We continue once again with our subject,

Death and Resurrection

In our previous post we were reviewing the importance of our Lord’s death (the ransom sacrifice) to our deliverance from the death penalty, that he had surrendered his very life, his soul for the sake of the world.

“The whole point of Jesus’ post resurrection appearances was to convince his followers that he, indeed, was alive and risen but NOT that he had experienced a bodily resurrection. Jesus had said, “My flesh I give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) He was not going to take that flesh back. Even a child can reason that if he gave his flesh for the life of the world and then took it back the world would once again lapse into a dead condition.”

It is important however not to take this statement concerning his flesh the wrong way as many are incline.

“The attempt to harmonize the Scriptures with the Greek philosophy brings confusion. In the endeavor to straddle the difficulties—to hold that Jesus was not dead and at the same time to apply the Scriptures which speak of his resurrection from the dead—another confusing error has been fallen into, namely, the claim that the resurrection applies merely to the body, not to the soul.

We answer that the very contrary of this is true according to the Scriptures. The penalty upon man was not that his body should die, but “The soul that sins, it shall die.” Likewise, when our Lord paid our penalty, it was not sufficient merely that a body should die, but as the Scriptures again declare, “He poured out his soul unto death,” “He made his soul an offering for sin.” (Isa. 53:10, 12) To this agrees the declaration of the Prophet David quoted on the day of Pentecost by the apostle Peter, saying, in proof of Christ’s resurrection, “His soul was not left in Hades.” The Apostle declares that the prophet spoke these words respecting the resurrection of Jesus. Acts 2:27, 31

Each error tends to produce another; hence we find Christian people believing that our Lord in glory still has a body of flesh, a body of humiliation. We find them expecting to see their Lord with pierced hands and feet and scar-marked forehead. They do not grasp the clear statement of the Apostle Peter that “he was put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) in the spirit,” that now the “Lord is that Spirit,” and that “though we have known Christ after the flesh, now, henceforth, know we him so no more.” 1 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 3:17; 5:16

When the scriptures refer to our Lord’s “flesh” which was given for the sake of the world THEY ARE NOT speaking of the body, the human organism itself, but rather of our Lord’s humanity, his human nature, more specifically of his human life rights which he willingly surrendered.

God’s law is very implicit in this matter, life shall be given for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, it was a perfect man who had forfeited his life (as well as that of all his posterity in him) therefore according to divine justice only another perfect man (of the exact same human nature), the MAN Christ Jesus could ransom him.

Some more scriptural confirmation to what we are attempting to explain:

“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” (John 1:14.)

“Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear.” (Heb 5:7)

What does this highlighted statement imply?

It implies that there was (pass tense) a time when our Lord was “made flesh” i.e., made a human being, possessed a human body, but he so no longer.

“Though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him [so] no more.” (2 Cor 5:16)

“The first Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” (1 Cor 15:45) And again you will remember he was, “Put to death in the flesh, quickened in the spirit.” (1 Pet 3:18)

How senseless would be the words “who in the days of his flesh” if he were still in the flesh.

“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body [of the sins] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.” (Col 2:11)

The words “of the sins” in this text are interpolated — spurious — not being found in the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament Scriptures. And how reasonable this is! Jesus did not put away “sins of the flesh” — because he was sinless — but he did put away his flesh — his human nature. You remember he said, “My flesh I give for the life of the world.”

The law covenant promised life to all who would keep its arrangements. However, Jesus did not come to the earth to remain as a man; but He came for the definite purpose of redeeming mankind by offering a perfect human life as a substitutionary sacrifice for the first man. He said: “My flesh I give for the life of the world.” “The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.” “No man taketh My life from Me; I have power to lay it down and I have power to receive it again. This power I have received from My Father.”

“My flesh I give for the life of the world” (John 6:51) —not only for three days but forever.

“The man Christ Jesus” suffered for us death, “everlasting destruction.”

Our Lord is no longer a human being; as a human being he gave himself a ransom for men, having become a man for that very purpose. He was raised from the dead a life-giving spirit being, and not a man. The flesh, the human nature, was given as our ransom price.

The life given in ransom was human life–flesh and blood life–never taken back. If he took back the price of redemption, there is no hope for us.

In our next post we will consider the reasoning’s behind our Lord appearing the way he did following his resurrection.