Chapter 2 – Dead Body

Claim

God raised His son Jesus from the dead. The Bible insists this is an historical fact, not merely a teaching. This action vindicated all that Jesus had been teaching and doing for the past 3½ years. This man was not only alive again after being buried in a tomb for three days, but was transformed from human to divine nature. This reality became a matter of “first importance” when preaching the gospel (1Cor 15: 3). The fact of Jesus’ resurrection by God is the critical, core teaching of the Gospel, and the cornerstone of Bible Christianity.

Understanding the truth about the resurrected Jesus will compel you to discard misconceptions and share the true Bible teaching with others.

This claim is supported by the following Scripture evidence.

really dead on cross (Jn 19:33) dead body taken down (Jn 19:38) buried in tomb, as prophesied (Is 53:9, Mt 27:60) like dead serpent on pole (Jn 3:14, Num 21:9) died for our sins per Scripture (1Cor 15:3) destroyed devil / condemned sin (Heb 2:14, 1Jn 3:8, Rom 8:3)

Each of these six Bible references is discussed in terms of relevant teaching Points followed by So What implications, with respect to Jesus and then to his disciples.

---

[back to top]

#1 – John 19:33 – really dead on the cross

The context of this verse is John’s gospel account of Jesus’ dying moments, and a Roman soldier’s verification that Jesus had actually died.

28 After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the scripture), "I thirst." 29 A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; 33 but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of him shall be broken." 37 And again another scripture says, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced."

Points:

• “(to fulfill the scripture)” is a parenthetical remark to illustrate what was realized after the fact, rather than Jesus saying “I thirst” in order to be sure that a certain prophecy was accurate.
• The language about the soldier’s recognition that Jesus was in fact dead, is simple and clear – nothing mystical or ambiguous about it.
• As an apparent assurance against Jesus faking death, one soldier drove a spear into Jesus’ body hanging on the cross. The thrust would likely have been from a standing position up and under the rib cage.
• The text states that Scripture was fulfilled twice more in this death event: no bone of Jesus was broken¹ and his body was pierced (cf. Ps 34:20, Zech 12:10). The entirety of Psalm 22 is prophetic of Jesus’ experience on the cross. For example, verses 16 to 18 say “…a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet – I can count all my bones – they stare and gloat at me; they divide my garments among them”.

So What:

• The Jewish religious authorities certainly knew the passages about “you shall not break a bone of it” in reference to a perfect Passover lamb (Ex 12:46, Num 12:9). And they were likely aware of David’s Psalm 34 which spoke about the outcome of a righteous man before the LORD: “he keeps all his bones, not one of them shall be broken” (v.20). If Jesus had a single broken bone, he would have been deemed a wicked man, and thus could not have been the Messiah. Maliciously therefore, the Jews sought to prompt the Roman practice of breaking the legs of those being crucified, in order to hasten death.

  See how God both foiled their plan and fulfilled His:


• The soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs² but one pierced his side, fulfilling the prophecy of Ps 34:20.
• Their action also set the stage for the prediction of Zech 12:10 to come to pass. It says of the Jews “…when they look to me whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him…”.
• This detail is used as a defining point in describing the Return of Jesus: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (Rev 1:7).
• So men are shown to be wicked and wrong, while God’s Word is shown to be reliable and true.
• But what about the nailing of Jesus to the cross? How could that miss crushing or breaking a bone? The Romans hammered the nail between the two bones just above the wrist. This effectively transfixes the weighty body to the wood³ since impaling the fleshy, small-boned palms could not be trusted to hold the weight very long.
• Getting something to drink would have enabled Jesus to make his final declaration “It is finished” clearly and loudly, audible to all those at Golgotha.

  A good case can be made that Jesus was either quoting the entirety of Psalm 22⁴ or at least citing its opening and ending verses. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” (Ps 22:1) is explicitly cited by Jesus (Mt 27:46), while “that he has wrought it” (Ps 22::31) can be aligned with “it is finished [fulfilled]” (Jn 19:30). Jesus wanted to make God’s final message from the cross loud and clear.

