18), and to the fact that He never committed one single
act of sin (Hebrews 4:15). He came as “the last Adam” (I
Corinthians 15:45), and Adam was not created with a sinful nature;
therefore, Christ came on the same basis that Adam did. The
difference lies in the indubitable fact that Adam sinned by disobeying
God, but Jesus never disobeyed God in any way whatsoever. Hence,
the statement “He made him to be sin” must refer to the imputation
of our sins to the sinless sacrifice. The one who knew no sin was
treated as sin for us.
“. . .Our sins were the judicial ground of
the sufferings of Christ, so that those
sufferings were a satisfaction of justice;
and His righteousness is the judicial
ground of our acceptance with God, so
that our pardon is an act of justice. . .”
In another contrast, Paul said that Christ became a curse for us
(Galatians 3:13). He vicariously suffered the consequences of our
sin (Isaiah 53). This extends even to the ultimate separation of a
soul from the presence of God (Mark 15:34). God had to forsake
Him in order for the supreme price to be paid. Without that
payment, all of us would face eternal separation from God in the
lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).
Because Christ’s sacrifice was an infinite one, there is no way
we can possibly fathom all that He suffered by having our sins
11
imputed to Him. He did all this, though, “in order that we might
become [the] righteousness of God in him” (hina hemeis gend
-metha diakaiosune theou en auto). In other words, our sins were
imputed to Him so His righteousness would be imputed to us. Thank
God for His grace!” 6
(underlines added)
In relation to the imputation of our sins to Christ, let us also
examine the use of what was termed the “scapegoat” in Old
Testament ceremonial practice. Jesus became our “scapegoat,” for
the physical type-pattern was borne out in Him in a spiritual sense at
Calvary.
The word “scapegoat” comes from the scriptures (Leviticus
16:7-10; 20-22), where we are told of two goats which were to be
used on behalf of the people and their sin on the Day of Atonement.
The two goats combined constituted one sin offering. For this reason
they were to be presented to the Lord together, as one offering, at the
door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
One goat was to be sacrificed “for the Lord,” and typified
Christ’s death at Calvary. The other, the scapegoat, was to be sent
away into the wilderness, being called the “goat of departure.” This
took place after the High Priest laid hands on the head of the
scapegoat, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, and imputing
them to this goat. This was to symbolize the imputation of our sin to
Christ on the cross, the scapegoat therefore typifying our sins being
imputed to Christ and thus removed. Two goats were needed to
provide a proper type-pattern of the great Atonement at Calvary - to
which all of this pointed, and which it all symbolized. Both were
needed to demonstrate what Calvary accomplished for mankind, for
one goat could not typify all. “The goat that died typified the death
of Christ which addressed the root cause of sin; the scapegoat (the
other goat) represented all acts of sin removed and taken away”
(Leviticus 16:9) (E.S.B.)
LEVITICUS 16:20 And when he (Aaron, the High
Priest) has made an end of reconciling the Holy Place,
and the Tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar,
he shall bring the live goat:
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LEVITICUS 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands
upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all
the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions in all their sins, putting them (signifying
imputation) upon the head of the goat, and shall send
him (the goat) away by the hand of a fit man (the man
who had been appointed to do the job) into the
wilderness:
“. . .Two goats were needed to provide a
proper type-pattern of the great
Atonement at Calvary - the goat that died
typified the death of Christ which
addressed the root cause of sin; the
scapegoat represented all acts of sin
removed and taken away. . .”
The blood of the first goat was shed, pointing to Calvary and to
Jesus, the One who died on the Cross for us. The second goat being
taken into the wilderness and left there represented the sin of the
people being imputed to him and then cast into the sea of God’s
forgetfulness. This was a visible sign to the people that their sins had
been dealt with.
PSALM 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so
far has He removed our transgressions from us.
MICAH 7:19 . . . You (oh God) will cast all their sins
into the depths of the sea.
Jesus’ sacrifice provided all this for us in a true spiritual sense as
He fulfilled spiritually that which both goats typified. Firstly our
sins were imputed to Him, the sinless One. Then He laid down His
life as the sacrifice for these sins, shedding His Blood and paying the
ultimate price of death. Now our sins, as we repent of them, are
washed away by Jesus’ Blood, never to be remembered. Amen.
13
Jesus fulfilled in a complete sense all the type-patterns in the Old
Testament which pointed to Calvary. These type-patterns were,
according to God’s foreknowledge, a result of Calvary, even though
they were forerunners. He came, as He said, not “to destroy (the Law
and the Prophets) but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Jesus was never anything other than holy and pure, even on
the Cross. He never became blackened by our sin. Rather our sin
was imputed (or legally attributed) to Him, and He became our
representative in order that we might become “the righteousness of
God in Him.” Jesus became, in another sense, “a curse for us”
(Galatians 3:13). Our sin was therefore imputed to Him so that His
righteousness could be imputed to us. We become justified, as
though we had never sinned, because He became “a sin offering” for
us, being treated as though He was a sinner. Both positions are legal
positions, for Jesus never experienced sin or entered into an actual
state of sin. He was “clothed” with our sin so we could be “clothed”
with His righteousness. This is the basis of the great exchange which
took place at Calvary.
The one difference which exists in this analogy is that when
Jesus was “clothed” with our sin, He was not tainted in any way by
it. We, however, received the cleansing of our spirit by His Blood
when we were “clothed” with His righteousness.
“. . .Jesus was never anything other than
holy and pure, even on the Cross. He
never became blackened by our sin.
Rather our sin was imputed (or legally
attributed) to Him. . .”
In order for Christ to become our sin offering, and the sin of
the world to be imputed to Him as our sinless substitute, Jesus had to
be forsaken by the Father and the Holy Spirit - for God cannot
associate with sin (or even, it appears, the Sin Bearer when He bore
the punishment of the sin of the world). We witness the withdrawal
of the Father and the Holy Spirit from Jesus in His agonized words,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34).
