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Friday Night Apologetics 3/23/2007

Colossians Series Part 6 - Colossians 2:12

Significance of Jesus' death & resurrection

having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12, NASB) 

     Welcome to another Friday Night Apologetics discussion study.  What to say, this was  a solid study once again with lots of people in the room and lots of good discussions.  In this study we covered a whole verse, once again, we are on the move, lol.  This was a very informative study chat discussing three main things concerning the significance of what Jesus did through His sacrifice on the cross, His death, and His resurrection. 

The three things were: 

1.  The significance of Jesus' sacrifice, death, and resurrection

2. The significance of who raised Jesus from the dead

3. The significance of how our sins were atoned for or another way to put it, what type of death did Jesus have to die to make atonement sins to be forgiven?

     You are invited to check out our blog discussion where people share their comments, questions, thoughts from our studies.  Click www.afcministry.blogspot.com

• NOTES for study below    

Verse 12

Buried with Him in baptism – with Him

Raised up with Him through faith in the working of God (Rm. 6:3-4) raised up with Him       

$ 3 Things to address here

1. Buried and raised up

Lets discuss baptism for a bit and what the true significance is and how this applies to us today. (Romans 6:3-4)

Is baptism for Christians today? (Acts 8, 10, 16 just to name a few)

Why do some today say this is not for today?

Some say water baptism is essential for salvation, is this true and why?

2. Trinity! God raised up Jesus from the dead

Ok I said Tri-Unity of God, lets get ready to rumble LOL!  I know there are some thoughts on these verses. 

Who raised Jesus from the dead?  Scripture references…

(John 2:19-22; Romans 6:3-4; Romans 8:11; Acts 2:32; Colossians 2:12)

3. What type of death did Jesus die for our sins to be atoned for?

Was Jesus dead spiritually? 

When it says Jesus was raised, what exactly does this mean?

There are some today within various churches who teach that Jesus died spiritually, went to hell for our sins, had to be separated from the Father, and this is the true salvation message.  http://www.afcministry.com/Was_Jesus_separated_from_the_Father.htm check article for reference info.

Quote: "I've had ugly books written about me because I said that Jesus died spiritually, but the fact is, I didn't say that the Bible said it. Jesus became our substitute. If he hadn't died spiritually, then we could never have been made alive spiritually. But He did! On the cross, Jesus was separated from the glory of God. He allowed Himself to be made sin for us, and He became obedient to death. He went into the pit of hell and suffered there as though He was the One Who had committed the sin." (The Power of His Resurrection by Kenneth Copeland/ http://kcm.org/studycenter/articles/seasonal/power_of_resurrection.php)

Quote: "The place designated as hell is Sheol or Hades. Before Jesus died and arose, hell was the abode of the spirits of men after death. It was divided into two compartments, which were separated by a great gulf-one, which housed the souls of the righteous and the other, the unrighteous. In Jesus' reference to Lazarus and the rich man, hell was a place of torment for the unrighteous, while the righteous obtained comfort at Abraham's bosom. While Jesus' body lay in the sepulcher or grave, His spirit was delivered to hell. He went not just into the comfort zone, but into the depth to be punished for Adam's treason and our sin." (An Email from Kenneth Copeland Ministries Staff in response to my asking did Jesus go to hell and why did He go there, August 1, 2002)

http://www.afcministry.com/Kenneth_Copeland.htm

Benny Hinn quotes on Jesus becoming the nature of Satan: "He [Jesus] who is righteous by choice said, 'The only way I can stop sin is by Me becoming it. I can't just stop it by letting it touch Me; I and it must become one.' Hear this! He who is the nature of God became the nature of Satan where He became sin!" (Benny Hinn, TBN, December 1, 1990)..."Ladies and gentlemen, the serpent is a symbol of Satan. Jesus Christ knew the only way he would stop Satan was by becoming one in nature with him. You say, What did you say? What blasphemy is this? No, you hear this! He did not take my sin; He became my sin. Sin is the nature of hell. Sin is what made Satan. It was sin that made Satan. Jesus said, "I'll be sin! I'll go to the lowest place! I'll go to the origin of it! I won't just take part in it, I'll be the totality of it!" When Jesus became sin, sir, He took it from A to Z and said, "No more!" Think about this: He became flesh, that flesh might become like Him. He became death, so dying man can live. He became sin, so sinners can be righteous in Him. He became one with the nature of Satan, so all those who had the nature of Satan can partake of the nature of God." (Benny Hinn TBN December 15, 1990). http://www.afcministry.com/Benny_Hinn.htm

