Easter 2- The 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, right beside 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 while in the grave. Notice then:
Luke 23:43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (also Lk 23:46; Jn 13:3; 16:28) FN#4
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.
Psalm 16:10 For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol (i.e. the grave); Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
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 FN#5.
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:
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?
4] For an extended discussion on the notion that Christ descended into hell see the Epilogue at the end of these notes
5] Back in II.A we looked at Romans 6:3. Notice then when we take a closer look at the more extended passage in Romans 6, the entire discourse hinges on this very notion of burial and delay. Burial and delay are front and center in what Paul says here.
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, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
Notice then in the first part of the passage we have the Cross, the completion of salvation, and our inclusion in it. In other words, verse 3 deals with things that have been secured. In fact, notice the verb tense
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? (there is the Cross)
However, when we move to verse 4 the focus changes from the Cross to our inclusion in Christ’s burial. At the same time, the focus shifts from what has been completed in the past to our present walk with God. Not only that, just like Christ’s experience in the grave, our current walk is not defined by sin, death, and judgment. Rather, it is defined by the victory Christ secured for us on the Cross and brought forth with Him from the tomb.
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Notice then the delay in the passage itself: Paul does not say “we have been baptized into His death” to then immediately go on to say “therefore just as Christ was raised so to we also will be raised”. Instead, there is an intermediary step. We have been buried with Him. Not only that, the focus here is on the fact that because of this inclusion in Christ’s burial we therefore walk right now today in the newness of life that Christ accomplished. In other words, our inclusion in Christ’s burial provides a delay between the completion of our salvation and the reception of its full measure in which we endure the conditions of a fallen world under promise not judgement.
Finally, the last portion of the passage deals with the future, our own resurrection, and the reception of the full measure of what Christ has accomplished for us. In fact, the current operation of new life during this delay provides the proof/assurance of the reception of its full measure to come. The fact that new life is already ours is the proof that we will know the same in full when Christ returns. Notice then Paul’s reasoning here: Paul says if we have become (already/past tense) united with the salvation Christ accomplished (it is already ours and already at work in us with newness of life), then we will also be (future tense) united with the fullness of that salvation.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection,
Notice the result, Romans 6:3-5 proclaims our inclusion in the very pattern that Christ established for us as our representative (Completion, Delay, and Full Reception- Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday). Not only that, it is our inclusion in the totality of this pattern that defines our existence right now today. We are grounded on the Cross; we pass through the grave (this world) under the current operation of life/grace; and our destiny is completion and the fullness of resurrection life.
Epilogue: He descended into Hell
I want to take a moment to deal a bit more exhaustively with the errant notion that after the Cross, on Holy Saturday, Jesus descended into hell. What are we to make of this idea? What does Scripture say and what does the Apostles’ Creed teach?
A] The idea that Jesus descended into hell does not mean that Christ suffered further judgment or penalty after the cross or in addition to the cross. The cross paid the full price of sin. Its payment is absolutely complete.
John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, 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.
B] It does not mean Jesus went to Hell after He died in order to…..
2) to witness to those who lived before Christ and therefore had not heard the gospel. [Remember there was always a witness to the gospel prior to Christ’s birth. Israel was God’s witness to the nations concerning the promise of the messiah.]
Psalm 67:1 God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us– Selah. 2 So that Thy way may be known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; Let all the peoples praise Thee. 7 God blesses us, So that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
3) to rescue OT saints who died before the cross. Remember the OT saints were saved in the same way as people today (by grace through faith in Jesus). They believed the promise of Christ. We believe Christ is the one promised. Therefore the witness of Scripture is that they received the same blessings and assurances as do the New Testament saints.
Hebrews 10:4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,
Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
A] Key Terms: (Hell, Hades, Sheol, Grave, Pit) In seeking to understand Scripture’s teaching, it is essential for us to be clear on the terms Scripture uses to convey that teaching.
Psalm 49:14-15 Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. 15 But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
Revelation 20:13-14 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
B] Key verses: word studies are never the basis of a doctrine. At best they merely clarify the general or usual use of a term. Therefore, it is essential for us to be clear on the teaching of the key verses used to support the claim that Jesus descended into Hell.
Psalm 16:9-10
Context: As always we must understand a particular text in light of the conversation or context in which it occurs.