• The chief priests and elders aggressively shouted that Jesus be crucified⁵. Their continued demand on this point clearly revealed their utter hatred of Jesus as well as their blood thirst. But there was likely more. They knew that the law said “cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree”. If Jesus were crucified, he would be ‘cursed’, and thus they thought could not be the Messiah. However, God used their evil deed as a means to have Jesus “redeem us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for⁶ us” (Gal 3:10-13).

What the Jewish leaders tried to do	What God did according to His purpose
Have a curse brought on Jesus by him being crucified, i.e., “hung on a tree”	Used this evil deed to have the innocent, obedient Jesus remove the curse of the law
Show the failure of Jesus’ claims by mocking him on the cross, challenging him to come down and demonstrate he was the Messiah of God	Let their dreadful actions fulfill the prophecies of Jesus’ crucifixion & helped Jesus continue to resist the temptation to save himself
Have Jesus’ legs broken, arguably so that he could not be regarded as a “Passover lamb”	Besides making His Son’s suffering shorter, let Jesus die early, so no need to break his legs; a soldier’s spear made sure Jesus was dead, piercing his body, as prophesied

---

[back to top]

#2 – John 19:38 – body taken down

This verse is part of the section on Jesus’ death, discussed above.

38 After this Joseph of Arimathe’a, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicode’mus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight. 40 They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Points:

• The language is clear and definitive: the dead body of Jesus was put in a tomb.
• “they laid Jesus there” indicates that his body was laid there. Thus the person of Jesus continued to be fully associated with his body. A dead body meant a dead Jesus.
• To go in and to make a request of Pilate for Jesus’ body took courage on the part of Joseph. His wealth and recognition as a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin⁷ presumably allowed him an audience with the Roman governor. Getting this official permission would override the commands of any garrison still at the cross or temple soldiers still under orders from the high priest. Even so, handling the burial of the beaten, flogged, crucified man of Nazareth took great courage – for now Joseph had publicly committed himself and his loyalty.
• Joseph’s own new tomb was not only conveniently nearby but it would also fulfill another OT prophecy (cf. Is 53:9).
• After nearly three years, Nicodemus⁸ finally came forward to show his support of Jesus. He also desired to be personally involved in the burial of Jesus.
• Jesus could have been regarded as merely a common criminal, and his dead body tossed into the city garbage dump⁹. However, with Joseph’s rushed intervention, he was given a respectable burial.

So What:

• 

  The death state of those who die without God and thus without hope of ever living again, is aptly described in Ecclesiastes 9. Read the following passage:

  3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that one fate comes to all; also the hearts of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and they have no more for ever any share in all that is done under the sun.

  9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life which he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

• If God is not perceived as a key factor in one’s life “under the sun”, then life can be regarded and summed up as “all is vanity and striving after wind” (Eccl 1:14, 2:11, 17, 26). The implication for the living is to do what they can in their limited existence and opportunities, as shown in this table recap of the passage above:

  Living State	Death State
  Has hope	No hope
  Know will die	Know nothing
  Can get reward	No more reward
  Can love, hate & envy	Love, hate & envy perished
  Can work and think	No work or thought
  Can know, be wise	No knowledge or wisdom
  Enjoy life as you are able	Sheol, the grave, is your end
  Do what you can while you live – that’s your one chance!

  So what? Without God, hope means wanting to exist a little longer, perhaps to pursue a few things. Then existence ends. No immortal soul. No reincarnation. But with God, there is hope of resurrection and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

• Joseph and Nicodemus’ loving preparation and burial of Jesus surely resulted in their expulsion from the council of Jewish elders, whose collective wisdom had come up with a twisted and terrible decision. Neither party could continue the relationship. The price in becoming disciples of Jesus was worth it of course, but the two had taken a stand for the Lord when he was dead! He wasn’t even raised from the grave yet. Can you imagine their utter excitement and joy when they learned of it and then probably saw the resurrected Jesus?

• Paul had a comparably wicked and misguided alliance with the chief priests in Jerusalem. Initially, he had headed the persecution of the early believers¹⁰. Before he changed his name, Paul was called Saul. As Saul, he had “punished them often in the synagogue and tried to make them blaspheme; and in raging fury against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities” (Acts 26:11).

