The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-15, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.

Question

My question is concerning the death of Christ. I know that the word-faith people are teaching a very erroneous teaching on the death of Christ and His going to hell and being born again, and so forth. But, it seems like some sound teachers are denying the spiritual death of Christ, to kind of dispute what the word-faith people are saying. I’d like you, if you would, to answer the question: Did Christ die spiritually on the cross? And, what are some of the scriptural texts in regard to that?

Answer

Well, spiritual death is usually defined as separation from God. In that sense, I would say, yes, Christ did die spiritually. We know He died physically; I mean, that’s obvious, because they crucified Him and He yielded up His spirit, right? And they ran a spear into His side and out came the pericardial fluid, mixed with blood, which indicated probably that His heart had burst. And so we know He died physically.

What, beyond that, what He experienced was a separation from God. And, I believe, in that sense, there was a spiritual alienation--there was a spiritual death. Spiritual death is alienation from God, and Jesus articulated that when He said, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” I think, in the experience of bearing sin in His own body--literally, Paul says, “Being made sin for us”--the separation occurred. And so, I think there was a spiritual element to His death. Now, obviously, His nature was not defiled. Ok, now that is the caveat that you have to place there. While He bore the sins of many, He Himself never became a sinner. That’s the mystery of it. He was made sin, in the sense that all of our sin was placed upon Him, but He Himself was not culpable, so that His death was a voluntary substitutionary death and not one for His own iniquity.

And that’s where the word-faith people just completely misrepresent the death of Christ. They have Christ dying on the cross as a sinner, then going to hell--this is what Kenneth Copeland, for example, teaches--going to hell, and there suffering punishment for His sins, and then being born again and coming back to the world on His resurrection morning. But, you’re right, in disputing that, we cannot dispute the reality that Christ was made sin, and in being completely covered with sin, He was alienated from God, which is the essence of what spiritual death is.

Question (continued)

Besides the reference in Matthew, do you have any other scripture that would talk about that separation? I know in Psalm 22--that’s a reference.

Answer (continued)

Yes, because that’s where he drew that from, from Psalm 22. Just off the top of my head I am trying to remember if there’s any specific one…my mind is drawn to Colossians, chapter 2, where it says that the “certificate of debt” (verse 14) “consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, which was the accumulated sin, the debt that we had accrued against God, He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” I think, again, what this is saying is that the whole body of sin was placed upon Christ and nailed with Him there. And I think it’s just inherent in that, that there will be an alienation from God, as He bears this sin.

Another text that comes to mind is in Hebrews, where we see Christ depicted as the scapegoat, as the one who has to suffer. You remember, outside the camp…remember the scapegoat? The high priest would put his sins on the scapegoat, and then he would be taken outside of the camp, indicating that sin was taken away. Christ is the scapegoat; He suffers without the camp. And there again you have the same concept of alienation, where he is sent out into the wilderness bearing sin. But, I can’t, just off the top of my head, think of any other specific statement with that regard. Do you have any in mind?

Question (continued)

Well, the verse in 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 18, “For Christ also has suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” And then it says, “being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit”…and I’m wondering--that “quickened by the Spirit”--what is that?

Answer (continued)

Now, what I think that means, and what I think you have to hold there (and that’s why I wouldn’t refer this verse particularly to this issue)--I think it simply means, He was dead physically, but He was alive in His spirit. In other words, that would be true of anyone who dies, right? I mean, you can kill the body, but you can’t kill the soul. And I think that’s what it means, that His body was killed, but His soul did not go out of existence. So, when we talk about spiritual death, we’re not talking about someone’s soul going out of existence. And, it tells us there that “being alive in the spirit, He then went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison.” It is true that He did go to the abode of demons, but He didn’t go there to suffer, He went there to preach.

So, all that’s saying is that, while His body was dead, the real Christ was still alive. That doesn’t speak of the alienation that He experienced on the cross in bearing sin. Good question, thank you.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986