These same Words had been prophesied centuries before, along with
14
other obvious references to the crucifixion, and are found in Psalm
22. At this point Jesus the man was forsaken by God the Father and
God the Holy Spirit for the first time in His life. They had to
abandon Him for the ultimate price to be paid.
Jesus’ spirit, however, was not polluted with sin at this time,
as the spirit of unregenerate man is polluted with sin. Therefore He
did not need to be born again, for Jesus was righteous before the
Cross, on the Cross and after the Cross.
Jesus willingly laid His life down for the purpose of death (John
10:17-18). He then died of a ruptured heart, and in this way His
precious Blood was shed, causing His physical death. He died,
however, not an unregenerate sinner but a righteous man, the holy
Lamb of God.
In the study of Biblical theology, the doctrine of spiritual
imputation shows that sin or righteousness can be imputed or
charged to another’s account in a legal sense. Applying this doctrine
to Jesus and His sacrifice as the sin offering, we find that He did not
have to become sin, but remained sinless in order to bear the
punishment for our guilt which was imputed to Him. In other words,
Jesus did not bear the wickedness and filth of our sinful nature, but
He did bear the terrible punishment that should have been poured out
upon us. Therefore, although innocent, Jesus paid the penalty for our
sin, the penalty that we ourselves should have suffered, namely
death. However if man does pay this penalty for his own sin, then
eternal separation from the Father, ultimately in the Lake of Fire, will
result - for man, of and by himself, has nothing else with which to
satisfy justice.
“. . .In the study of Biblical theology, the
doctrine of spiritual imputation shows
that sin or righteousness can be imputed
or charged to another’s account
in a legal sense. . .”
Our punishment was dealt out to Him. Our sins, in regard to
moral character, are our own. They are not imputed to us, and only
in a legal sense could they become someone else’s. However, Jesus
15
Christ as the substitutionary sacrifice could take upon Himself the
punishment for our sins. We are speaking here of legal liabilities
which Christ assumed on our behalf, not the transfer of actual
transgressions.
So the transfer of our sins to Jesus Christ was not a transfer
of actual transgressions. This did not occur and could not occur,
even though Christ made Himself liable to endure the penalty for our
sins. To have been anything other than innocent would have violated
the Old Testament type (Exodus 12:5; 1 Peter 1:18-19) and would
have disqualified Him, as far as God was concerned, from becoming
an acceptable substitute for us. At all times Jesus was holy, and never
at any time did our sin taint His being. If our sin had affected Him in
any way, He would have become ineligible to pay the price.
Legally speaking, imputation of sin also allows for imputation of
righteousness, that is if the sacrifice involved is righteous, without
sin, and deemed worthy to meet the requirements of perfect justice.
To be merely without sin would not be enough. Otherwise the Blood
of baby Jesus could have paid the price. Testing the value, or
verifying the worth of Jesus as a substitutionary sacrifice, was
necessary. Subjected to every testing, Jesus had faith to begin with
and to end with, and never deviated from trusting in God’s Word, and
obeying the will of the Father. Thus He proved Himself worthy to
stand in the gap between God and man, and to bridge the gulf by the
giving of His own life.
Therefore the work of Calvary required not only a sinless
sacrifice, but a sacrifice which had been tested until its worth was
determined and verified. Although Christ was always sinless, His
value as the sacrifice had to meet the demands of perfect justice. As
a boy, a teenager and a man, He was sinless. But the worth of the
sacrifice had to be sufficient to pay the enormous debt of mankind’s
sin. At the age of thirty three, with around three years ministry
behind Him and a lifetime of testing, Jesus confronted the ultimate
test - Calvary. In the heat of battle He maintained faith in His
Father’s Word - in the face of injustice, torture, rejection and the
Father’s desertion. Here in the final furnace of affliction He was to
prove that indeed He was worthy to act as the sacrifice - to become
our substitute and to pay the terrible price required.
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PSALM 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken
Me? why are You so far from helping Me, and from the
words of My roaring? (. . Jesus cried this Word while
hanging on the Cross [Matthew 27:46]. This portrayal
glorifies Him as the Sin-Offering. It presents a sinless
Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, forsaken by God, but only in
the sense that God allowed Him to die. Such a fact is
unique in history and will never need to be repeated.
This sinless Man – Himself God manifest in the flesh –
was made to be a Sin-Offering, in effect, the penalty of
sin, which, in this case, was physical death [II
Corinthians 5:21], and thereby pierced with a sword of
Divine Wrath [Zechariah 13:7]. In that judgement, God
dealt infinitely with sin, and in so dealing with it in the
Person of His Beloved Son, showed His wrath against sin
and His love for the sinner. Thus, He vindicated Himself
and, as well, redeemed man. God revealed Himself at
Calvary as in no other place or way. What the depth of
horror was to which the sinless soul of Jesus sank under
the Wrath of God as the Sin-Offering is unfathomable for
men or angels; therefore, our efforts to explain these
sufferings will, of necessity, fall short of that which He
really experienced.) (E.S.B.)
“. . .The work of Calvary required not
only a sinless sacrifice, but a sacrifice
which had been tested until its worth was
determined and verified. His value as the
sacrifice had to meet the demands of
perfect justice. . .”
In summary, as regards to the subject of identification, Christ
identified with man when He was born of a virgin, becoming, as He
called Himself, the Son of Man. In this way, having no original sin
or incumbent sin nature, He became the second Adam. After being
tested and proven as a man, and remaining sinless, Jesus was eligible
to become man’s substitutionary sacrifice. Hence “He became sin”
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(the sin offering) in that He identified, in a legal sense, with man’s
sin by means of that sin being imputed, or legally attributed, to Him.
