Christ's Redemption from Death

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

(Hebrews 2:9-10)

In the previous section, we discussed how Jesus redeemed us from sin. In this section, we will consider how Jesus has also redeemed us from death. Scripture reveals that in the same way Jesus redeemed us from sin—by taking upon Himself the sin of the world—He has redeemed us from death by dying for the whole world. The passage above confirms this truth, stating that Christ “tasted death for everyone.”

When we speak of Christ delivering us from death, we must remember that when He redeemed us from sin, He set us free from it—sin no longer has dominion over believers. In the same way, when Christ redeemed us from death, He also set us free from it—death no longer has dominion over believers.

Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,

(2 Corinthians 1:9-10)

This raises the question: From what death did Jesus redeem us? In the passage above, the apostle Paul says that God delivered us from “so great a death.” What death is he referring to?

We know Jesus did not redeem us from physical death, because all people still experience it. Scripture declares that “it is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Physical death still has power over all men, for even though believers will be raised at the end of the age, they still experience it in this life.

We also know that Jesus did not redeem us from spiritual death in the sense of preventing it from ever occurring, because all men die spiritually as a result of sin. Scripture teaches that “death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). Even though believers are made alive spiritually when they are born again, they still experienced spiritual death before that moment.

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

(Revelation 20:6)

Scripture reveals three kinds of death: physical death, spiritual death, and the second death. Believers experience the first two, while unbelievers experience all three. The “so great a death” Paul referred to is the second death. The verse above shows that the second death has no power over believers.

In other words, though believers undergo both physical and spiritual death, they will never experience the second death, which is reserved for unbelievers.

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

(Revelation 20:14-15)

The second death is described in the above passage as the lake of fire. On that day, even Death and Hades will be cast into it. This lake was prepared for Satan and his angels, not for mankind (Matthew 25:41). Nevertheless, all unbelievers will incur this eternal death at the final judgment, for anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire.

For there to be a second death, there must also be a first. Since the second death is spiritual, not physical, the first death must also be spiritual. We know the second death is spiritual because Satan and his angels—who are immortal spirit beings (Luke 20:36; Hebrews 1:7)—will suffer it.

All men die spiritually due to sin, making that the first death. The second death is the final, eternal separation from God in the lake of fire. To prevent mankind from suffering it, God allowed His Son to die that death in our place. On the cross, Jesus died not only physically but spiritually, and through His death, God delivered us from the second death.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

(2 Corinthians 5:14-17)

How did God use His Son’s death to deliver men from the second death? The above passage teaches that Jesus died for all, and that in Him all died. This means that all who were in Christ when He died also died with Him. Since all men were already spiritually dead before being placed in Christ, the death they died in Him was their second spiritual death.

Thus, God redeemed mankind from the second death because, in Christ, it has already occurred for believers. However, this applies only to those “in Christ,” as the passage continues: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

(Romans 6:1-4)

And so, although Christ died for all men, not all men benefited from His death. You say, why is that? It is at the death of Christ that the predestination of God is once again manifested, for although Christ died for all, not all died. The above passage of scripture reveals to us that only those who are baptized into Christ are baptized into His death. In other words, from eternity, God knew those who were His, and so when Christ died, He at that time baptized them into the death of His Son.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

(Ephesians 2:4-7)

And so, as revealed in the above passage of scripture, when Christ Jesus was made alive by God the Father, so were those who had been baptized into His death. And they were also raised together with Him and they were seated together with Him in the heavenly places at the same time. In other words, because it was only the saints who were baptized into the death of Christ, it was only the saints that were made alive with Christ, it was only the saints that were raised up together with Christ, and it was only the saints that were seated together with Christ in the heavenly places.

None of that was done for the world because although Christ died for them, they did not die together with Christ. Nevertheless, even though God the Father placed the saints in Christ over two thousand years ago, that was only made manifest in the lives of each individual saint when they confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

Michael E.B. Maher

Predestined to His Purpose

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