Feb 3, 2010
Why didn't Christ become corrupt for us?
Our Lord Jesus Christ is last Adam. He entered into the sphere of humanity as that. He came as the antitype of the first Adam. As Adam the first was son of God, in communion with God, in a state of probation, so last Adam came. Last Adam came to do what first Adam failed to do - pass probation. The first Adam failed to obey and failed to bring himself and his posterity into a state of immutability. Last Adam obeyed so as to bring the new humanity into a state immutable communion with God. In order to secure this, He had to do two things - provide obedience and satisfaction to divine justice due to sin. Satisfaction to divine justice entailed suffering to the point of death and thus exhausting the wrath of God. Satisfaction to divine justice involved suffering the punishment due to sin. The punishment due to sin is eternal wrath. Our Lord suffered the punishment of eternal wrath on the cross; damnation was exhausted! He did so as a perfect, sinless substitute and willing wrath bearer. Yet, He did so all the while remaining personally sinless. Though personal corruption is a necessary consequent of personal guilt in every normal case, there is one exception - our Lord! He was neither personally guilty nor personally corrupt. The guilt He bore was imputed; corruption never imparted. Why not imparted corruption? Corruption would imply personal guilt and make Him an unsuitable last Adam.
Comments
Tom Hicks on Feb 3, 2010 12:45pm
Amen! Christ did not become a sinner on the cross; our sins were imputed to Him, the perfect, spotless lamb. Good post!
Eliza Huie on Feb 3, 2010 3:33pm
A "WILLING wrath bearer" (I love that!) This post brought two things to mind. Galatians 3:13 and this quote from a sermon by John Piper.
"There rests on us demands we cannot meet and a curse we cannot bear and Christ says 'May I' and the Father says 'You may'"
Humbled and Thankful.
Richard Barcellos on Feb 3, 2010 3:58pm
EH,
Amen!
JEFF MODERT on Feb 8, 2010 3:05pm
Corruption's physical result is decay and that would make scripture fallible since it clearly states (and restates) "nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption"... Thankfully, scripture is true and we have a perfect, sinless sacrifice - Praise the Lord!
Thanks 4 the post and the above comments!