Did God Die on the Cross?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question:Dear Dave and T. A.:I was told that when Jesus became a man, he put aside his divinity so that he could function as a human just as we do.The strongest argument for this perspective is that Jesus became a man in order to pay the penalty for our sins.That is, he had to die.In that God cannot die it was only Jesus the physical man who died for our sins on the cross.This seems to make sense, but I have some nagging doubts about it.What is your view?

Dave:

Well Tom, what’s your view.

Tom:

Well Dave, I know there are some church that won’t sing that (I quoted it earlier), “Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God shoulds’t die for me?‘Tis mystery all, the immortal dies….”

Dave:

“…The immortal dies: Who can explore His strange design?In vain the firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love divine.”

Tom:

So you know there are a lot of reasons that people sort of come up with this.They say well you know if Jesus was going to experience everything that we had to experience, he couldn’t experience them as God and certainly he said of my own self I can do nothing.

Dave:

Yes, well Tom it’s too much to discuss in a short period of time.But first of all the Bible is very clear all through the Old Testament, Yahweh— Jehovah if you want to call him that, says “I am God, there is none else.”Then he says “And beside me there is no Savior.”He claims to be the only Savior.Now when Isaiah prophesies the coming of the virgin born Messiah, he says “His name shall be called the Mighty God, the everlasting Father.”That seems to agree with what Jesus said when he said, “I and my Father are one.”Now if only God can be our Savior which he says over and over and he comes as a man to die for our sins, he can hardly cease to be God and be our Savior.Furthermore, Jesus is repeatedly called “the Great God our Savior, Jesus Christ.”The scripture doesn’t say he ceased to be God because if he is ever God, he must always be God because God cannot change.God cannot cease to be God.So the scripture is quite clear that Jesus is God and man in one.In fact, Jesus says “I and my Father are one.”Now Paul writes and tells us without controversy “Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh.”So everything Jesus did he did it as God manifest in flesh.He did it as God and man in one person.When Jesus stilled the storm he did it as God and man in one person.I can’t explain it; it’s a mystery, but I know that he couldn’t cease to be God; he will never cease to be man.When he died on the cross he died as God and man in one person.Now somebody says well wait a minute!Then who was running the universe if God died?I didn’t say God died.The Bible doesn’t say God died.Wesley says it in his hymn.“Thou my God shoulds’t die for me although that is the implication from scripture, but the Bible does say that Jesus who is one with the Father, who is God, who as a babe his name was “the mighty God, the everlasting Father.”It says this Jesus died on the cross for our sins.Furthermore, only God could pay the infinite penalty.The scripture says he tasted death for every man.

Tom:

Yes, Hebrews:2:9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
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Dave:

Now a mere man could not do that.Furthermore, the immortal is the only one who had life.The immortal one who could die.Well then who’s running the universe?Well, who’s upholding or sustaining the universe?Well maybe a more difficult question would be who was sustaining the universe when Jesus was a fetus in Mary’s womb, or nursing at her breast as a little infant?Maybe John gives us some hint of the answer when he records Christ’s words in John 3.Jesus says, “No man has ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, he’s speaking of himself, even the Son of Man, (he doesn’t say Son of God now), he’s God and man in one, even the Son of Man which is in heaven….”So Jesus when he was on this earth, whether he was a fetus in Mary’s womb or a full grown man, he is in Heaven at the same time because He is eternally the omnipresent God.Well now this could only happen if God is triune in his being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.The Father didn’t incarnate and die on a cross, nor did the Holy Spirit incarnate and die on the cross, but the eternal Son of God came to this earth to die in our place.He had to become a man to represent us, but he had to be God to pay the infinite penalty.

Tom:

Three hours, those three hours on the cross.He said at the end, “It is finished.”He cried out.You talk about death.What does it mean?It means separation.He cried out, “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?”

Dave:

Death is as you said separation.So when Jesus’ body was dead in the grave, he is still conscious, which makes it a little bit absurd to say well who’s running the universe?God has died.Well God didn’t die but Jesus who is God and man in one person died, his body is in the grave,—I’m sorry—

Tom:

No, I just wanted to say that this is a mystery that we can’t comprehend as finite beings.And I think it’s meant to be a mystery.I mean it’s awe inspiring.We think about what God could possibly do, it’s just totally amazing to us.However, although we can’t explain it because we can’t understand it with a finite brain as it were, we can know why it has to be just like the Trinity.I can give you reasons why it has to be, good solid reasons, but I can’t explain it.I cannot explain how God can be three persons—one God, three persons.

Dave:

So we have to be careful that we don’t try to explain it.It’s not a cop-out.

Tom:

No.

Dave:

There are some things we can’t explain.I can’t tell you what energy is; no scientist can.We must be careful that we don’t go beyond scripture in trying to come up with the next answer.