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WHY
CHRISTDIED
AND
ROSEAGAIN
by
Herbert W. Armstrong
IT IS revealed that Jesus was " Emmanuel"- that 1s, "God with us"- GOD
in the human flesh. Can God die? Was Jesus really
dead, or did only his body die? Here is a brief, pointed answer.
T
H IS
is a question tha t
has perplexed millions.
It
is an enigma that
has never been made clear
and pla in to many minds.
Yet the Scriptures g ive us a
clear revelation, in plain, simple
words- if we can
believe
the
Scriptures-which is to believe
they mean
exactly what they
say.
We read: "Christ
died
for our
sins according to the scr iptures"
(1 Cor. 15:3).
"Christ" means "Anointed," or
"Messiah"; and while the name
Jesus
may be used to denote the
human man, the title
Christ
cer–
tainly refers to the Divine One–
the One who was Goo with us.
This scripture says he died , and was
buried. A nd it was he- the
CHRJST- the Divine One- who
ROSE FROM THE DEAD. He did not
rise from
lije
or a living state, but
from DEATH!
"For to this end
Christ both
died, and rose, and revived, that he
might be Lord
both of the dead and
living" (Rom.
14:9).
T here is the
answer. Through his death and res–
u rrection Christ became Lord of
March 1982
the dead as well as the living. He
paid the penalty for our past sins.
He made possible the
way
so that
both t he dead and those now living
might have life eternal- not mere
temporary existence, but life ever–
lasting.
When Christ rose, he was
revived.
When a boxer is knocked uncon–
scious, the attendants work over him
to
revive
him. The expression "He
was revived" indicates Christ had
been un conscious- that he was
dead- not that he rose from a state
of conscious mental activity.
" For when we were yet without
st rength, in due time Christ
died
for the ungodly ... while we were
yet sinners, Christ
died
for us"
( Rom. 5:6, 8).
God in the Flesh
Notice again: " In the beginning
was the Word , and the Word was
with God, and the Word
was God"
(John
1:1).
T he Greek word is
Logos.
It
means "Word" or "Spokesman."
This is referring to t he One who
coexisted with the Father from
eternity- who always existed–
who is one with the Father, yet, as
he himself said , his Fat her is
greater than he.
Always he referred to himself as
One
sent
by the Father. H e said
t hat the words he spoke were not
spoken of himself, but the Father
who sent him gave him a com–
mandment what he should say and
speak.
The one who gives the orders
and sends another is in a position
superior to the one sent and who
obeys the orders. A husband is set
by God in a position, superior, in
the family relationship, to that of
the wife . Yet they are both
human- both on the same Jevel–
and they are ONE. Not one God,
but
one flesh.
In the Church, or local congre–
gation, an elder is in authority
during a service that all things
may be done decently and in
arder, and he has the rule over the
congregation. Yet Christ prayed
that the Church would be kept as
ONE,
even as
he and tbe Father
are One. The Church is composed
of many members, yet ONE BODY.
And its members, more than one,
are to be kept ONE in the sense of
barmony and unity in !ove and
purpose, as C hrist and the Father
a re One- and they form ONE
CHURCH, even as the Father and
Christ form ONE Goo-yet more
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