The God
Chapter Seven
DID GOD DIE?
Most Christians believe Jesus was God in the flesh. Since Jesus died, it is commonly believed God died. If Jesus is God and remained God while in the flesh He could not die. An eternal, immortal God can’t die. If God is Father, Son and Spirit, the Son, as a distinction in this Trinitarian relationship, could not have died. So, who died? Did only the human Jesus die? If only the human Jesus died, then God didn’t die. Yet most Christians believe God had to die in order for our sins to be forgiven. This issue has plagued Christian theologians for centuries.
In the early second century, a branch of Christianity called Gnosticism developed which held to the belief that Jesus was wholly human but an eternal “Divine Spark” came into Jesus at His baptism and it was this “Divine Spark” that survived the death of the human Jesus. In the fourth century, a theologian named Nestorius proposed that Jesus was actually two persons, one temporal and the other eternal and it was the temporal Son who died. This teaching gained a respectable following resulting in a number of Nestorian churches being formed. Nestorius was condemned as a heretic at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. but his teachings survive to this very day as Nestorian churches still exist in the orient.
In Trinitarian theology, God is seen as having been present on earth in the person of the Son who was Christ Jesus (the anointed savior). It is believed the dimension of the one God known as the Son became the human Jesus to facilitate reconciliation with the dimension of the one God known as the Father. In doing so, the Son never became disassociated from the Triune God but simply became an embodied manifestation of the distinction in the Trinity that is known as the Son. The Son is seen as having added humanity to Himself while not in any way losing Deity.
Trinitarians understand the separateness seen between the Father and the Son while the Son existed as the human Jesus as one of functionality and not one of substance or ontological nature. Ontology has to do with state of being. Jesus is seen as a human manifestation of the Son distinction in God. As the human Jesus, He is seen as functionally subservient to the Father but remaining coequal ontologically with the Father in a pre-existent eternal and con-substantial state. All scriptural passages that show Jesus to be subservient to the Father are believed to reflect His functional role as the human Jesus.
This perspective is very problematical because most of the Scriptural statements that show Jesus as subservient to the Father are statements made after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to the Father to receive great authority, power and glory. It is in this glorified state that Jesus continues to be identified as subject to the Father who is consistently seen as the God of Jesus.
The Scriptures clearly teach Jesus died. Trinitarian theology teaches Jesus is God incarnate, He is seen as totally God and totally human. As totally God, Jesus would be totally immortal as the Scriptures show God to be intrinsically immortal having neither beginning nor end. As totally human, Jesus would have had to have been totally mortal and subject to death as that is the human condition. The recorded death of Jesus is witness to His mortality. For Jesus to have been totally God and totally human he would have had to be totally immortal and totally mortal. Since immortality is exclusive of mortality and mortality is exclusive of immortality, incarnational theology presents an obvious oxymoron.
Furthermore, the Scriptures clearly teach Jesus was made like us humans in every way. We humans are totally mortal. If Jesus was made like us in every way, He could not be totally mortal and totally immortal. We can only become immortal because the mortal Jesus was granted immortality by God through resurrection from the dead. Jesus became the first human to be granted immortality and thus allow for our transition to immortality as well. The Scriptures clearly show Jesus died and is alive because He was raised from the dead, not because He was always eternally alive as God in the flesh.
Hebrews 2:17-18: For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Colossians 1:18: And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
1 Corinthians 15:20: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Revelation 1:18: I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
If Jesus was God in the flesh, did God die? Did a dimension of God called the Son die? If God is a single immortal entity of single substance, then God would have had to die if Christ is a dimension of the immortal God. Postulating, however, that a self-existent Being can die is an oxymoron. Nowhere do the Scriptures teach God died. The death of God is a human construct based on the belief Jesus is God as the Father is God. It is widely believed Jesus had to be God to be the sinless sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. It is argued that if Jesus was only human, He would only have the Adamic nature. The Adamic nature is believed to be an inherently sinful nature. Therefore, if Jesus was only human, He would have been born a sinner and unable to be the sinless sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Therefore, Jesus had to be God in the flesh in order to be a sinless sacrifice.