Then He could stand in our place and take, for all of mankind, the
punishment for our sin - which was death. When “the Word became
flesh,” Christ identified with man - and this was a conditional or
experiential position. However His substitutionary role in providing
for mankind’s salvation was a legal position. As far as the Law of
God was concerned, once Jesus entered into this legal position,
God’s punishment was metered out to Him as a man, exactly the
same as it would have been for any sinner. Such was the legal
substitutionary position into which Christ entered, even though He
did not sin. Hence the penalty of death was required. Such was the
worth of His sacrifice, however, that through Him, and the shedding
of His sinless Blood, all of mankind could be saved. Now all those
who identify with Christ through repentance and acceptance of His
Lordship are not just positionally saved in their spirit-man. By
means of God’s grace they are also conditionally saved through God,
the Holy Spirit, coming to dwell in the heart of the Believer. Man is
thus sanctified and all the darkness into which he was born is
replaced by God’s saving presence.
Christ conditionally identified with man through the
Incarnation. Then He positionally identified with man as the
substitutionary sacrifice, so that our sins could be imputed to Him.
Because He suffered vicariously on our behalf, man can now
positionally and conditionally be identified “in Christ.” By this
means, God can now legally impute Christ’s righteousness to us, and,
if we are legally righteous in Christ, then God has also made us
conditionally righteous in Christ in our spirit-man. While the costly
redemption price has been paid, those who remain outside of Christ
remain dead to God, being sinners doomed to the second death - the
Lake of Fire. The price has been paid but the individual must accept
this price and its significance for them personally.
“. . .Christ conditionally identified with
man through the Incarnation. Then He
positionally identified with man as the
substitutionary sacrifice, so that our sins
could be imputed to Him. . .”
18
While all Believers are conditionally sanctified in their spiritman, which is cleansed from all sin, the outward man also continues
to need renewal day by day. In other words, so that ongoing
transformation can take place, our minds need the grace of God’s
Word on a daily basis. Change then takes place by God’s grace, the
empowerment of the Holy Spirit and human effort. This is a joint
effort as man yields to God and cooperates with Him, so receiving
the grace needed to change. As Christians we should be forever
working towards making our experiential condition the same as our
position in Christ, and so becoming more and more like Him. Again,
even though our spirit-man is conditionally sanctified by the Blood
of the Lamb, our minds are not sanctified until the Holy Spirit brings
renewal, all by His grace which has been afforded to us through the
Cross of Christ.
WHY THE PAIN AND SUFFERING ?
Background Reading: Isaiah 53:3-12
The passing of each test verified the value of the Lamb of God
as the sacrifice, for He was “made perfect” in His faith through
suffering. (Also through these tests He learned obedience, so that He
could be made ready for the Priesthood and His role as the High
Priest.)
HEBREWS 5:9 And being made perfect, He became the
author of eternal salvation unto all them who obey Him
In other words, Jesus maintained His faith in His Father’s word
through every trial, and continued to do His Father’s will in the face
of negative circumstances, human and Satanic opposition, and even
the voice of His own human nature which on at least one occasion
was contrary to the Father’s will for Him:
MATTHEW 26:39 And He went a little farther, and fell
on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I
will, but as You will.”
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ROMANS 15:3 For even Christ pleased not Himself
(everything done in Jesus’ life and ministry was to please
the Father); but, as it is written, “The reproaches of
them who reproached You fell on Me.” (Psalm 69:9)
His sustenance was to do the will of the Father (John 4:34), and
as He progressed through His earthly life and ministry, Jesus’ faith
was perfected through testing. In this way, the worth of Himself as
the sacrifice for redemptive purposes was proven.
Jesus was to show through all of this that the greater the
conflict or test He faced, the more complete His submission to
Almighty God would be.
“. . .The passing of each test verified the
value of the Lamb of God as the
sacrifice, for He was “made perfect” in
His faith through suffering. . .”
The pain and suffering Jesus experienced at the time of the
crucifixion was to prove the worth of the sacrifice for redemptive
purposes. To properly value or prove something, it or they must be
tested under pressure, and we can know that the greatest pressure a
man has ever endured was placed upon Jesus. Even so He had faith
at the beginning of every test, and that faith remained at the end, for
He was “tempted (as a man) like as we are, yet without sin.”
HEBREWS 4:15 For we have not an High Priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin.
Three different elements were included in the Atonement for the
purpose of mankind’s redemption.
1. The sacrifice needed to be approved as worthy for the sacred
purpose (Hebrews 5:8-9). This took place as Jesus’ faith was tested
during the pain and suffering He endured at the time of the
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crucifixion. He had to remain sinless in order to fulfill the righteous
requirements of the law of sacrifice.
2. Jesus’ sinless Blood had to be shed on the cross, for without
the shedding of blood, there could be no forgiveness of sins
(Hebrews 9:22). Through the shedding of His Blood, His life was
forfeited.
3. The Resurrection demonstrated God’s power over sin and
death, and the innocence of the Lamb. Without the Resurrection,
Christ’s work on behalf of man would not have been effectual. The
Resurrection completed the Atonement process.
Therefore we can see that the suffering, death and Resurrection
of Jesus were included in the Atonement, being necessary to pay the
price for mankind’s redemption.
The testing of faith builds Godly character in a man or woman
when the test is passed or the temptation is refused. Just as Adam
was tested, Jesus, the second Adam, was also tested. But where the
first Adam failed to pass the test, that being to trust and obey God in
all things, Jesus the second Adam passed each test, yielding to the
will of the Father in all things, no matter how extreme the test or
circumstances were.
“. . .The testing of faith builds Godly
character in a man or woman when the
test is passed or the temptation
is refused. . .”
“Being made perfect” (Heb.5:9) does not mean that Christ was
ever imperfect. Rather it means that perfect justice required that a
testing take place under a sufficient degree of pressure, and that this
test, or these tests, had to be passed. In Jesus’ case, He had to hold
His faith in the face of each trial He experienced and not sin (deviate
from the Father’s will in any way).