  It was on such a trip to Damascus “with the authority and commission of the high priests” that Saul was confronted with his folly, blinded and struck down by the personal appearance of the risen Jesus. Remarkably, the words that Jesus spoke to Paul are descriptive of the resurrection: “But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me”. Saul, though living, had been dead in his sins. Now he would be baptized¹¹, have his sins washed away, and start a new life in the power and purpose of his Lord.

  While most disciples will not have such a dramatic conversion to Christ, it will be exciting nevertheless. Why? Because like Paul, they have had their eyes opened to the truth, and having been baptized into Jesus, they have established a relationship with God.

---

[back to top]

#3 – Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:60 – buried in tomb, as prophesied

This pairing of verses illustrates how Scripture presents fulfilled prophecy.

Is 53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Mt 27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathe'a, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.

Points:

• Even a quick reading of these two passages leads to the conclusion that Joseph’s act of placing the dead Jesus “in his own new tomb” was to provide another fulfillment of a prophecy inspired by God¹².
• Since there was no guarantee that Pilate would grant the request, this activity of Joseph’s was not a last minute attempt to make Is 53:9 come true. However, the site and the great stone door would turn out to be very significant. E.g., Jesus had to be in a tomb so that his prediction comparing Jonah “in the belly of the whale” to himself “in the heart of the earth” (Mt 12:40) would be proven accurate and Jesus shown to be a prophet.

So What:

Jesus’ killers¹³ were worried about his prophecy of rising after three days in the tomb. They were determined to prevent this using every means possible. The Matthew 27 account relates the story about the desperate measures taken by the chief priests, while chapter 28 tells the glorious outcome, and how the unmistakable fact of an empty tomb was the only vestige left to lie about. Read the drama for yourself:

Ch 27:62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 Therefore order the sepulchre to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they went and made the sepulchre secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Ch 28:1 Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Mag'dalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you." 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed; and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

If the great stone door had not been there, it could not have been sealed shut. And if the anxiety of the chief priests had not compelled them to acquire and set a guard of soldiers to make doubly sure the disciples did not remove the body of Jesus, the guard would not have been witness to the angelic intervention. The only remaining but feeble course of action was to bribe the soldiers to lie. Again, the cleverness of wicked men is turned into irrefutable evidence by God that the tomb was empty.

Modern-day skeptics of the resurrection of Jesus have put forward various arguments designed to cast doubt on the Bible record¹⁴. Defenders of Bible truth have examined the strength of such arguments, and concluded that the best case of the skeptics is no better than the flimsy lie of the chief priests and soldiers. It is not blind faith to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. The Gospel text rings magnificently true. Read it for yourself.

A man named Frank Morison started out as a skeptic, believing that the Scripture story “rested upon very insecure foundations”¹⁵. He admitted to be influenced by the higher critics, who asserted that the Gospel narrative was unreliable. He also acknowledged that he was raised in a time when “almost every word of the Gospels was just then the subject of high wrangling and dispute”. The book he wrote was originally title “Jesus, the Last Phase” but ended up being called Who Moved the Stone?¹⁶. After what he considered was thorough examination of the evidence and expert questioning of the various viewpoints, he concluded that only the Bible story stood the test. So in the end, truth-seeker Morison got it right with Jesus.

---

[back to top]

#4 – John 3:14, Numbers 21:9 – like dead serpent on pole

The context of this first verse is the very popular John 3:16 that is frequently quoted by Christians around the world. The second reference is the OT source to which Jesus is alluding.

Jn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Num 21:4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Points:

• By reference to the bronze serpent set on a pole, Jesus was prophesying the manner and purpose of his own crucifixion on a tree (cf. 1Pet 2:24).
• “lifted up” indicates physical elevation, but can also apply to promotion in status or an increase in prominence¹⁷.
• Whether it was impaled by the pole or set on a small platform at the top, the bronze serpent was lifeless; it may have appeared lifelike, but it was just metal. Like manufactured idols of the time, the bronze snake could do nothing. It could not move, it could not bite, it did not breathe. It symbolized that the real, living “fiery serpent” whose bite did make people die, was now itself powerless.
  