Is it necessary that God die in order for the penalty for sin to be paid? Nowhere do the scriptures say God had to die in order for redemption to take place. The scriptures simple reveal that God would send a redeemer (the promised Messiah) and this redeemer/savior would be born of a virgin through Divine conception (begettal) and would be called the Son of God who would die for the sins of the world. Do the scriptures teach Jesus had to be God in order to be the sinless sacrifice for the sins of mankind? The scriptures clearly show Jesus was human as it is recorded He had human nature as a descendant of David.
Romans 1:1-3: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David.
Do the Scriptures teach Jesus also had divine nature? The phrase “divine nature” is found twice in the NIV translation of the NT. In Romans 1:20, God the Father is shown to have divine nature.
Romans 1:20: For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
We know Paul is talking about God the Father as this is what the context of this chapter clearly shows. The Greek word translated “divine nature” in this passage is Thiotees. It appears just this once in the NT and it is taken from the Greek Theos and simply means God nature. Paul is simply saying God (Theos) has God nature. The KJV translates Thiotees as “Godhead.” Of six English translations I reviewed, only the KJV and NKJV version translate Thiotees as “Godhead.” Other translations render Thiotees as “divine nature” or “deity” which appears to be the natural meaning found in Greek usage.
The other occurrence of the phrase “divine nature” is found in 2 Peter 1:4 where Peter writes that we can participate in the divine nature. “Divine nature” is the translation found in both the NIV and KJV.
2 Peter 1:4: Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
In this passage, two separate Greek words are used to say “divine nature.” The Greek Thios is translated “divine” and phusis is translated “nature.” Phusis, as used in relation to the divine, means “natural characteristics or disposition” (See Bauer, Arndt, and Gingrich Greek Lexicon). The Greek Thios has the same meaning as Thiotees. It means divine nature. Peter is virtually saying we can participate in the divine characteristics and disposition of God, the God nature.
There should be no question Jesus participated in the divine nature when He walked on this earth as a human Being. Scriptures indicates Jesus had the Spirit of God His Father in full measure from birth (John 3:34). Peter wrote that through participation in the divine nature we can escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Jesus is the only one to have done this perfectly. Did Jesus have to be God in the flesh to accomplish this? Does participating in or having divine nature make one God? Paul wrote the following:
Colossians 2:9: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity (Greek theotees: = State of being God) lives in bodily form.
Some see this passage as proof that Jesus is God as it is argued the fullness of Deity can’t live in someone and that someone not be Deity. But Paul goes on to the say we also have been given fullness in Christ and writes of receiving the fullness of God.
Verse 10: and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Ephesians 3:19: that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
If all the fullness of Deity dwelling in Jesus makes Jesus God then it should follow that the fullness of Christ given to us makes us God if Christ is God. Since this is obviously not the case, there is no reason to believe Jesus is God as the Father is God when it is said He was given the fullness of Deity. Having the fullness of God equates with having the mind of God and having the mind of God results from having the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:5-9: Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Because Paul speaks of having the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ in the same sentence, some conclude this proves Christ is God. It must be understood, however, that Jesus had a full measure of the Spirit of His Father dwelling in Him from birth and continues to have that Spirit in His glorified state. Therefore, it is perfectly appropriate to equate having the Spirit of God with having the Spirit of Christ. Having the Spirit of God, however, does not equate with being God, either for Christ or for us.
For Jesus, having God’s fullness meant fully participating in the divine nature from birth. This is what enabled Jesus to accomplish what He accomplished. Having divine nature, however, does not make one an eternal God. Jesus had divine nature in the same manner we can have divine nature. Jesus had it from birth. We acquire it through conversion and transformation. To the extent we express divine nature in our lives is the extent to which we live righteously. Jesus always expressed the divine nature and consequently lived a totally righteous life.