Jesus as the sacrifice needed to be stamped with the seal “made
perfect” (or accepted) for sacrifice, and this could only take place
21
after testing - for only under extreme trial, pressure applied to the
highest possible degree, could the integrity and worth of the sacrifice
be proven. “Being made perfect” refers to Jesus being brought to a
goal fixed by God.
God knew Jesus was worthy, but the worth of the sacrifice had
to be demonstrated to the Courts of Justice. The final test occurred
as an innocent man, full of the Holy Spirit, able to call on twelve
legions of angels to release Him (Matt.26:53), suffered unjustly on
the cross at Calvary. Knowing His destiny and purpose, Jesus held
faith in His Father’s word and will, despite the great travail He
endured in His “man-soul.” Here at this place He lived what He had
prayed, “not as I will, but as You will.”
It is worth noting that prior to the crucifixion, God was the
Creator of mankind but not his Saviour. He became man, the Lord
Jesus Christ, died on a cross and rose again from the dead, so
becoming the Saviour of mankind. Now as not only Creator but
Saviour, He is infinitely greater.
The Cross remains the pivotal point for man’s salvation, for
at the Cross, man’s redemption was Blood-bought and Blood-sealed,
and the power of sin was broken in our lives.
As the old hymn declares:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown.
THE DEATH OF JESUS
Background Reading: John 19:13-42
Jesus had lived a perfect sinless life in complete obedience to
the Father. The presence of the Holy Spirit and the Father had given
Jesus the power, comfort and direction He needed to sustain Him
during all His earthly trials and temptations. Then, at the very point
when Jesus needed them most, as He suffered on the cross of
Calvary, we are told of Jesus’ agonized cry:
22
MATTHEW 27:46 And about the ninth hour (3 p.m.)
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani?” that is to say, “My God, My God, why
have You forsaken Me?”
It was “now, when He needed the help of the Holy Spirit most, in
the moment of His direst need, the Holy Spirit left Him helpless,
destitute. He left Him in the lurch. He let Him down in a set of
circumstances that were antagonistic, frightful, terrible. He was
abandoned by Heaven, spurned by earth, laden with man’s sin,
suffering the excruciating anguish of crucifixion. He suffered all
alone. The same sin offering that forbade the inclusion of
frankincense, forbade the provision of oil. Oil is a type of the Holy
Spirit. No oil in the flour, speaks of the withdrawal of the Holy
Spirit’s sustaining presence at the Cross. The Holy Spirit left our
Lord.”
“The fact still remains that He was abandoned and deserted by
God the Father, and for the reason that God “appointed Him to be
sin for us who knew no sin; that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him” (2 Cor.5:21). A fellowship had been broken that had
always existed, a fellowship that had continued all during our Lord’s
earthly life. But now the Father’s smiling face was turned away.
Understand the “how” of it we cannot. Feel the awfulness of it, we
may not. Believe the fact of it, we must. Our Lord said His God had
abandoned Him, deserted Him.
No words come from the skies in answer to the prayer of our
Lord.” 7
(underlines added)
“. . .He was abandoned by Heaven,
spurned by earth, laden with man’s sin,
suffering the excruciating anguish of
crucifixion. He suffered all alone. . .”
The torment of this terrible abandonment in the midst of
hostile circumstances would have caused Jesus more anguish than
the nails. Yet with His faith in the words of His Father sustaining
Him, He held on regardless.
23
Scripture tells us that in order for Jesus to die, He had to lay
down His life freely. Therefore He was not executed in the sense of
the crucifixion causing His death. He did not die of exhaustion at the
crucifixion, nor did He die purely from loss of blood. Rather Jesus
voluntarily surrendered His life on the cross. This was His
prerogative and His alone, for no man could take His life from Him.
JOHN 10:17 Therefore does My Father love Me,
because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.
JOHN 10:18 No man takes it from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again. This commandment have I
received of My Father.
LUKE 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud
voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commend My
Spirit:” and having said this, He gave up the ghost
(breathed out His life).
At the same time Jesus “breathed His last,” His heart was
ruptured and His Blood was shed. However, He had to first lay
down His life before the extreme physical distress His body was
subject to could cause Him to die in a physical sense.
The doctrine of Calvary includes what happened to Christ
before, during and after the cross, e.g. the virgin birth of the Saviour,
the proving of the sacrifice, the death and Resurrection of Christ. The
Resurrection itself was a sign to the world of heaven’s acceptance of
the perfect sacrifice, for only a holy, righteous person could be raised
from the dead in a glorified body, to enter into the presence of the
Father. Indeed this amazing event had never happened before in the
history of mankind.
24
“. . .The doctrine of Calvary includes
what happened to Christ before, during
and after the cross, e.g. the virgin birth
of the Saviour, the proving of the
sacrifice, the death and Resurrection of
Christ. . .”
The fact is that Christ was sinless at all times. When He said
“It is finished,” this meant that man’s sin (man’s sickness, man’s
ignorance and man’s defeat) could now be “nailed to the Cross” - for
all those who trust and rely on Christ’s finished work. Indeed as
Believers our past can be nailed to a Christless Cross, for He is risen
and our Egypt (our past) is left behind on the bloodstained Cross.
Written across our ledger of sins are the words “paid in full.”
COLOSSIANS 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of
Ordinances that was against us (pertains to the Law of
Moses, which was God’s standard of Righteousness that
man could not reach), which was contrary to us (Law is
against us, simply because we are unable to keep its
precepts, no matter how hard we try), and took it out of
the way (refers to the penalty of the Law being removed),
nailing it to His Cross (the Law with its decrees was
abolished in Christ’s Death, as if Crucified with Him);
(E.S.B.)