• The application to Jesus now becomes evident. People who knew they were sinners and therefore dying, needed to believe that in looking to and trusting in the man whose crucifixion represented a dead serpent, they would similarly be saved. Otherwise, they would perish!
• “perish”¹⁸ not only signifies that a person dies, but that he or she will never live again, i.e., there is no hope of the resurrection. That person is lost forever.

So What:

• In love, God brought Jesus into existence to be that solitary man who – uniquely – would kill every sinful tendency in himself, right up to the end on the cross. Jesus would fulfill the prophecy in Genesis 3:15, where the battle between the “seed of the woman” [Jesus born of the virgin Mary] and “the serpent”¹⁹ ends with the head of the serpent being crushed.
  

  “I will put enmity between you and the woman 1, and between your seed and her seed 2; he shall bruise your head 3, and you shall bruise his heel 4.” (Gen 3:15)

  {1 & 2 indicate two ongoing distinct enmities or conflict; 3 & 4 show a simultaneous attack with two distinct wound outcomes}

• The original Genesis creature had died or been killed²⁰ long, long ago. But the deceitful carnal thinking and behavior of that serpent²¹ still lives on in human beings. Jesus asserted it was manifest in the Pharisees: they were natural liars and murderers, just like their “father, the devil” (Jn 8:44). Jesus rightly identified this deceitful adversary and resisted their false accusations.
• Jesus also faced an internal enemy. In describing his temptation in the wilderness by the devil, Jesus identified the tempter to be in himself: he quoted Scripture that did apply to the Christ, but not in that situation. When Jesus resisted the attractive but inappropriate idea that he miraculously be spared from death to prove he was the Son of God, he was resisting the devil (Mt 4:5-7). Likewise, when Jesus told Satan to “Begone!” (Mt 4:10), it was just like his “Get behind me, Satan!” rejection of Peter’s very appealing assertion that being killed in Jerusalem would never happen (Mt 16:23). So when Jesus died on the cross, the devil or fleshly thinking that had been denied at every turn was vanquished forever (cf. Heb 2:14).



• The idea of Jesus representing a dead snake on a pole would have been shocking to some people. It could have been much like his “hard saying” that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53, 60-65). But it is Bible truth²². It makes sense when one grasps the right Bible teaching about human nature. Understanding that Jesus was a human being just like the rest of mankind, makes it easy to see how alluding to the bronze serpent fittingly becomes a metaphor for his victory over sin.
• This “ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan” can likewise be cast out and defeated by the disciple who finds salvation in Christ²³ and obeys the command to “deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Rev 12:9-11, Mt 16:24-25).

---

[back to top]

#5 – 1Corinthians 15:3 – died for sins per Scripture

This verse has come up before. The reader will recall the context being the opening verses in the chapter that discusses the fact of Jesus’ resurrection.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.

Points:

• Since Jesus “died”, there was a dead body.
• Since there was a dead body, it could be buried [entombed], enabling a resurrection or ‘rising again’ out of the tomb.
• All this is in accordance with Scripture, the inspired word of God.

So What:

• Jesus ceased to exist as a living person. As learned earlier from the passage in Ecclesiastes chapter 9, he had no thoughts or hurt or work or plans. It was like a dreamless sleep. He was simply waiting for his God to wake him up to a new life.
• This likening the death state to sleep is common in Scripture (e.g., Jn 11:11-14, Acts 7:60). It is used particularly for those who have died believing in Christ and who await to be resurrected at His coming (e.g., 1Thes 4:13-16). Those who get it right with Jesus in this life, are assured of eternal life “in the age to come” (Mk 10:29-30).