"During that time He entered hell, where you and I deserved to go (legally) because of our sin...He paid the price there.…no plan was too extreme...Jesus paid on the cross and in hell….God rose up from His throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless Son of God, “Let Him go.” Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus...He was resurrected from the dead ¾ the first born-again man" (The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete And Thorough Understanding Of What It Means To Be Born Again, 1991, pages 35-36, Joyce Meyer)

More stuff…1996 Edition

"Believe that Jesus did what the Bible says. Believe He is indeed the Son of God, born of a virgin. He took man's sin on the cross. He did not stay dead. He was in the grave three days. During that time, He entered hell, where you and I deserved to go (legally) because of our sin." (Page 41, 1996-Edition)  Notice the similar wording in this quote compared to the other quote.

"Whatever it took to get God's people back, free again, is what they would do. Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and went to hell in our place." (Page 41, 1996-Edition)  Whatever it took means that Jesus had to go to hell, suffer and be tormented by demons in our place. 

"When Jesus hung on the cross, He took our sin upon Himself. God cannot stay in the presence of sin. As Jesus took our sin, He was separated from the presence of the Father...Jesus was taking your sins and those of everyone else upon Him as He felt this absence of His Father's presence. He said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Matt. 27:46, author's paraphrase] Jesus knew it would happen, but the horror of separation from the bright presence of the Father was worse than He could of imagined, and it caused Him to cry out...and His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserved to go." (Page 42, 1996-Edition)  This is a common teaching among the Faith Movement whereas they teach Jesus died spiritually and became literally the nature of sin.  Thus, the Father turned away from Jesus while He was on the cross and Jesus died alone.  Check out our article "Was Jesus Separated From The Father On The Cross?" for further information  on Jesus being separated from the Father and becoming spiritually dead.

"There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place. He became your substitute and took all the punishment you deserve. He bore all your sins. He paid the dept you owe...Jesus went to hell for you. He died for you. He paid for your sins." (Page 43, 1996-Edition) http://www.afcministry.com/Joyce_Meyers.htm

Concerning being born again and what is required to be saved we see Joyce Meyer teaching:

1.        "Believe...what the Bible says."

2.        That when Jesus was on the cross He did not stay dead but went to hell.

3.        That Jesus went to hell in our place because that is where we deserved to go.

4.        That God would do whatever it took to free His people.

5.        That there is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth, meaning what Jesus did to make atonement for sins.

6.        That a person must believe in their heart that Jesus took their place on the cross, He died spiritually, (implied) was separated from the Father, tormented by demons in hell, (1991-Edition) Jesus is the first born again man. (1991-Edition)

Is this doctrine dangerous and is this message another gospel?

$                       Conclusion

Quote: Deception has always been part of military strategy. The British put it to good use during World War II in North Africa against German forces led by General Erwin Rommel. They constructed pasteboard look-alikes of tanks and airplanes to deceive the Germans. From the air this fake equipment looked real enough to fool reconnaissance personnel, and it could be easily moved.

Satan, whom Jesus referred to as "the ruler of this world" (John 16:11), is a master deceiver. He was the driving force behind the teachers who were trying to persuade the Colossians to accept heresy as truth (Col. 2:4,8).

Followers of Christ today are in a similar battle. How do we defend ourselves against deceivers? Paul used military terms in his comments to the Colossians that can help us to know what to do. First, he commended them for their "good order," which refers to being battle-ready, disciplined soldiers. Second, he spoke of the "steadfastness" of their faith in Christ, which refers to having a solid front. They had an unshaken commitment to their Lord and the advance of His kingdom.

Don't be fooled by Satan's lies. Know the truth of God's Word, and be battle-ready through a disciplined life and an unswerving commitment to Jesus Christ. -- David C. Egner http://preceptaustin.org/colossians_illustrations_2.htm#COLOSSIANS%202

David C. Egner is now retired from RBC. He was (until June 2002) Managing Editor of Campus Journal (now called Our Journey). He has written Discovery Series study booklets and articles for a variety of publications. Dave taught English and writing for 10 years at Grand Rapids Baptist College (now Cornerstone University) before coming to RBC. http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our_daily_bread/writer/4551.aspx

Lets read Colossians 2:1-8 one more time…

Wow, one verse again!!!  This shows how much God’s Word speaks to each of us today and how God’s Word applies to us today!  Next week we will continue on in Colossians 2:13 and see how far we get LOL.