2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; (15) 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.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit reveals to us that Jesus died for all, and because Jesus died for all, all have therefore died. The Holy Spirit is not speaking about physical death in this passage, because if that were the case then all have died physically and physical death has been done away with. But we know that is not true because it is appointed by God for men to die once (physically) and then after that the judgement (Hebrews 9:27). And so although Jesus died physically on the cross He did not incur our physical death, for all men still die physically. But rather the physical death of Christ condemned sin in the flesh, which relates to this present life and does not relate to the spirit of man (Romans 8:3). No rather, the Holy Spirit is speaking about spiritual death in this passage. In other words Jesus died in spirit for all. Notice that Jesus did not die for Himself, for He had committed no sin. So, not only did Jesus become our sin, but He also died our spiritual death.
Romans 6:3-8 “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) 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. (5) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (7) For he who has died has been freed from sin. (8) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.”
And so as revealed in the above quoted passage of scripture, what God was able to do through Jesus, was to immerse all who believe, into the spiritual death that Jesus died. Which is why this passage teaches us that we have been baptised (immersed) into His death. So, what spiritual death did Jesus incur for us? For when the scripture teaches us that Jesus died for all and therefore all have died, it means that all no longer have to incur this particular death. We know that Jesus could not have incurred the death of our spirits when we commit sin at the age of thirteen, for all men still incur that death. The above quoted passage of scripture reveals what death Jesus died for us, for it tells us that our old man was crucified with Christ, and that it was our old man that died with Christ. Our old man is the spiritually dead man that we all had before we were saved. In other words when that spiritually dead man died with Christ, he died a second spiritual death. And so whereas Christ died His one and only spiritual death, those whom God baptised into Christ’s death, died their second spiritual death.
Revelation 20:13-15 “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. (14) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Again, it is in the New Testament that revelation is given to us for the first time that there are in fact two spiritual deaths; for in the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit reveals to us that there is a second death. As revealed in this passage, the second death is the lake of fire. And so we see that the spiritual death that Jesus died for all is in fact the second death. All unbelievers are already spiritually dead. In other words they have all experienced the first spiritual death. At the end of the age only those who are already spiritually dead will be cast into that lake of fire for all eternity, for it is only those who are spiritually dead that do not have their names written in the Book of Life. And so we see that all unbelievers will thus incur the second spiritual death.
Michael E.B. Maher
Comments