• “died for our sins” is a phrase open to various interpretations. In English, “for” can mean “in the place of” or “on behalf of”. The Greek word here is uper, which means “on behalf of”. It is the preposition consistently used by Paul when describing how the death of Jesus was for the benefit of believers. It is incorrect to interpret “for our sins” to mean that Jesus was a substitute for mankind. If that is what Paul wanted to communicate, he would have used the word anti.²⁴
• It makes a difference how Jesus’ sacrifice is viewed. Consider the following:

---

[back to top]

#6 – Hebrews 2:14, 1John 3:8, Romans 8:3 – destroyed devil/condemned sin

This series of references provide “first importance” teaching on the nature of Jesus and how it was prerequisite for him to meet and defeat sin in his own body of flesh. This was the arena of battle, and this is where Scripture uses the term “devil” as a way of depicting the temptations of Jesus from within his own self. Those temptations not only had to be resisted³⁰. but ultimately eliminated forever. Recall the illustration in Chapter 1:

When Jesus did this³¹, his victory over sin and death was complete, and opened the door for the rest of mankind to be saved the same way.

Heb 2:14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.

1Jn 3:4 Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God 10 By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

Points:

• It was “through death” that the devil was destroyed.
• “might destroy” indicates not some future possibility but “could and would”. It definitely was possible and did happen; this interpretation is confirmed by the 1Jn 3:8 verse.
• “who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” is a vivid way of describing the plight of sinners; they know they sin, and they know the “wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). They are definitely going to die.
• “and deliver all those” was accomplished through Jesus “who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2Tim 1:10)”; this deliverance is not a ‘might’ future possibility but a “can and will” certainty.



• Before trying to understand what the passage in 1Jn 3 is about, first examine and understand the points made in 1John 1:8-2:6.
  

  Ch 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

  Ch 2:1 My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

  3 And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

  

  Disciples of Christ do sin, but such behavior is not a defining characteristic or desire. If they confess their sins, they are forgiven, and are ‘covered’ by the expiation³² sacrifice of Jesus. Go back then and analyze the 1John 3:4-10 passage:

  To do right is to…	To sin is to …
  Be righteous (v.7)	be lawless (v.4)
  be born of God (v.9)	[born] of the devil (v.9)
  not sin, with respect to a particular opportunity33. (v.9)	willingly sin, with respect to every opportunity34.(v.8)
  be children of God (v.10)	be children of the devil (v.10)
  do the things that God commands (see v.14, 24); be like Abel (v. 12)	not do the things that God commands (v.10); be like Cain (v.12)

• There has already been a discussion on the Rom 8:1-3 passage in Chapter 1. The point here is to perceive that to “destroy the works of the devil” is another way of describing how Jesus set men free “from the law of sin and death”. Sin was demonstrated to be a very terrible thing, and was therefore justly condemned by God³⁵.

So What:

• It is challenging but rewarding to line up Scripture with Scripture. Analyzing and aligning the text around the Hebrews 2, 1John 3 & Romans 8 references show that their teaching about sin and the devil is the same, only in different words. Their Points fit with the Points made earlier about the dead body/serpent on a pole. Not surprisingly, their ‘So What’ implications are very similar to those for the John 3 & Numbers 21 references.

  The exercise is a good example of how the proper explanation of one Scripture passage can often provide insight to understanding a passage which is discussing the same topic. It can also prevent going off in a wrong direction.

• It is valuable to figure things out about the work of God in Jesus Christ. A believer’s discipleship is obviously governed by that believer’s understanding – whether right or wrong. This workbook is intended to help the reader get the right understanding.



• Many Christian churches teach that ‘the devil is a rebel fallen angel bent on causing mankind to sin, directly or indirectly’. However, Scripture uses the term “devil” to represent sinful human nature. To incorrectly identify the ‘devil’ means your effort to resist will likely fail!
  



• There is a passage in Colossians 2 that reinforces the teaching on how Jesus ‘destroyed his devil / condemned sin’ when he died on the cross. Here’s the text for further examination:
  

  11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.

• Jesus triumphed over the law of sin and death. He allowed his body to be “nailed to the cross” and become a “public example” – such as a placard display. This is a picture comparable to the dead snake on the pole [see Reference #4 earlier]. When Jesus rose from the dead to eternal life, death was conquered, and sin was eliminated in himself.
• Jesus brought an end to the law of Moses – its “legal demands” were “canceled” by Christ. For example, the command to be physically circumcised was superseded by “circumcision made without hands”. Baptism was now the means to ‘cut off the flesh’, and applied to Jew and Gentile, male and female, rather than just male Jews.
• Paul described how bondage to both laws was removed by the resurrected Jesus, so that disciples could “bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit” (Rom 7:4-6).



