Subject: What was Jesus doing in the earth 3 days |
Bible Note: 'Answer: 'Moreover, in her 1991 booklet, [Joyce] Meyer asserts that salvation is impossible without believing Jesus suffered in hell as the believer’s substitute. Meyer writes, “There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell.” If one believes Jesus died in their place, one either believes His death on the cross was all there was to the atonement and that after that He was in 'Paradise' waiting for the resurrection, OR that Jesus paid the full price of the sinner by becoming a sinner by taking on the sins of mankind. This seems to be the main starting point of division...There seems to be the idea that Jesus becoming a sinner on the cross in our place is original to WOF teachers. I would like to offer the following information to prove that Jesus becoming a sinner on the cross in our place is NOT an anti 'orthodox theology'. FYI This teaching did not originate with WOF. And I doubt it originated here...but it goes back at least to the 16th Century. Martin Luther 'Commentary on Galatians (Grand Rapids, MI Kregal Publications), edited by John Price Fallowes, M.A. Galatians 3:13-14 "And this, no doubt, all the prophets did forsee in spirit, that Christ should be accounted the greatest transgressor that could be, having all the sins imputed to Him. For He being made a sacrifice for sin, yea for the sins of the whole world, is not now the Son of God born of the virgin Mary, but a sinner who hathand carrieth the sin of Paul, who was a blasphemer and a persecutor; of Peter who denied Him; of David who was an adulterer and a murderer; and briefly, who hath and beareth all the sins of all men in His body;not that He is Himself guilty of any, but that He received them, being committed or done by us, and laid uponHis body, that He might make satisfaction for them with Hisown blood(Isa.53:5) Martin Luther goes on to say; "But some men will say, it is absurd and slanderous to call the Son of God a cursed sinner. I answer, if thou be wilt deny Him to be a sinner and accursed, deny also that He was crucified and dead. For it is no less absurd to say that the Son of God (as our faith professesth and believeth) was crucified and suffered the pains of sin and death, than to say that He is a sinner and accursed. But if it be not absurd to confess and believe that Christ was crucified between two thieves, then it is absurd to say also that He was accursed, and of all sinners the greatest." Martin Luther indicates here that he believes Jesus became 'a sinner' upon the cross...and that unless one acknowledges this, one should also deny that He was crucified and dead. My English grammer interprets this as 'If you deny He became a sinner you must also deny that He was crucified. The two are inseperable.' And he taught this in the 16th Century. Now this does not state that Jesus went to Hell, but it clearly states that Martin Luther believed Jesus literaly became accursed for us. He goes so far as to call Him the 'of all sinners the greatest.' As I stated in another post some time back, he also interpreted scripture to say God turned from God. He pronounced it a great mystery...but none the less acknowledged it. This was long before WOF teachers started teaching it, and my guess is Martin Luther would be considered an Orthodox theologian.. Jesus did not just die physically for our sins..but BECAME SIN for us. To believe this is scriptural, is only a very small step to believing Jesus went to Hell. God bless |