DID JESUS NEED TO BE GOD TO BE OUR SAVIOR?
Let us now specifically address the issue of Jesus having to be God in the flesh in order to be a sinless sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The scriptural doctrine of salvation teaches that a sinless sacrifice was necessary to atone for the sin of humanity. Jesus was that sinless sacrifice. Did Jesus have to be God in the flesh to be this sinless sacrifice? The scriptures teach all humans have sinned. Many believe we are born sinners because we inherit the Adamic nature which is believed to be inherently sinful. It is believed to be human is to be a sinner.
It is argued that Jesus had to be more than a human in order to be the sinless sacrifice for sin. If Jesus was only human, he would have been born a sinner. This would disqualify Him from being a sinless sacrifice. Therefore, it is believed Jesus was God in the flesh. As God, Jesus would be sinless. It is believed God added humanity to His Divinity in the person of Jesus to facilitate the salvation of mankind.
In centuries past, Catholic theologians were bothered by the fact Jesus was born of a human women who they believed passed on to Jesus the inherently sinful Adamic nature. To rectify this perceived problem, Catholic theologians created the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception which teaches Mary was born without sin. While Catholic theology teaches Jesus had both divine nature and human nature, it is believed His human nature would have been stained by the sin of Adam if Mary had not been born sinless. This was seen as problematic for Jesus being a sinless sacrifice. Therefore, it was concluded Jesus was sinless from birth because of Divine conception and because His mother was sinless from birth. “Problem solved.”
Protestants don’t embrace this Catholic doctrine. Protestants believe Jesus was sinless from birth strictly because of Divine incarnation. The Son, as a Divine distinction of a Triune God, is seen as adding humanity to His Divinity which resulted in the fully human and fully Divine man named Jesus. Jesus is seen as having divine nature because He was literally God in the flesh. He is also seen as having human nature because He was literally born of a human woman. Since divine nature does not sin, Jesus was born sinless and continued to be sinless during His life on earth because His divine nature overrode His human nature. So even though Jesus received a sinful Adamic nature by virtue of His human birth, that nature was negated by His God nature and therefore Jesus was able to be the perfect sacrifice for sin.
The whole force of the argument that Jesus must be God in the flesh in order to be our savior is grounded in the doctrine of original sin. The doctrine of original sin states that we all are born sinners because we inherit the sinful Adamic nature. Because of this, we are all subject to eternal death. Eternal death is the consequence of sin. It is believed that if Jesus was only human, He would have only the sinful Adamic nature and would have been born a sinner and could not be the sinless sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Therefore, Jesus had to be God in order to be our savior. This doctrine is based on several scriptures:
Romans 5:12: sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
1 Corinthians 15:22: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Psalm 51:5: Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
If you have been carefully reading the material I have presented to this point, you will see I have been advancing the position that Jesus was not God in the flesh but a unique human agent of God the Father who was entrusted with the task of paying the death penalty for the sin of mankind. Jesus was unique in that He was directly conceived in the womb of His mother Mary by God Himself. Scripture teaches Jesus had a full measure of God’s Spirit from birth. I believe Jesus was the unique Son of God because He was divinely conceived, had a full measure of God’s Spirit from birth and experienced full participation in the divine nature of His Father God from birth. This provided Jesus with the wherewithal to live a sinless life. Participation in the divine nature empowers one to live a righteous life. It doesn’t make one an eternal God.
Trinitarianism teaches Jesus is unique because He was God in the flesh. God’s direct begettal of the human Jesus is seen as God becoming incarnate in the human Jesus. Jesus is seen as the incarnation of an eternally existing con-substantial, co-equal distinction called the Son within a Triune Godhead. Trinitarians also believe this Son, who is eternal God, died.
In Chapter Eight we will continue examining the widely held belief God died when Jesus was nailed to the cross.