COLOSSIANS 2:15 And having spoiled principalities
and powers (Satan and all of his henchmen were defeated
at the Cross by Christ Atoning for all sin; sin was the
legal right Satan had to hold man in captivity; with all sin
atoned, he has no more legal right to hold anyone in
bondage), He (Christ) made a show of them openly
(what Jesus did at the Cross was in the face of the whole
universe), triumphing over them in it. (The triumph is
complete and it was all done for us, meaning we can walk
in power and perpetual victory due to the Cross.) (E.S.B.)
25
All aspects of Christ’s life and death point to the Cross, for it
was here that perfect justice answered the cry of innocent Blood
(Genesis 4:10). In other words, the sinless One paid the redemptive
price on behalf of the guilty. Through Adam’s sin, man was trapped
and sentenced to death, but through Jesus’ righteousness, many are
now released into “abundant life” (John 10:10).
Jesus went to “the heart of the earth” as a perfect sinless man.
Only in His human identity did He go to the heart of the earth. Here
flames and devils did not touch Him, for He went there with faith in
the promise given that on the third day He would be raised from the
dead, and become “the firstborn from the dead” (Psalm 16:10; Acts
2:31).
MATTHEW 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and
three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of
Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth.
COLOSSIANS 1:18 And He is the Head of the Body,
the Church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead, that in all things He may have the
preeminence.
Scripture tells us that Jesus would spend three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth, which is Hades - the world of
departed spirits (Matthew 12:40). As we have said and will repeat
here, the exact location in the heart of the earth is not given. We are
not told whether Jesus, after His death, descended into the upper
section or the lower section of hell i.e. Paradise or the other side of
hell. If He did go to the other side of hell, Satan and his demons
could not have touched or harmed Him in any way because He was
perfect and sinless. It may even be that Jesus descended into a
waiting place in the heart of the earth, a place attached to the burning
side of hell, but devoid of flames. Scripture really gives no clear
light in this regard. Perhaps this is because we need to focus on the
things that matter, such things as Christ’s sinlessness, His worth as
the sacrifice, His love, the shed Blood at Calvary which paid the
price for our freedom, Christ’s glorious Resurrection, His obedience,
faith and finished work on the Cross.
26
“. . .Only in His human identity did Jesus
go to the heart of the earth. Here flames
and devils did not touch Him, for He
went there with faith in the promise
given that on the third day He would
be raised from the dead. . .”
He was not born again as we know it to be, for this was
unnecessary. Rather, Jesus the perfect sinless man, after a time of
“desertion” by the Father and the Holy Spirit, was simply reunited
with them. Jesus never entered into a position where Satan owned
His soul, as is the case with man. His soul, by reason of His
sinlessness, was always God’s. He was never touched by Satan, even
in death.
He identified with man and became the substitutionary sacrifice
on behalf of all mankind. So in this sense, He identified with man in
order to taste death for every man without being personally
associated with sin in any form. Through the substitutionary process
He was associated with sin’s penalty, and physical death followed
when He voluntarily laid down His life for mankind’s sake.
It is interesting to note that time did not affect the physical
body of Jesus, for His death only marked a separation of His spirit
from His body. Because He was sinless, His body was in suspended
animation and there could be no decay. When the spirit of the body
returned, life would continue on, in Jesus’ case, life in a transformed
glorified body.
ACTS 2:27 Because You will not leave My soul in hell
(Hades), neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see
corruption (decay of His physical body).
It is also worth noting that before the cross, Jesus' body was not
immortal, but rather He had a perfect body. If His body had been
immortal, He could not have become the substitutionary sacrifice, for
He would not have been qualified or able to die physically. Only
27
when He rose from the dead did He receive the immortal glorified
body which He still has today. Soon we too will have such a body,
the same kind of glorified body Jesus received, and still has today.
(Believers will inherit their glorified body at the Rapture [1
Thessalonians 4:14-17]. The wonder of this body is that it can live in
both the spiritual and physical realms [Luke 24:36-43].)
“. . .It is interesting to note that time did
not affect the physical body of Jesus, for
His death only marked a separation of
His spirit from His body. Because He
was sinless, His body was in suspended
animation and there could be no
decay. . .”
In Kenneth Wuest’s “Word Studies in the Greek New Testament”
he wrote; “On the Mount of Transfiguration, our Lord’s face and
clothing shone with a radiance that came from within. A radiance
similar to this, was the covering of His body after the resurrection.
It has always been God’s plan for His creatures to cover
themselves with a covering produced from within. Adam and Eve
covered their bodies with an enswathement of glory which was
produced from within their beings. When they sinned, they lost the
power to produce such a covering from within. To cover their naked
bodies which now had sin and death in them, they made clothing for
themselves. Birds cover themselves with beautiful plumage which is
produced from within. Animals cover themselves with fur which is
produced from within. Thus, in the life to come, Believers will cover
their bodies with an enswathement of glory, a light covering, which
will be produced from within.
Now, to gather together our information regarding the future
body of the Believer. It will be a body adapted to a spiritual life in
which all one’s time and activity have to do with God, His worship
and service. It will be a body which will be incorruptible and
immortal. It will be a body of flesh and bones, but no blood. This
body will have a new life principle animating it. It will be a body, the
covering of which will be produced from within.” 8
(underlines added)
28
As has been said, we will receive this same kind of body at the
Rapture.
THE RESURRECTION
Background Reading: Luke Chapter 24
EPHESIANS 1:19 . . . according to the working of His
mighty power,
EPHESIANS 1:20 Which He (God the Father) wrought
in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead (by the
power of the Holy Spirit) and set Him at His own right
hand (the place of highest authority) in the heavenly
places
Jesus rose from the dead with an immortal glorified body,
hence becoming “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18).
Again we say this proved the acceptance of the Blood in the Holy of
Holies in heaven (Hebrews 9:12-24). The Greek word for “firstborn”
carries with it the meaning of supreme headship. Therefore Christ’s
status is also denoted by this word.