• The probable OT story behind Heb 2:15 is when on behalf of Saul’s army, David came out to face Goliath. He killed what seemed to be an undefeatable foe. You can read this exciting fight and glorious outcome in 1Samuel chapter 17.
• The Philistine giant was their champion warrior, and was so fiercely huge, loaded with weapons and experienced in fighting that no one in the ranks of Israel dare take up the challenge. No one except David, the man raised up by the LORD to take on and conquer the enemy who terrorized His people.
• So while Jewish soldiers quivered in their hiding places [fear of death], David ran forward with a sling and struck the forehead of Goliath with a stone, making him fall to the ground on his face. Then he drew Goliath’s own sword, killed him, and cut off his head. With their champion dead, the Philistines fled. But now the army of Israel got over its fear, rose up with a shout [freed from their bondage], and pursued their enemy.
• As a final demonstration of victory and symbolic act of the total end of the hostile power, “David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent”. Here’s the pointer to Jesus: “Golgotha (which means the place of a skull)” was the place of the crucifixion on a hill outside Jerusalem (Mt 27:33)³⁶. The table below provides a further comparison of Goliath’s death with victory over Sin.

---

[back to top]

Conclusion

Jesus died by crucifixion on a tree. No bones were broken, but his side was pierced by a Roman soldier. His dead body was taken down, bound in linen cloths with spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews (Jn 19:40). The body was put in Joseph’s new tomb, whose great stone door was later sealed at the request of the chief priests and with the authorization of the Roman governor. For “three days” according to Jewish reckoning and his own prediction, Jesus ceased to exist.

The reality of Jesus’ death and burial had been prophesied in the Old Testament, and now had been fulfilled. Since he was a mortal human being, Jesus could and did die. However, his time in the grave would be short, since he had destroyed the power of sin represented by the serpent as foretold in Genesis 3:15. The “law of sin and death” was to be superseded by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, the resurrected man who had never sinned.

Jesus likened himself to a dead snake on a pole. This shocking picture is not one of a victim but of victory. When Jesus died, it was the end of sin in and for him. While crucifixion is certainly a terrible and very painful thing, the cross of Jesus was the end of suffering and a superlative triumph over his #1 enemy. Disciples who ‘get it right with Jesus’ will appreciate and share the triumph of their Lord.

The diagram below illustrates what true teaching about Jesus is for, and therefore what wrong teachings must be contended against.

---

[back to top]

Questions:

1. What are the implications of Jesus ceasing to exist, even for the short time in the tomb?

2. How was the prophet Jonah being in the belly of the great fish (Jon 1:17), and then being vomited out on the dry shore (2:10) a foreshadowing of what would happen to Jesus?

3. Jesus was dead. God cannot die. Using Scripture, how is this explained by those who claim that Jesus was God the Son, whose nature is identical with the immortal nature of God the Father?

4. What other prophecies predict the death of Jesus? How were they fulfilled?

5. What do you think you need to do to “get it right with Jesus”?

The reader is encouraged to ponder and then answer these questions. If desired, send the answers to the author, whose home address and e-mail address can be found in the Foreword. A response to your effort is promised.

---

[back to top]

Further Investigation:

a. Look in the Appendix for Strong’s Concordance analysis for the following words translated “hell” in the KJV: sheol, hades, gehenna.

b. See how Revelation picks up the idea of binding and ultimately destroying the enemy. There is reference to the symbolic dragon, “that ancient serpent” [cf. Gen 3:1] which is first bound in Rev 20:2 and then destroyed in the lake of fire (v. 9). This serpent is introduced earlier in the book (12:9) and “is called the Devil and Satan”. Figure out the connection with Mt 25:41 and the predicted elimination of Sin and Death for those who among the faithful of Jesus.

c. Check out the study paper “Basic Bible Teaching about the Devil” in the Appendix.

