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If Jesus is God how can God die? Jesus came as both a man and a servant -- he served others not himself
(Philippians 2:5-8), yet being human he was weak, hungry, needed sleep and was
tempted as all of us are, but without sinning. He had two natures, one was fully human the other which ruled over it was spirit, who was God. God came to know the human element by experience. “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:18). because of this He is able to be our high priest and be sympathetic toward the human condition. He was made perfect through his suffering (Heb.2:10) (Heb.4:15). "For in that he himself suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted." By becoming a man He understood our human predicament. Death occurs when there is a separation of the spirit from the body that results in the bodily functions ceasing. If Jesus was only mortal his blood could not count for anything in the future as a sacrificial offering, it would be no different than the application of the animal sacrifices of the earthly high priests. The Son’s death had infinite value as the one who came to die was eternal- therefore His priesthood is eternal. He was two natures in one person. 2 Cor 5:19 “that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” Phil.2:8: “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Christ came to serve and give His life a ransom for many. This is the reason He became a human, to give His body as a propitiatory sacrifice to God, since God is Spirit He cannot die. He picked the point of death. He cried out “it is finished.” The debt for sin was taken care of by Him being the last sacrifice accepted by the Father. He cried out once more to His Father saying, “Into Your hands I commit My Spirit” and then breathed His last and died. He determined the exact time to dismiss His own Spirit (no ordinary man can make this happen). No mere man can have control of His Spirit and determine the time of His own death by speaking. Only God has this ability. In John 10:18: Jesus said “no one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself.” When he died God (who is spirit) was separated from the body temporarily until the resurrection of which he also had control of. Rev.1:18 says of Jesus “I am He who lives and was dead, and behold I Am alive forever more.” The same is mentioned in Rev.4:8-9 “who was and is and is to come.” This phrase through the book correlates to this fact that the one who died, resurrected in the same body (glorified) and is the one coming back to earth one day to rule. |
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