IF JESUS IS GOD, WHY DID HE DIE?

 Monday, September 26, 2016

DOES GOD DIE?

These are questions Muslims ask every day, and in this article, I will respond to them.

READ: 1 Peter 3:18–19
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits."

The Word of God says that His body was put to death, but His spirit was made alive. Therefore, we need not be surprised, because we understand that it was only His body that died, but His spirit did not die.

Scripture teaches us that GOD IS SPIRIT; hence, the one who was killed was only the body, but His spirit remained alive.

1 Timothy 6:15–16
"Which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen."

The divine nature of God did not change when the “WORD” became flesh (John 1:1, 14). Instead, the Word united with humanity (Colossians 2:9). Therefore, the divinity of Jesus Christ was neither corrupted nor changed. Moreover, Jesus was not just a man who had God within him or merely someone doing the work of God—absolutely not. Jesus is God in the flesh and the second person of the Holy Trinity.

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 1:3:
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."

Therefore, the two natures of Jesus Christ cannot be confused or mixed (Eutychianism), nor can they be merged into one single nature (Monophysitism). These two natures are distinct and independent, and yet at the same time, they are united in the person of Jesus. This union is known as the Hypostatic Union.

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FURTHER EVIDENCE OF THE TWO NATURES OF JESUS

The doctrine of the Hypostatic Union involves what theologians call the communicatio idiomatum (Latin for "communication of properties"). This doctrine teaches that the divine and human attributes of Jesus are both fully present in the person of Jesus Christ. This means that the human Jesus had the right to say,

• “He had glory with God the Father before the world began” (John 17:5),

• He claimed to have come from Heaven (John 3:13),

• And that He is present everywhere—omnipresent (Matthew 28:20).

All of these claims are divine attributes, and Jesus fully possessed them.

One of the greatest mistakes non-Christians make is failing to understand that Jesus had two natures. For instance, the Jehovah’s Witnesses view Jesus only as a human being, denying His divine attributes. They often focus only on the verses that describe the humanity of Jesus while rejecting those that testify to His deity.

On the other hand, Christian Scientists make the opposite mistake: they emphasize Jesus’ divinity and neglect His humanity.

There are many other verses that testify to the deity of Jesus, including:

• John 10:30–33

• John 20:28

• Colossians 2:9

• Philippians 2:5–8

• Hebrews 1:6–8

• 2 Peter 1:1

To understand Jesus properly, every teaching about Him must address both His divine and human natures. These two natures are essential to who He is.

That’s why in Luke 2:52, it says:
"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

Yet, at the same time, He was omniscient (all-knowing), as seen in John 21:17.
Jesus is the Word of God who became flesh/human (John 1:1, 14).

God bless you all.
It is I,
Dr. Maxwell Shimba,
Servant of Jesus Christ
For Max Shimba Ministries Org
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