"Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death (Made participators with him)?" (Rom 6:3)
What does it mean to be a participator in Christ death?
How do we participate with him in his death?
It might be helpful if we first asked about his death that is how exactly he died?
Yes we all know that he was crucified on the cross, but that is not what we mean. How did he die, how was his life consumed?
The Scriptures tell us that: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:5, 6)
We understand that under God’s law our Lord being perfect and without sin had a right to life. “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” (Rom 10:5; Lev 18:5) That is to say the man who does right according to the Law shall continue to live, and not die; such has a right to everlasting life.
So then if our Lord by keeping the whole law did not forfeit his life how then was it taken from him?
“… My flesh… I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) "The Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many." (Matt 20:28)
His life was not taken from him, but freely given. Even as in accordance with the Law, "He shall offer it of his own voluntary will." (Lev 1:3) There was no coercion by the Father; justice did not demand that the Lord sacrifice his life, nevertheless the Lord gladly laid it down in the service of the Father, his response being,
“…‘Behold, I have come— in the volume of the book it is written of me— ‘I delight to do thy will.’ ” (Psa 40:6-8; Heb. 10:5-7)
“… Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given me?” (John 18:11)
“Therefore My Father loves me, because I lay down my life (willingly)… No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10: 17, 18)
So then Christ died a sacrificial death, a death by sacrifice, thus in order for us to become participators in Christ death we must share in this sacrificial death, we too must be willing to sacrifice our lives.
And so we are asked the same question as was asked the disciples,
“Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink (future tense), and be baptized with the baptism that I am [being] baptized with?”
And if our answer is the same as theirs, “‘we are able.’ Then says he, “You will indeed drink my cup, AND be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with….” (Matt 20:22, 23)
Note that “the cup” which he spoke of and the “baptism” which he was presently enduring were two separate things. He was implying that they too would experience both of these.
Our Lord’s baptism into death began when first he fully consecrated himself to the Father at the river Jordan, the cup he experienced near the end of his course.
I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)
Here in this text our Lord was nearing the completion of his baptism unto death, He was experiencing great difficulty and was longing for its completion, which came the very next day when on the cross He cried, "It is finished." What was finished?
His baptism was finished-His baptism into death.
“When on the cross our Lord cried, "It is finished." He 'had "poured out His soul unto death"; He had "made His soul an offering for sin (John 19:30; Isa. 53:12, 10); He had permitted His life to be taken from Him in obedience to the Father's arrangement. These things had all been prefigured in the type. On such a day and in such a month the Passover lamb must be slain. Our Lord recognized everything particularized in the Law -- whether by direct command or in type -- as God's will. He declared that men did not take His life from Him, in the sense of doing something that He was unwilling to have them do. He had truly said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God; Thy Law is within [in the midst of] my heart" (Psa 40:8), and He permitted them to put Him to death, because He was submitting to God's will.
Our Lord realized that His life was taken away fraudulently. He did not resist, but allowed this to be done. He had agreed that He would not resist, that He would do whatever the Father sent Him to do. After He had once made a consecration could He have withdrawn? NO; for He had covenanted to submit to whatever divine providence might indicate to be the Father's will. He had entered into a positive contract under which He had obligated Himself to be faithful to God's will, and God had bound Himself that He would give our Lord the exceeding great reward of exaltation to the divine nature because of that faithful obedience. God had given to Him the Holy Spirit as a bond of that contract.” R5085
So what is the cup and when and how exactly did he receive it?
We will explain this in our next post.
What does it mean to be a participator in Christ death?
How do we participate with him in his death?
It might be helpful if we first asked about his death that is how exactly he died?
Yes we all know that he was crucified on the cross, but that is not what we mean. How did he die, how was his life consumed?
The Scriptures tell us that: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa 53:5, 6)
We understand that under God’s law our Lord being perfect and without sin had a right to life. “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” (Rom 10:5; Lev 18:5) That is to say the man who does right according to the Law shall continue to live, and not die; such has a right to everlasting life.
So then if our Lord by keeping the whole law did not forfeit his life how then was it taken from him?
“… My flesh… I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) "The Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many." (Matt 20:28)
His life was not taken from him, but freely given. Even as in accordance with the Law, "He shall offer it of his own voluntary will." (Lev 1:3) There was no coercion by the Father; justice did not demand that the Lord sacrifice his life, nevertheless the Lord gladly laid it down in the service of the Father, his response being,
“…‘Behold, I have come— in the volume of the book it is written of me— ‘I delight to do thy will.’ ” (Psa 40:6-8; Heb. 10:5-7)
“… Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given me?” (John 18:11)
“Therefore My Father loves me, because I lay down my life (willingly)… No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” (John 10: 17, 18)
So then Christ died a sacrificial death, a death by sacrifice, thus in order for us to become participators in Christ death we must share in this sacrificial death, we too must be willing to sacrifice our lives.
And so we are asked the same question as was asked the disciples,
“Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink (future tense), and be baptized with the baptism that I am [being] baptized with?”
And if our answer is the same as theirs, “‘we are able.’ Then says he, “You will indeed drink my cup, AND be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with….” (Matt 20:22, 23)
Note that “the cup” which he spoke of and the “baptism” which he was presently enduring were two separate things. He was implying that they too would experience both of these.
Our Lord’s baptism into death began when first he fully consecrated himself to the Father at the river Jordan, the cup he experienced near the end of his course.
I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50)
Here in this text our Lord was nearing the completion of his baptism unto death, He was experiencing great difficulty and was longing for its completion, which came the very next day when on the cross He cried, "It is finished." What was finished?
His baptism was finished-His baptism into death.
“When on the cross our Lord cried, "It is finished." He 'had "poured out His soul unto death"; He had "made His soul an offering for sin (John 19:30; Isa. 53:12, 10); He had permitted His life to be taken from Him in obedience to the Father's arrangement. These things had all been prefigured in the type. On such a day and in such a month the Passover lamb must be slain. Our Lord recognized everything particularized in the Law -- whether by direct command or in type -- as God's will. He declared that men did not take His life from Him, in the sense of doing something that He was unwilling to have them do. He had truly said, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God; Thy Law is within [in the midst of] my heart" (Psa 40:8), and He permitted them to put Him to death, because He was submitting to God's will.
Our Lord realized that His life was taken away fraudulently. He did not resist, but allowed this to be done. He had agreed that He would not resist, that He would do whatever the Father sent Him to do. After He had once made a consecration could He have withdrawn? NO; for He had covenanted to submit to whatever divine providence might indicate to be the Father's will. He had entered into a positive contract under which He had obligated Himself to be faithful to God's will, and God had bound Himself that He would give our Lord the exceeding great reward of exaltation to the divine nature because of that faithful obedience. God had given to Him the Holy Spirit as a bond of that contract.” R5085
So what is the cup and when and how exactly did he receive it?
We will explain this in our next post.
