In our continuing study of the great power demonstrations of the Hypostatic Union and the Church Age last time we concluded with the idea that the impeccability of Christ is based on three factors. The deity of Christ is not temptable, therefore is impeccable. The humanity of Christ inside the prototype divine dynasphere is temptable, but remains impeccable. The entire person of Christ in Hypostatic Union is therefore temptable, but impeccable.
Impeccability must precede reconciliation. Apart from the impeccability of Christ, there can be no removal of the barrier between God and man.
Jesus Christ in Hypostatic Union is like an unconquerable nation that can be attacked but it can never be defeated.
The impeccability of Christ is the basis for the strategic victory of the great power demonstration of the Hypostatic Union, Heb 2:14; "Since therefore men have blood and flesh, He Himself likewise partook of the same, that through death (substitutionary spiritual death) He might render powerless the devil who has the power (because he rules the world) by means of death (real spiritual death)."
v15 and set free those who were held in slavery all of their lives by their fear of death.
On the cross our Lord resolved the issue of spiritual death. There are two categories of spiritual death. The real spiritual death of Adam that is separation from God in a state of sin and the unique substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross, that is separation from God while simultaneously being in a state of perfection and impeccability.
Real spiritual death occurs at birth to every member of the human race through the imputation of Adam's original sin to the genetically formed old sin nature. The real spiritual death of Adam was his original sin in the Garden when he violated the prohibition of God and ate from the forbidden fruit, Gen 3:6; Rom 5:12-21;
Jesus Christ was born trichotomous without an old sin nature and therefore without the imputation of Adam's original sin. His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross is unique. He "was made sin;" 2Cor 5:21;a He did not sin personally.
Real spiritual death results in total separation from God and being dichotomous, having only a body and soul. Real spiritual death means loss of the human spirit that enables fellowship with God.
Adam's real spiritual death also resulted in the origin of the old sin nature. Man is classified from birth as being in a state of total depravity. This resulted in the beginning of personal sins in the human race and the status of total helplessness and inability to have a relationship with or fellowship with God.
We see from this that there are two categories of spiritual death:
The real spiritual death of Adam and the human race, a dichotomous separation from God in a state of total depravity, total helplessness and results in personal sins, Rom 5:12;
And the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross, which is separation from God in a state of total perfection and impeccability, Rom 5:8;
This was the most painful experience in all of history. Yet He endured it through the use of the same problem solving devices that we have.
In rightly handling the Word of Truth, we must distinguish between the real spiritual death of Adam that was passed on to all of mankind and the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross that makes salvation by faith alone in Christ alone possible for all mankind.
At physical birth we are related to the real spiritual death of Adam in the Garden. When we are born again we are related to the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross.
Adam's original sin brought real spiritual death to the human race. Our Lord's substitutionary spiritual death brought eternal life to the human race.
The real spiritual death of Adam brought dichotomy into the human race. The substitutionary spiritual death of Christ restored trichotomy to the human race. The only thing they have in common is separation from God the Father.
Adam's spiritual death was real and propagated to the entire human race through physical birth. Our Lord's spiritual death was substitutionary and provides salvation at the point of being "born again" or regeneration.
In real spiritual death Adam went from perfection to imperfection. In substitutionary spiritual death our Lord went from perfection before the cross, persisted in perfection during the cross and remains in perfection after the cross.
Christ's substitutionary spiritual death is taught by three substitutionary prepositions in Greek: "peri", "pros" and "huper". All three are used with the genitive of advantage that indicates the one on behalf of whom something is done.
"Huper" plus the genitive is used after words that denote care or concern about someone. It is used after expressions having to do with sacrifice. It is used after expressions of dying for someone.
"Huper" with the genitive of advantage, as used in Rom 5:8;1Pet 3:18; and Gal 3:13; expresses substitution and can be translated: "(Christ died) instead of us," "in place of us," or "on behalf of us."
Christ did something for you as your substitute. Christ is perfect and when a perfect person does something for you, you can add nothing to it because it is perfect.
Rom 5:8; "But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died instead of us." "Instead of us" is "huper plus the genitive of advantage of "ego".
We should have been judged for our sins, but Christ died "on behalf of us, in place of us." The substitutionary work was done entirely by Christ without any help on our part. The genitive of advantage of "ego" refers to the entire human race.
God the Father made the greatest demonstration of love when he turned and judged His own Son for mankind. This was to our advantage.
This "demonstration" was a demonstration of a known truth. If Jesus Christ did the most for you on the cross, is He not capable of doing the less for you? Of course He can and He has provided a system that is a precedent for how to live as spiritual royalty after salvation.
We will suffer for a lot of things in our life, but we will never suffer for our personal sins.
The impersonal love demonstrated by God is power that is demonstrated in grace. You have this same power through doctrine. The source of the power of impersonal love is the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ demonstrated His impersonal love by remaining on the cross when He could have left the cross anytime He desired. You will never demonstrate impersonal love until you use the power of the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit that is made available through knowledge of Bible doctrine.