Theology of Christ’s Burial: Part I
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures
Introduction
This morning I want us to jump into our liturgical time machine and go back and revisit an important aspect of Holy Week that we were unable to cover.
For the next two weeks, I want us to revisit Holy Saturday and the subject of Christ’s burial.
Why? In our passage this morning, Paul tells us that Christ’s burial, no less than His death on the cross and His resurrection, is a matter of first importance to the Christian faith. However, very few Christians can articulate what that importance is. FN#1
However, what we are going to find is that Christ burial is a matter of first importance because it defines the framework for your entire walk with God. That is, Christ’s burial establishes the dynamics of how you experience your relationship with God on this earth. FN#2
Therefore, this week, in part 1 of our study I want us to look at the theology of Christ Burial. Next week in part 2 of our study I want us to look at its significance for God’s people today.
So let’s begin. And as we do so we are immediately confronted with a major theological problem.
However, in order for us to fully grasp the gravity of this problem we need to break it down into its two primary and seemingly incompatible components. Notice then:
A] The first component of our problem is death. As we turn to study Christ’s burial, it is vital that we remember that death is not a natural part of life. Instead, death is a judgment against sin
Genesis 2:17 From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death,
B] The Second component of our problem is the Cross. As we study Christ’s burial, it is vital to remember that on the Cross, Christ paid the full price of sin and therefore completely removed the judgment of death.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.
Romans 5:18 through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
Problem: Why did Christ remain under death and endure the condition of the grave even though cross fully removed the penalty of sin and death? If it was “finished” on the cross, why was Christ in the tomb at all?
II Biblical Perspective: in order to understand why Christ endured the grave and why His burial is a matter is of such supreme importance to the Church, we must look at how Christ endured the grave. FN#3
A] Christ endured the grave as our representative: It is vital that we remember that everything that Christ does in the flesh (from Bethlehem on), He does as our representative.
Think about it: Christ died for us. He lived a life of perfect obedience for us as one of us. He ascended and is seated at the right hand of God for us as our representative. Everything that Christ does in our human nature, He does as our representative. Holy Saturday is no exception.
As such, Christ endured the grave as our representative. That is, Christ’s burial has direct bearing on His people’s condition today and is essential to God’s purpose for us.
Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
Why did Christ endure the grave? He did it for us.
B] Christ endured the grave under Promise: that is, Christ’s burial was not defined by the unpaid judgment of death.
Remember, for the unbeliever, the grave indicates the continuation of judgment. Their debt has not been paid and therefore they remain in the grave and under the judgment of death.
However, for Christ, the grave was not defined by unpaid judgment. Rather, it was defined by the promise/assurance that His work on the Cross had utterly defeated death. How do we know this? We know this because death had no hold (or claim) over any part of Jesus. Notice then:
1) Christ’s soul ascends immediately to His father in heaven
Luke 23:43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Importance: remember, when the unbeliever dies he remains under judgment. Therefore, his soul does not pass into heaven but remains in unbroken separation from God.
2) His body is kept from decay in the grave (Remember decay is part of God’s judgment against sin. “From dust you came and to dust you will return”).
Psalm 16:10 For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
3) He is raised from the dead on the third day. That is, the condition of the grave was temporary. It was not defined by eternal, unpaid, judgment against sin. Instead, the Resurrection proves that the victory of the Cross not the defeat of sin was the governing principle of Christ’s burial.
Acts 2:24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Review: How did Christ endure the grave? He endured it as our representative and under promise. That is, Christ did not suffer any further punishment or penalty in the grave. Instead, He endured the grave under the promise/assurance that His victory on the cross has utterly defeated death’s power and hold.
Importance: notice at once that there is a delay between the completion of salvation (the Cross) and the reception of the full measure of its reward (the Resurrection).
III. Resolve- Why did Christ endure the grave?
Christ endured the grave as our representative under the promise that His work on the Cross had paid the full price of salvation. As such, Christ’s burial provides a delay for His people, one that is defined by promise not judgment. Important: it is this delay (that Christ established for you through His own delay) that defines every aspect of your life right now today. Think about it: you are already saved/already under God’s promises. However, you do not yet experience that salvation in full. Instead, there is a delay.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, nevertheless it has not appeared as yet what we shall be.
Bottom line: if you need a take away this morning, it is this: God is in control. You are not in a free fall and God is not in damage control mode. Instead, God has established the very parameters/boundries/terms in which you encounter this world as His child.
Footnotes
1] Most people if asked why Christ’s burial is so important would respond by saying that Christ’s burial proved that He was dead. However, there are two problems with this view:
1) First Scripture never refers to Christ’s burial in that light. In other words, Scripture never points to Christ’s burial as proof that He was really dead.
2) Second, in biblical times (just as today) they did not bury someone to determine, verify, or prove that they were really dead. Instead, they buried someone because it had already been determined, proven, and verified that they were deceased. Case in point: at the crucifixion we learn that when the guards went to check on Jesus, they determined that He was dead. Not only that, to verify their conclusion, they pierced Him in the side. Then and only then was Christ taken down from the Cross and buried.
2] Notice then: if the Cross is the source of your salvation and the Resurrection is the content of that salvation (i.e. the new life that Christ accomplished for you), then Christ burial sets the way you experience that salvation on earth. As such, it is clearly a matter of “first importance”.
3] The change here from why to how is not a theological sleight of hand. Instead, the entire nature of our dilemma hinges on this notion of how. If Christ endured the grave under an ongoing judgment of sin (if that is how Christ endured the grace) then we have a problem. However, does Scripture give us another option and if so what is it?