“Through Death” – Pleasure and Profit from First Principles

Proposition

As clause of six of the B.A.S.F. points out, God’s method of redemption for the fallen race was a matter of God’s kindness and mercy, however that kindness would not set aside the just and necessary law of sin and death. Far from setting it aside, God’s plan provided that salvation from sin and death unto eternal life would be “Through (Gk Dia) The Death.” Hence such statements as Hebrews 9:27-28: “It is appointed unto all men once to die and after this the judgement, so Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many.”

Death was a necessity on the basic ground that Divine justice required that “the wages of sin is death.” (Roman 6:23).

The Fall

A Rising from this basic principle Adam and Eve came under this Divine sentence upon their unfaithfulness to God. This primary transgression caused physiological adjustments to their bodily functions. No longer were they “very good” in kind and condition. Inflamed animal propensities plagued their bodily state. The punishment fitted the crime; they had chosen animal conduct, so animalism became more of their being than previously; death was now only a matter of time. (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:1-7, 19; Romans 5:12; Romans 7:23).

Death Inherited

Here was the fallen man and woman, capable of reproduction, who would reproduce by the will of the flesh in its fallen state. Ought they be able to bear a child “very good” in kind and condition equal to what the creative hand of God had formed by this power and will ? Obviously not!

That which is born of the flesh in this manner appropriately would produce its own kind — mortal sinners by constitution,

“By one man’s disobedience many were made (constituted) sinners.” (Romans 5:19)

“So death passed on unto all men.” (Romans 5:12).

“Behold I was shapen in iniquity.” (Psalm 51:5).

“Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not “(Job 14:4)

So the descendants of Adam and Eve find themselves innocently born into a nature and world afflicted by the degrading effects of transgression. (Romans 8:20). Not so degraded however that God cannot, in mercy, intervene so as to fulfil His glorious purpose of manifestation.

Justice

We may, however, momentarily wonder at the fairness of people innocently born into an evil state and world. It is a problem but one however where the primary responsibilities lies with man not God. Man had sinned, man of his own will begets his kind. God however offers man a hope of a better state, available to those who can be brought to turn away from a life of self indulgence in the lusts of this fallen nature, toward a life of self-denial of the flesh, being led by the spirit word and providence to “Life Eternal.”

Thus all, though innocently, are sin prone and rightly mortal, on the principle that he who begets bears the primary responsibility of what is begotten.

This inherited state does not in itself separate us from God. It is a misfortune but not a crime. However without positive virtues developed within man by God’s truth, this innocent state does not recommend itself to enjoy any privileges other than its natural circumstances provide. Hence an innocent but not virtuous newborn may live or die according to its privileges or misfortunes which it inherits from sinning Mankind.

Acknowledges not expiates

In the redemptive work of God this inherited state needs no expiation (reconciliation) or forgiveness — but it must be sacrificial acknowledged for what it is:

1. The product of man’s (Adam’s) sin and perpetuated by the will of the flesh.
2. For its lusts and spontaneous thought patterns are the fundamental prompters of transgression.
3. That given opportunity it will inevitably sin — even in the most spiritual men (Christ accepted).
4. That in view of the above and that historically “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” man is rightly mortal by birth — God is Just.

A believer recognises the evil physical weakness of his nature and his hope is, release from this state physical change to a righteously inclined immortal spirit nature Body.

Separated by sin

A rising from our inherited weakness is the major problem of personal transgressions against God’s law and will, which definitely separate us from God. The healing of this breach can only be effected at great cost both to God and man.

Personal sins seriously exacerbate our inherited weakness. Bad habits of mind and body make sin part of our personality; it is morally and physically degenerating; it blinds us to clear and objective thinking and judgement. Sins are very offensive to God, frustrating His purpose, obnoxious to His holy omniscience.

Worthy of Death

Personal sins do need to be forgiven and sacrificial expiation (reconciliation) is needed and necessary. They do separate us from God. They do make us worthy of death. (James 1:14-15; Romans 7:24). God is dishonoured, ignored, unbelieved — reproached! (Romans 15:3).

Now God cannot abdicate His sovereign will as creator and king to sin; we must die, one way or another, whatever way, death will be right for us. With these facts in view it is easy to understand that in the “great salvation” devised by the Omnipotent One Death would feature as a major element in a sacrifice for sin.

So by inheritance we are bodily rightly mortal beings and by our misconduct personally worthy of death. The latter arises out of the first as to cause and effect. The later however involves the free will and volition of the individual thus establishing a high degree of personal culpability. Now without a correction of the foregoing problems there is no hope of gaining access to God’s necessary strength and help. This leads us away from the life of sin toward the life of virtue and obedience. Without this there can be no change to immortal life, liberating us from this “vile body” — “this body of death” at the coming of our Lord.

Reconciliation then is very necessary. But before reconciliation a man must be enlightened fundamentally as to his sin state, physical and moral, and to the fact he is separated from God. He must also learn the way of holiness, without which no man can see God. In short he must be led to repentance, “conversion,” belief in the Gospel of God. This enlightenment, readily believed will cause him to feel keenly the evil of his human state and world and deep sense of personal guilt: a dreadful position from which he cannot extricate himself. Mans impotence to save himself becomes God’s opportunity to lead such a person to “reconciliation.” God would provide a “way.” This way would at one and the same time lay many necessary facts of truth and love within his mind and heart. This “way” would so re-orientate his understanding and moral faculties so as to leave him with a deep sense of honour and gratitude toward God. Thus God is able upon this “foundation being laid” in his character, to henceforth “work within (him) both to will and to do His good pleasure” i.e. to create his character ready for the day of the “redemption of the body.”

We would expect then that in God’s method of “reconciliation,” the matter of man’s sin proneness, mortality and personal guilt would figure as a prominent “Truth” to be understood, recognised, and acknowledged. Man should die: “the wages of sin is death.” How could God forgive and save and yet not set aside this just requirement?

The answer lay in God providing a “way” “Through Death,” a way which upheld the justice of God’s law, honoured his sovereignty and at the same time provided an opportunity for the expression of Divine mercy and love and promoted the cause of holiness and obedience in the recipient of this “righteousness OF (from) God” (Romans 3: 21­22).

To be “pronounced righteous” by God (i.e. to be treated as innocent and virtuous) was by a forgiveness that in no way contravened the justice of death. Forgiveness itself is conditional upon one first dying in a way that upheld God’s righteous judgements better than any other way of dying, God has provided a method of dying which, from baptism to the grave vindicates God far better than death to which mankind unwillingly has to succumb, sooner or later. This acceptable death, from baptism to the grave, is of course that death we undergo with Christ by “Faith in his Blood” (Romans 3:25), which must manifest itself in our life from baptism to death. (Romans 6: 1­14 ; II Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2: 20-21; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 3:1-10; Romans 8:12-13). This form of death allows disposition and opportunity to give our forfeited lives to the life of God, servants of righteousness, sons of God, new men of the spirit. It prepares us in the end for a crown of righteousness that fadeth not away, out of a “resurrection of dead ones.”

We might well consider then the quality of Christ’s death on the stake which renders it so beneficial to the believers. Let us then consider that death called in Hebrews 2:14 “The Death” which rendered of none effect the power of the sinning, sin prone, mortal nature of man.