If Christ had remained dead, His atoning work at Calvary
would have been in vain. It was the Resurrection that made His
finished work effective, so we are now able to be “partakers of the
inheritance of the Saints in light:”
COLOSSIANS 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father,
Who has made us meet (fit) to be partakers of the
inheritance of the Saints in light (this is our standing):
COLOSSIANS 1:13 Who has delivered us from the
power of darkness, and has translated us into the
Kingdom of His dear Son:
COLOSSIANS 1:14 In Whom we have Redemption
through His Blood (proclaims the price that was paid for
our Salvation), even the forgiveness of sins (at the Cross,
29
the Lord broke the power of sin, and took away its guilt
[Romans 6:6]) (E.S.B.)
“. . .If Christ had remained dead, His
atoning work at Calvary would have been
in vain. It was the Resurrection that
made His finished work effective. . .”
In John 20:17 Jesus said to Mary when He appeared to her,
“Touch Me not.” It is believed that this occurred before the first
ascension of Jesus in which He went into the Holy Place (the
throneroom of God) by His own Blood. Henceforth His Blood is the
eternal seal of our Covenant in Christ (Hebrews 9:22-26). However
Jesus appeared to Mary so that she could tell the disciples what had
happened. This gave them opportunity to prepare themselves, for on
that same day, Jesus would come to visit them.
After this first ascension Jesus came back to earth to speak to the
startled disciples, even eating fish to prove to them He was not a
spirit, as they first thought, but actual “flesh and bone” (Luke 24:3643). Jesus was able to be touched, and to consume food because He
now lived in a glorified body.
When Jesus rose from the dead, His spirit was reunited with
His body, and that body, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was
transformed into a bloodless glorified body.
At this time many came out of their graves, as scripture tells us
in the Gospel of Matthew:
MATTHEW 27:52 And the graves were opened; and
many bodies of the saints who slept arose,
MATTHEW 27:53 And came out of the graves after His
Resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared
unto many.
However this miraculous event did not constitute the beginning
of the Church. This occurred when Jesus presented Himself to the
disciples, following His Resurrection, so they could believe, and be
30
readied for Pentecost (John 20:21-28). After this, the Church was
equipped for service on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after
Passover.
On this day the public display of the Church’s
empowerment came via the dramatic descent of the Holy Spirit.
Peter then proclaimed the Gospel with Holy Spirit boldness, and
3,000 astonished hearers responded to the first public message of
salvation (Acts 2:14-41).
“. . .When Jesus rose from the dead, His
spirit was reunited with His body, and
that body, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, was transformed into a bloodless
glorified body. . .”
We know that many saw Jesus before His final ascension.
Scripture tells us in fact that over five hundred brethren had seen
Him at one time:
1 CORINTHIANS 15:6 After that He was seen of over
five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part
remain unto this present (are still alive), but some are
fallen asleep (have died).
He had faith before the cross, He had faith on the cross, He had
faith after His death on the cross and He has faith today - faith unlike
any other man who has ever lived, before or since. In fact Jesus now
holds the keys of truth by which man can gain eternal life, and all
power and authority have been given unto Him, our risen glorified
Saviour. Even today Jesus has not ceased to be God-man, all God
and all man (1 Timothy 2:5) while existing in His other identity as
God the Word in another dimension. The ministry of the Holy Spirit
then brings the real essence of Christ to each Believer’s heart.
1 TIMOTHY 2:5 For there is one God, and one
Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
REVELATION 1:18 I am He Who lives, and was dead;
and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have
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the keys of hell and of death (the keys of truth to unlock
the hearts of men from the bondage of spiritual death).
MATTHEW 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke unto
them, saying, “All power (authority) is given unto Me in
heaven and in earth.”
Jesus was raised from the dead by reason of His innocence.
He was blameless as He descended into the heart of the earth, and
remained so during the three days and three nights of His sojourn
there. Jesus was still blameless when He was raised from the dead by
the power of the Spirit (1 Peter 2:22; Isaiah 53:9). At all times Jesus
remained pure, perfect, sinless and therefore completely innocent.
“. . .Jesus was raised from the dead by
reason of His innocence. He was
blameless as He descended into the heart
of the earth, and remained so during the
three days and three nights of His
sojourn there. . .”
THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS
Background Reading: Hebrews Chapter 9
On behalf of man and as his High Priest, Jesus entered into
the heavenly Holy of Holies by His own shed Blood - for the courts
of heaven accepted His Blood once and for all as the ransom price
for mankind. This was only made possible because His Blood was
sinless, perfect and pure. Thus a righteous God can justify a sinner
(who repents and accepts Jesus as Lord) on the basis that perfect
justice has been satisfied through the legal process of imputation.
Indeed salvation rests on the fact that a Christian’s sins have been
paid for by Jesus’ atoning sacrifice in which His Blood was shed on
the cross for us (Romans Ch.5).
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HEBREWS 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest (Most Holy Place) by the blood
of Jesus,
HEBREWS 10:20 By a new and living way (the
provisions of the New Covenant), which He has
consecrated for us (by the cross), through the veil
(alludes to the veil in the Temple), that is to say, His flesh
(the sacrifice of Himself on the cross opened up the way
to God)
Jesus’ shed Blood is the legal agent whereby God can, through
His perfect justice and grace, release His power to redeem anyone
from all sin. This power is in His saving presence. If Jesus had been
tainted with sin, His Blood would not have been acceptable to pay
the price. Jesus’ precious Blood is the legal agent whereby all sin can
be forgiven, and guilty sinners can be cleansed and redeemed.
Through the Blood we are baptized into the Body of Christ by the
Holy Spirit.
TITUS 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Spirit.