Make Your Notes

---

[Back to top]

End Notes

1. despite the nailing [back]
2. for he was already dead [back]
3. ensuring long torturous hours of hanging [back]
4. As well as applying to the life of David, Psalm 22 is also a prophetic description about what was happening to Jesus on the cross, in the midst of those that hated him [back]
5. See the record in Lk 23:13-25 [back]
6. The Greek word huper can mean “in behalf of, for the sake of , over, beyond, more than more” [back]
7. The Sanhedrin was [the high-powered religious council [back]
8. Nicodemus was also a Sanhedrin member [back]
9. Gehenna is Greek, and refers to the garbage dump outside Jerusalem [back]
10. In Acts 26:9-16, Paul told how when the Christians “were put to death, I cast my vote against them”. [back]
11. Acts 9:18, 22:16 [back]
12. The prediction was over 600 years prior to the event [back]
13. The Jewish leaders responsible for Jesus’ death (Acts 3:15); “killed” is the Greek word apokteino [back]
14. They claim, for example, that Jesus only fainted, or there was mass hallucination or the women went to the wrong tomb. None of these ‘explanations’ stand the test of serious examination. For example, if Jesus merely fainted and somehow faked his death to the soldiers, he would have also been deceiving his rescuers, for they put the presumably dead body in the tomb. How then did the resuscitated Jesus get out of the sealed tomb that was guarded by soldiers? [back]
15. “Who Move the Stone”, p. 10; the next quote is also from this page [back]
16. Faber and Faber Limited, 24 Russell Square, London 1954 [back]
17. where people can see or appreciate it better [back]
18. Greek apollumi , to loose away, destroy [back]
19. going right back to the beginning to cover the seduction of Eve and disobedience of Adam [back]
20. One suggestion is that Seth, the son who replaced Abel, killed the serpent [back]
21. The Bible speaks of the serpent and what it represents as being the great adversary of mankind. The serpent is called “the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). [back]
22. Those who believe in a triune godhead have difficulty appreciating the significance of the bronze serpent = a dead Jesus. Those who have gotten the right teaching about Jesus clear in their mind, have no difficulty [back]
23. or, as the text states, “conquered him [the serpent] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” [back]
24. “The Atonement and the Social Process” by Dean Shailer Matthews, p. 52; The MacMillan Co, 1930 [back]
25. The correct English word to use is ‘expiation’, which points to the love and mercy of God, not His anger [back]
26. See Lev 16:1-22; note that the living goat bears the sins, not the dead goat [back]
27. 1Jn 2:2, Rom 3:25 [back]
28. Jesus was born into the human race that was “under the power of sin” and all “fell short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:9, 23). Condemnation had come upon all, but Christ’s conquest over sin in and for himself enabled him in turn to share that victory with the rest of mankind (cf. Rom 5:18-21). Just as the high priest offered first for his own ‘sins’ and then for the sins of the people yearly on the day of Atonement (Heb 9:27), this Jesus did once for all when he offered up himself (Heb 10:12-14, 9:12). Though Jesus had no personal sin, he did share a sin-stricken nature that required redemption. [back]
29. Baptized believers are expected to live like Jesus (Rom 6:2-12) and be ‘light’ in the world (Mt 5:14) [back]
30. at great personal suffering and cost on the part of Jesus [back]
31. with the help of God [back]
32. mercy seat, which also served as the cover to the OT ark of the covenant [back]
33. as well as a general lifestyle, since the Spirit is overcoming the flesh [back]
34. as a general lifestyle, since the flesh is overwhelming any Spirit [back]
35. This conclusion helps explain why God cursed the serpent that was ‘merely’ acting according to its own nature (Gen 3:1, 13, Jn 8:44, Rom 8:7). [back]
36. Another interesting link to the David-Goliath overthrow is found in the teaching of Jesus when he spoke about casting out demons by the Spirit of God: “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he many plunder his house” (Mt 12:29). [back]
37. Rom 5:14-15 presents Adam and Jesus as “types” representing mankind [back]