Why Did Christ Die?

Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Each Have a Part in Saving Sinners

by James Buchanan

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are revealed as concurring together in the whole purpose and plan of man's redemption; but as sustaining, each of them, a distinct office, and undertaking a different part of the work, in carrying that purpose and plan into effect.

Their common purpose of saving sinners, and their harmonious co–operation in its accomplishment, might be inferred from the unity of the divine nature, which necessarily implies unity in the counsels of the divine will; but the personal distinctions of the Godhead could never have been so clearly revealed in any other way than by the distinct offices and operations, which are ascribed to them in connection with the work of salvation. It is to mark at once their harmony of purpose, and also their several agencies, in this work, that every believer is required to be baptized,-not simply into the name of God,-but 'into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:19);' and that each of the three is distinctly invoked in the Apostolic form of benediction: 'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all (2 Cor. 13:14).' The preparatory baptism of John, which is described as 'the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,' and which was administered to the people who attended his ministry, (Acts 19:2-6) that they might be taught to 'believe on Him who should come after him,' and 'baptize them with the Holy Ghost,'-was imperfect, as compared with Christian baptism, because it did not distinctly specify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and accordingly it was superseded on the establishment of the Christian Church.

Each of the three Persons in the Godhead sustains a distinct office, and undertakes a work which Is ascribed peculiarly to Him, in connection with the divine method of saving sinners.

THE FATHER is revealed as representing the majesty,––exercising the sovereignty,––and maintaining the prerogatives, of the Godhead. It is said of Him that 'He loved us,'––that 'He blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ,'––that 'He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,'––that 'He predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved,'––that 'He gave His only–begotten Son,'––that 'He sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world,'––that 'He made Him to be sin for us,'––that 'He set Him forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood,'––that 'lie spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up to the death for us all,'––that 'He commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,'––that 'it pleased the Lord to bruise Him,'––that 'He raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God,'––that He 'crowned Him with honour and glory, and did set Him over the works of His hands,'––and that 'God hath exalted Him with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance, and remission of sins.' (John 3:16; Eph. 1:3,4,5; 1 John 4:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 3:25, 8:32; Isa. 53:10; 1 Pet. 1:21; Heb. 2:7; Acts 5:31).

THE SON is revealed as acting in official subordination to the Father,––as 'sent",––as 'given,'––as 'coming to do His will,'––as 'making Himself of no reputation,'––as 'taking upon Him the form of a servant, and appearing in the likeness of man,'––as 'humbling Himself, and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,'––as being 'made under law,'––as being 'made sin for us,'––as being 'made a curse for us,'––as 'wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities,'––as bearing 'our sins in His own body on the tree,'––as 'giving Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour,'––as 'crucified in weakness, but raised in power,'––as ascending up into heaven, and sitting down 'for ever on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool,'––as 'highly exalted, and having a name given to Him which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' (Phil. 2:7; Gal. 3:13; Isa. 53; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 10:12; Phil. 2:9-10).

THE HOLY SPIRIT is revealed as 'proceeding from the Father,'––as 'sent by the Son from the Father,'––as 'testifying' of Christ,'––as 'glorifying Christ,'––as 'bearing witness' of Him,––as 'convincing the world of sin, because they believe not on Him,'-as 'shining into the hearts of men, and giving them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,''––as renewing them in the spirit of their minds,'––as 'quickening them' into spiritual life,––as 'the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Christ,––as 'the Spirit that dwelleth in us'––that 'worketh in us'––that 'guideth us into all truth'––that 'helpeth our infirmities'––that 'witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God,'––as 'the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance.' (2 John 15:26, 16:14; 1 John 5:6; John 15:8-9; Eph. 1:17,14).

These testimonies are sufficient to show,––first, that there is a real distinction between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, since many things are revealed concerning each of them which cannot be affirmed of the other two ;––and secondly, that they sustain different offices under the same scheme of grace, and execute different parts of the same work of redemption. If these fundamental truths are clearly revealed, it follows that we can only involve ourselves in inextricable confusion by over-looking the fact that such distinctions exist, and by ascribing that to the Father which Scripture ascribes to the Son,-or that to the Son which Scripture ascribes to the Spirit,-or, conversely, that to the Spirit which the Scripture ascribes to the Son. Yet this is the very error with which those are justly chargeable who substitute the work of the Spirit in us, for the work of Christ for us, as the ground of our Justification.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Each Have a Part in Saving Sinners | Monergism

 

@KenH
Christ had two deaths on the cross. First to pay for our sins in full. Second to physically die to demonstrate that sin was paid in full by His resurrection. And after 40 days ascended once for all to be our mediator until He makes His second appearing.

 

that through (the) death he might destroy him having the power of (the) death -- that is, the devil -- From Hebrews 2:14 YLT

A couple of questions.
What does through mean?
Does the word, "the," that is there is the Greek, have any significance to what is stated and to the OP?

I think I will ask one more question.

Gen 2:17 YLT and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.'

Is that the dying that Jesus died?

One more.

for I delivered to you first, what also I did receive, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Writings,

Are all these, death, died, die, the same?

1 Peter 3:18 YLT because also Christ once for sin did suffer -- righteous for unrighteous -- that he might lead us to God, having been put to death indeed, in the flesh, and having been made alive in the spirit,

Shoot, two more. How long was Christ dead? Was there a span of time between the bold and the underlined of that last verse?

 

I see when I look at the Greek ( rather than what's often translated into English, for example ), that the article "the" comes before "death" and after the word "through", and the descriptive "of-the" comes before "death" in the last part of the verse.
Here's how I understand what he's asking:

"Through" means through...that through His death, the Lord Jesus' purpose in this passage was to destroy Satan ( who has the power of death ).

That depends on whether "die" in Genesis 2:17 is understood as being spiritual death or physical death.
I believe it to be spiritual, not physical...and that is the "death" which was passed to all men in Romans 5:12-14.

Not to me they aren't, as His death accomplished several things.

Also, there are two "deaths" described in Scripture...
Physical and spiritual ( "dead" in trespasses and sins, for example ).

The Lord Jesus was never "dead" in trespasses and sins.

The Lord was dead 3 days and 3 nights, physically.
He was put to death in the flesh, and after 3 days made alive:

" For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: " ( 1 Peter 3:18, AV ).

 

I could ask a lot of questions yet will only ask: You said, " The Lord Jesus was never "dead" in trespasses and sins."

In reality the moment the virgin Mary brought forth her first born son and named him Jesus wasn't he, if he was to be obedient unto the purpose of being born of woman, dead in the trespass and sins of man? If he were going to be obedient unto the Father, wasn't he going to, dying thou dost die and be dead three days according to the scriptures?

'But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him unto you; John 16:7 ----- Is that going away being obedient unto death even the death of the cross? Later after this did he not pray, "not my will but thine be done,"?

Consider: Obedience unto death DEAD and then three days later- Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle -- not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who did raise him out of the dead -- Now see; Acts 2:32,33 'This Jesus did God raise up, (out of the dead) of which we are all witnesses; at the right hand then of God having been exalted -- also the promise of the Holy Spirit having received from the Father (If I go not away)-- he was shedding forth this, (If I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you) which now ye see and hear;

 

No, because while He was made sin for us, He was not a sinner.
As God He is holy, and as man He is without sin....and the wisest man who ever lived.

The Word made flesh.

Yes.
Physically He died and then the Father raised Him again after 3 days and 3 nights.