Through this process our spirit is washed clean of all the
pollution of sin and we are regenerated. In this our spirit is
surrounded by God’s saving presence which protects it from all evil,
and the Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirit that we are children of the
living God (Romans 8:16).
“. . .Jesus’ shed Blood is the legal agent
whereby God can, through His perfect
justice and grace, release His power to
redeem anyone from all sin. . .”
Only the precious untainted Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God
Who knew no sin, could pay this ransom price.
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THE REDEMPTION OF OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Background Reading: Luke 16:19-31
What happened to those who died before Calvary, those who
lived under the provisions of the Old Covenant?
The Old Testament Saints (those who lived according to the
Old Covenant) had to wait in a place we know as Abraham’s Bosom
until Jesus rose from the dead to redeem them. The blood of bulls
and goats had covered their sin and had kept eternal death at bay but the precious Blood of Jesus released them from sin’s bondage
and gave them the right to enter into their eternal reward. Therefore
upon His Resurrection, Jesus “led captivity captive” as Ephesians
4:8 tells us:
EPHESIANS 4:8 Wherefore He (God through the
psalmist) said, “When He (Jesus) ascended up on high,
He led captivity (people in Abraham’s Bosom) captive
(captive into eternal life) . . .” (Psalm 68:18)
Paul here quotes Psalm 68:18, where the Psalmist is speaking
prophetically.
When Jesus ascended on high, He released the prisoners in
Abraham’s Bosom and led them into heaven.
The word “captivity” in this context means “those held in a
prison” and the word “prison” means “a holding place” or “cage.”
So “prison” does not always have to have a negative meaning.
Those people who were in Abraham’s Bosom were locked in this
place, devoid of God’s presence, until Jesus came to lead “captivity
captive.” Yes, captive into eternal life with God!
There is another view of Ephesians 4:8 which explains this
verse in terms of the Conqueror (Jesus) leading the conquered
enemy, bound in chains behind Him, as in Old Testament times. This
view states that when Jesus rose from the dead, He led Satan and all
his host captive behind Him, making an open spectacle of them in
the heavenly realm.
Whatever interpretation of Ephesians 4:8 is adopted, it is clear
that both views promote and illustrate the triumph of Christ’s
Resurrection.
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However, we believe the first view to be more consistent with
New Testament teaching - for Satan is still at large and roams this
world “as a roaring lion . . . seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter
5:8). The New Testament still refers to Satan as being “the god of
this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the
air” (Ephesians 2:2). When scripture says that Jesus made a show of
Satan openly (Colossians 2:15), we believe this refers to Jesus’
Resurrection. It was at this time that He stripped Satan of his
authority over man, and took possession of the keys of death and hell
(Revelation 1:18). Through the Resurrection, Jesus demonstrated
His authority over Satan, sin and death, having made the way for
man to enter into eternal life. This is how He made a show openly of
Satan - to heaven and hell, and to the whole of the spirit realm.
“. . .The blood of bulls and goats had
covered their sin and had kept eternal
death at bay - but the precious Blood of
Jesus released them from sin’s bondage
and gave them the right to enter into
their eternal reward. . .”
Scripture reveals that no one had entered heaven until Jesus
rose from the dead (John 3:13). Therefore it was only after the
acceptance of Jesus’ shed Blood by the courts of heaven that the Old
Testament Saints could enter heaven itself and come face to face
with God Almighty. Only after the Blood was accepted could fallen
man be cleansed and restored to right relationship with God through
that precious Blood. Only then could man enter heaven, because
Jesus went ahead of us into the holiest place of all, the throneroom of
God, as our High Priest and Saviour (Hebrews 2:17).
After Jesus was raised from the dead, the Old Testament
Saints were taken from Paradise (Abraham’s Bosom) to be with the
Lord forever. Jesus went into Abraham’s Bosom with glad tidings to
its inmates of His finished redemptive work. In doing this, He cashed
the promissory notes of atonement that had been obtained yearly by
the high priest in the earthly Holy of Holies. These promissory notes
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were based on the promise of the Messiah, the Lamb of God, Who
would pay the price for their redemption.
HEBREWS 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and
calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the
Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
EPHESIANS 4:8 Wherefore He (God through the
psalmist) said, “When He (Jesus) ascended up on high,
He led captivity (people in Abraham’s Bosom) captive
(captive into eternal life) . . .”
This is how the Old Testament Saints were redeemed and
taken out of their waiting place - for the Blood of Jesus flowed
backwards from the Cross to redeem them from sin. They were only
able to enter heaven through Jesus, for Jesus is the only way. This
view is consistent with scriptural principles set out clearly in the
New Testament. Indeed it is written:
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said unto him, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but
by Me.”
ACTS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other
(except Jesus), for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
“. . .After Jesus was raised from the
dead, the Old Testament Saints were
taken from Paradise to be with the Lord
forever . . . Jesus went into Abraham’s
Bosom with glad tidings to its inmates of
His finished redemptive work. . .”
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SUMMARY: JESUS DID NOT DIE SPIRITUALLY
Background Reading: Romans 5:12-21
God the Word was in heaven and omnipresent in a dimension
in which only God exists. He continued to inhabit this dimension
while He also became a man-child - all God and all man. Thus He
had two separate identities. Therefore God the Word became a man
and clothed Himself with flesh, without diminishing in any way as
God. As God the Word He was omnipresent, omnipotent and
omniscient. As Jesus the man He was not, for He was limited by the
constraints of His human condition.
The dimensional factor allowed Emmanuel to live in both His
God-dimension and His human dimension. His first identity was of
course God the Word - Who owns His Divine Nature and lives in a
God-dimension that no other being can inhabit. His second identity
was Jesus - Who had a human nature, was a partaker of the Divine
Nature, and lived in another dimension common to man. As we have
stated, the Divine Identity and the human identity never merged,
even though they remained connected while yet in different
dimensions.
