A study on sin and death - what are the implications of Jesus' death and resurrection?

Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered what we think are unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”

Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were too lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that there is more than one way to interpret doctrine, more than one way to think about the faith, and more than one way to read the Scriptures. We would not suggest that our way is the only way, or the right way; we are not Bible scholars. But we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to rightly divide the Word of God.

Introduction

The traditional view of the historic Church has been that Jesus died for our sins, and that His death paid our debt to God. Jesus' death is viewed as a payment that satisfies God's wrath against us. So as a result Jesus was imputed with our sin, and His death was God's punishment of sin. 

We have come to believe this is a faulty view of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

Our key verse for this presentation is this:

1Co. 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 

Paul was discussing the nature and power of the resurrection. He was very clear that Jesus' resurrection is the pivotal event with eternal consequences. If there is no resurrection, then there is no life - we are still dead.

Jesus' sacrificial death spilled His blood, which is the agent and vehicle of cleansing from sin:

He. 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

But what use is it to be cleaned yet still dead? The Church has historically focused on the sin aspect of mankind, but has minimized the death part. Jesus didn't say "you must be cleansed from your sin," He said, "You must be born again" (Jn. 3:3). For "flesh gives birth to flesh," that is, dead men and women can only give birth to dead offspring. Only by being born again will he enter the Kingdom of God.

We must be born again into new life.

We Started Out Dead

The default state of mankind is dead:

Jn. 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

Mt. 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 

Ep. 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...

We are born in death and corruption. Condemnation is our inheritance as human beings, which is the death that comes from Adam's sin: 

Ro. 5:16-18 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

 

17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 

 

18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

Adam's sin was judged, and the resulting condemnation means death has reigned because of Adam's sin, until Jesus gave us new life. 

Ep. 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.

That new life is because of the resurrection. 

A Two-Part Transaction

This leads us to our first premise, that Jesus in effect accomplished two things, propitiation (turning away wrath) for sin, and new life for the formerly dead. The cross washed away our sin, and the resurrection raised us to new life. Paul hints of this equation:

Ro. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Ph. 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

Therefore, when we are saved we participate both in His death and in His resurrection. Again, ...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Our faith is futile if He is not raised. We must be forgiven and we must be raised:

Col. 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ...

There is it is right there; He both forgave our sins and made us alive.

It is critical we properly understand the work of the Cross and the effect of the resurrection. 

What did Jesus Pay For?

In the past we considered Jesus' death to be payment for our sin. We now believe this to incorrect. There is no verse in the Bible that tells us that Jesus paid for our sin. This may be an astonishing statement to some, but we encourage the reader to review the Scriptures for himself. He will not find a verse that says Jesus paid for our sin.

So, our second premise that Jesus didn't die to pay for our sin, He died to pay for us:

1Pe. 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

"Redeemed" is the Greek word lutroó, ...to cause to be released to oneself (cf. Winers Grammar, 254 (238)) by payment of the ransom... Jesus' blood was payment to release us from death into His custody. He didn't ransom us like someone released from jail would be freed and simply go back to their lives. He ransomed us to make us His possession:

Ro. 6:18, 22 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness... 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Jesus purchased our lives with His death, at the cost of His blood, and then gave us life with His resurrection. We dead people were taken out of captivity and lead as a train into freedom: 

Ep. 4:8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.” [Psalm 68:18] 

Ro. 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Forgiveness of sin, and freedom from death and condemnation. These are powerful concepts, because they expose the magnitude of the work Jesus did. 

New Life Equals Freedom

Our new life comes from the indwelling Spirit:

Jn. 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life.

Ro. 8:9 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. 

Ro. 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

So, in order to be born again we must be born of the Spirit, because flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit (Jn. 3:6). We are born again as new creations (2Co. 5:17) and are no longer slaves to sin (Ro. 6:16, 18). If we are no longer slaves, we are free:

2Co. 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

Ro. 8:2 ...through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 

He. 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

This last verse is interesting, in that part of our former slavery was as a result of the fear of death. Dead people fear death, but born-again people are free and do not fear death.

Conclusion

So many Christians stop at the cross. Their sins are forgiven by the sacrificial blood, but there is no life for them. They don't go on as slaves to righteousness. They don't walk out their faith from the perspective of life in Christ. 

We think this is part of the reason there's no power in the Church. When we we embrace resurrection power, we then begin to understand the spiritual blessings of the fellowship of Christ:

Jn. 10:10 ... I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The resurrection of Jesus is the victory over the sting of death. We who are alive in Christ can join the chorus of those who sing

1Co. 15:55 Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?