By R.B. Theime, Jr. – 1972 Edited by Stephen E. LaFleur, ThD – 2009 PART TWO

by R.B. Theime, Jr. – 1972Edited by Stephen E. LaFleur, ThD – 2009

PART TWO

The Importance of the Physical Death

The Blood of Christ 1

Physical death is the consequence of spiritual death; not the penalty of sin, but the RESULT of sin. This pattern was established in the garden with Adam and Eve. The physical death of Christ indicated that the work of the First Advent was finished.

Therefore, his physical death, which was the result of his spiritual death, is part of the salvation provision. Physical death is not the payment for sin, but its completion.


The real issue in salvation is the spiritual death of Christ, portrayed by his own voice when he cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” ( Ps. 22:1)

Christ was forsaken because he was bearing our sins. This was spiritual death – not physical death. But this does not in any way diminish the significance of the physical death of Christ after salvation was completed.

The physical death of Christ was related to his resurrection and glorification rather than to the mechanics of salvation. Consequently, the physical death became an essential part of the gospel with emphasis on resurrection. (I Cor. 15:1-4)


The physical death of Christ indicated first, that his work was finished; second, that the way was prepared for Christ as the first fruits of resurrection; and third, that the Davidic Covenant could now be fulfilled.

Under the Davidic Covenant, Jesus Christ will reign forever as the Son of David.

As we continue to look at the importance of this topic, we will reference the historical record of the shedding of the blood of Christ in John 19:30-36.

Levitical Offerings and the Blood


The Levitical Offerings were part of the spiritual code of the Mosaic Law and revealed the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Levitical Offerings were designed to present the gospel as a pattern for salvation in the OT (Gen. 15:6) which is the same pattern for salvation in the NT; faith in Christ (Rom. 4:1-7, 9:30-33).


Christ was revealed in a different manner and different ways in the OT because the cross had not occurred historically. This means that the OT looked forward and anticipated the cross and therefore was concerned with “shadow” Christology.

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” Hebrews 10:1


The whole purpose of Levitical Offerings was to orient the individual to the Plan of God and to communicate doctrine which was different in the OT from the Church Age.

The priests taught the written Word as the canon was formed. The prophets taught the spoken Word and ritual took up the slack for the rest.

Ritual, which was related to the Tabernacle, the priesthood, the holy days and the Levitical Offerings, became a primary source for teaching doctrine to the people.


They did something over and over again and as they went through the ceremony, they understood the portrayal of the Grace of God.

In the Church Age, there is very little ritual – only the Lord’s Table and baptism. Ritual has been eliminated because the cross is a historical fact, because the NT canon has been completed and because communication now comes to us in a different way.


In the OT, the blood was literal and the judgment was symbolic. In the NT, the blood was symbolic while the judgment is literal.

In the OT, the Levitical Offerings, which typified the cross, utilized animals to depict the unique person of Christ. The animal on the altar represented Christ on the cross. The animal’s throat was cut, which caused him to shed his literal blood and to die physically.

The physical death of the animal portrayed the spiritual death of Christ on the cross. The spiritual death of Christ provides the reconciliation and propitiation as indicated in the burnt and peace offerings.

The Burnt Offering


The burnt-offering (Lev. 1:1-7) teaches the Doctrine of Propitiation with emphasis on the work of Christ. There were three different sources of sacrifices for the burnt offering: from the herd, which represented Christ as a Servant; from the flock, which represented Christ as the Lamb of God; and from the fowl, which represented Christ as the Resurrected one.

The Children of Israel were commanded to bring an offering which made the grace of God meaningful to them. The Hebrew word “karab” means to bring, to draw near, to approach with an offering.


How can a man approach God? He can approach only through an offering which represents Christ, because the only approach is through Christ. (Acts 4:12) The only basis for approaching God is sacrifice; the death of an animal represented the forthcoming death of Christ.

It is impossible to approach God apart from sacrifice, apart from the shedding of blood. (Heb.9:22, Eph. 1:7, I Pet 1:18-19). The shedding of blood (the physical death of animals) was analogous to the spiritual death of Christ being judged for our sins.


“If his offering be a burnt-offering of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.” (Lev. 1:3)

This offering was a bullock which represented the incarnate person of Jesus Christ who is God who is sovereign. Sovereignty is not subject to death. Christ is also righteousness, justice, love, eternal life and veracity. Eternal life cannot die on the cross. He is omnipotent. He is unable to die physically or spiritually. He has omnipresence and cannot be reduced to one spot to die on the cross.


Jesus Christ was omnipotent. He was unable to die physically or spiritually. As perfect righteousness, he could not have contact with sins. Divine righteousness can only judge sins.

Immutability – God the Son could not change His Essence so that He could die. In other words, Essence of Deity could not die upon the cross.


So God had to become humanity, but humanity WITHOUT the Old Sin Nature, and the only way to get into this world minus an Old Sin Nature was to be born a virgin. No virgin birth = NO SALVATION.

He is humanity the same as we are humanity, but we are born spiritually dead because we are born with the OSN, with the imputed sin of Adam, and we eventually commit personal sins.


But Jesus was born of a virgin, without a sin nature, minus the imputation of Adam’s sin, and He never committed a single act of personal sin.

“a male without blemish” is the term in Leviticus. This represents his impeccability – the perfection of the person and humanity of Christ. He could only die for our sins by being qualified. He had to be a member of the human race but he had to go to the cross free from any sin of his own in order to qualify as our substitute.


“he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle . . . “ refers to the person bringing the offering, a believer. This ritual only apply to those who are born again. Ritual without reality is meaningless.

“he shall offer . . . “ Karab indicates free will. The humanity of Christ had to possess free will in order to provide for salvation.


The person bringing the offering must bring the animal of his own free will to the door of the tabernacle to the brazen altar where the animal was sacrificed. (Lev. 1:4)

The animal was tied to the altar and the hand was placed on the animal’s head, symbolically transferring the sins to the animal. The priest cut the throat where it bled to death.

The laying on of hands was identification and the sins of the offerer were identified with the animal. This animal represented Christ when he would die spiritually on the cross. Our sins transferred to Christ and he identified with those sins. (Matt.20:22)


“…and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him,” (Lev. 1:4) meaning in the Hebrew “to graciously receive”, i.e., the burnt-offering was “graciously received by God. In other words, God the Father, accepted the work of His Son on the cross – propitiation.

“Kaphar” is the Hebrew verb “to make atonement” and is in its most intensive form. This “atonement” is the covering for our sins; his substitutionary death satisfied the righteousness and justice of God the Father.

The Soul of Jesus


Self-consciousness – He was aware of his existence as the unique person of the universe.

Mentally – He was free from all mental attitude sins.

Volition - He made a decision from his own free will to go to the cross (Luke 22:42).

Emotions – He had capacity to appreciate the plan of the father.

Conscience – He had norms and standards according to Bible Doctrine.

THERE WAS NO SIN NATURE IN THE SOUL OF CHRIST


End of Part Two

Documents

By R.B. Theime, Jr. – 1972 Edited by Stephen E. LaFleur, ThD – 2009 PART TWO