“. . .The Divine Identity and the human
identity never merged, even though they
remained connected while yet in different
dimensions. . .”
Jesus was tested as a man, and performed miracles as a man
empowered by the Holy Spirit (John 3:34). Had He operated as God
the Word in these areas, the testing Jesus was subject to would not
have been genuine. Therefore while on earth in His human nature
and identity, Christ required the Spirit’s presence and empowerment
to do the will of the Father - for in His earthly walk He had to
identify with man, not assume Divine rights and privileges. This
identification with man included a complete dependence upon the
Holy Spirit Who taught Him the Word of God, and provided Him
with the empowerment needed to pray and so heal the sick, deliver
those in bondage, raise the dead and confront tests and trials.
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In His walk on the earth our Saviour needed the Holy Spirit to
energize His human nature with God’s Divine Nature so that “every
prayer our Lord uttered, every word He spoke, every miracle He
performed, the sinless wonderful life He lived, was in dependence
upon and in the energy of the Holy Spirit, so that He was able to
offer Himself at the Cross without spot to become the sacrifice that
God would accept as the atonement for sin (Hebrews 9:14, ‘Who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God.’ )” 9
(underline added)
However, though operating in His human nature during the
course of His earthly walk, Jesus the God-man differed from natural
fallen man in that He had not come into this world in a state of
spiritual death. From birth He had the Light and life of God inside
Him, and had never known life without the Father’s comforting
presence. Even in death, Jesus did not enter into a state of spiritual
death. What a difficult thing to understand! In fact only faith (Godgiven at that) can accept fully that Jesus was all man and all God in
one being, and that the fullness of the Godhead dwelled bodily in
Him (Colossians 2:9). In fact Jesus the man was always connected to
His other identity - God the Word. Therefore spiritual death,
separation from His Divine Identity as God, was an impossibility.
“. . .In fact Jesus the man was always
connected to His other identity - God the
Word. Therefore spiritual death,
separation from His Divine
Identity as God, was an impossibility. . .”
Some say that Jesus suffered spiritual death when He was
abandoned by the Father at Calvary, the reason being so that He
could identify with man and suffer the punishment due to man. But
as we have said, Jesus was never separated from His other identity,
God the Word, and therefore spiritual death as such could not have
occurred. Rather, Jesus was abandoned for a period of time by the
Father and the Spirit, this desertion attested by His cry from the
cross. He then descended to the heart of the earth. Some believe the
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abandonment only lasted for the few hours Jesus was on the cross,
during which time He said, “My God My God, why have You
forsaken Me?” Others believe that this abandonment continued for
the three days and three nights He was entombed in the earth prior to
the Resurrection. Whatever your view in this, we believe the Father
and the Spirit abandoned, in some way, for a period of time, the man
Jesus. Some call this spiritual death, but it could not be the same
spiritual death that fallen man experiences because Jesus the man
(His human identity) could not be separated from God the Word (His
Divine Identity). However for Jesus the man to be deserted or
forsaken by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (yet remaining
connected to His Divine Self), His human identity must have existed
on earth in a different dimension to that of His Divine Identity
(which dwells in the God-dimension). So we can conclude that
Jesus, although dying physically, did not die spiritually, the reason
being that He was always connected to His Divine Self. Also by
reason of His innocence, being sinless always, He could not
spiritually die. The Light of God in Him could not be extinguished
because He always remained sinless. Amen.
The message of the Cross includes what and who Jesus was
before His death - the High Priest, Prophet, and sinless Lamb - and
what and who He was after His death - the sinless slain Lamb of
God, the glorified King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Let us always
interpret everything within the context of Jesus being sinless - before
the Cross, on the Cross and after the Cross. In this we state from the
beginning that man’s sin did not touch Him or affect Him in any way
or at any time, as He took on the penalty of our sin which meant
physical death. Again we say that the Atonement was made by the
suffering Saviour Who was abandoned by the Father for the purpose
of man’s redemption, died for us, and was then raised on the third
day for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son” to die in our place, so that, in Him, we may be raised
with newness of life. Amen.
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“. . .Also by reason of His innocence,
being sinless always, He could not
spiritually die. The Light of
God in Him could not be extinguished
because He always remained sinless. . .”
Therefore we can know that the narrow road of life which leads
to heaven goes through Calvary, and only the Blood of the sinless
Lamb provides forgiveness of sin and then entrance unto eternal life.
Indeed the door to heaven is the Cross - there is no other door, no
other way. For this reason let us always focus our faith on the
finished work of the Cross where the debt of sin was paid for all
time. Abel’s lamb redeemed one man; the Paschal lamb, one family;
the Day of Atonement lamb, one nation; the Lamb of Calvary, the
whole world!
As the words of the old hymn state so well:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.
Oh precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know
Nothing but the Blood of Jesus.
Amen and Amen.
May you have the victory in Christ. Amen!
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For further information or teaching material to help you grow in
the Christian faith, please visit:
CROSSROADS INTERNATIONAL
FULL GOSPEL MINISTRIES
crossroadsministries.org.au
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NOTES
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Spurgeon, Charles H., The Treasury of the Old
Testament; Leviticus Chapter 16.
Wuest, K.S.,
S.B.C. II Corinthians, Vol.14, pg. 223.
S.B.C. II Corinthians, Vol.14, pg.223.
Charles Hodge, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, 2
Corinthians.
Rossier, Dr. B.R., A Study Through The Book of II
Corinthians, Believer’s Home Study Institute, Vol.6, pgs
74-75.
Wuest, Kenneth S., Wuest’s Word Studies from the
Greek New Testament, Bypaths In The Greek New
Testament, pg.88.
Wuest, Kenneth S., Wuest’s Word Studies from the
Greek New Testament, Great Truths To Live By, pg.152.
Wuest, Kenneth S., Wuest’s Word Studies from the
Greek New Testament, 1 Peter 3:18.