Overview Psalm 16: Psalm 16 begins as a prayer asking God for perseverance and protection. “Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in Thee.” (16:1). As it continues it becomes a hymn of faith and assurance that God keeps and protects His children. “Because the LORD is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (16:8b). By the time we reach vs 9-10 the Psalmist is overwhelmed with joy because of the lavish extent of God’s protection and commitment to His people.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
Indeed my body will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
you will not give your Holy One to see decay.
Verse 9: In v9 the Psalmist speaks of the joy that fill his whole person (body and soul). Notice then that “Heart” is the core and deepest essence of a person. God’s faithfulness and protection have filled David to the brim with deepest joy. The second line of v9 shows the extent of God’s protection. Even the Psalmist’s body will share in God’s blessing.
Connection between v9 and v10: The word “because” joins the two verses together. The speaker is overjoyed in v9 because of the truth in v10.
Verse 10: In verse 10 we learn why David’s whole person rejoices, even His body.
First notice the parallelism (a literary device common to the Psalms and Proverbs whereby the first line is restated or explained by the second.). 10a is restated by 10b. This is important b/c the terms in 10b will help explain the meaning of the terms in 10a.
Abandon in 10a is restated by or equivalent to “give” in 10b
Soul in 10a is equivalent to “holy one” in 10b (that is “soul” refers to the whole person and not to the person’s spirit. It could be translated simply as “me”).
Sheol in10a is equivalent to or defined by the “decay” of the grave in 10b. It does not mean eternal Hell but the corruption or decay of the body specifically associated with the grave.
Therefore v9-10 reads:
My entire being is glad and my tongue rejoices
Even my flesh will rest secure.
For you will not abandon me to the grave
Nor will you give your holy one over to the grave’s decay
The psalmist rejoices because even his body is included (“rests secure”) in God’s protection. So great is God’s salvation that he will not abandon the corporal body to the grave (but will resurrect it). In fact God will not even let it see decay.
Conclusion: Not only do these verses not describe Christ’s decent into Hell, they actually promise right the opposite. Not even His body will be separated from God’s amazing love and protection.
Acts 2:31
Notice then Peter’s use of Psalm 16 in Acts confirms our reading. Peter’s point is that the Cross utterly and completely defeated death. Therefore, death had no hold over any part of Jesus. As proof, Peter points to God keeping Jesus’ body from decay and raising Him from the dead on the third day.
Acts 2:31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the Hades, nor did his body see decay.
In the end the point of both Psalms and Acts is not to teach Jesus’ descent into Hell but rather the amazing extent of Salvation. Christ’s sacrifice covers the whole person. It redeems the entire man. Therefore death, curse, and judgment have no claim on any part of you. Christ’s experience in the grave is the prototype of your own. Even your human flesh is included under the promise and protection of salvation.
1 Peter 3:18-21
Context I Pet 3:8-22: Peter is writing to encourage the Church to endure the hardships of their mission as faithful witnesses. He reminds them of God’s presence and the certainty of their eternal inheritance. Also Peter assures them that, even though they suffer for the gospel at the hands of a fallen world, their trials do not compare to what awaits all who reject and persecute them. To illustrate this point, Peter gives an example of both obedient suffering for the gospel (which is momentary) and the fate of those who reject God’s warning and witness (which is eternal). Jesus is the example of obedient suffering. The world during Noah’s day is the example of disobedience. Both of these examples are found in I Pet 3:18-21.
3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom he also went and preached to the spirits now in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
Verse 18: Jesus is the example of godly suffering. He was blameless yet He suffered for the gospel.
Verse 19-20: These verses are given to draw a parallel between the world’s rejection of the Christian witness and the world’s rejection of the witness during the days of Noah. They provide the example of suffering for disobedience.
Through whom– Notice how Jesus preached. He preached through or by way of the Holy Spirit. I Peter does not say that Jesus appeared in person but rather that He sent preachers filled with the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses (just as He does today). In fact, we see Peter using this very notion of Christ making proclamation by way of His Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament.
I Peter 1:10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry,11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven– things into which angels long to look.)
In prison: Notice where Jesus sent His preachers. I Peter does not say that Jesus or His preachers went to Hell. Rather the point is that those who heard the gospel and rejected it are now in Hell. Therefore the phrase “in prison” does not concern where the message was preached but rather to whom it was preached –i.e. it was preached to those who are now in prison (Hell) because they refused to believe God’s witnesses.
Who disobeyed: Notice why they are now in prison/hell. The are there because they rejected God and the witness of His people.
God waited: Note Peter’s point. God, in His mercy, delayed judgment in Noah’s day so the gospel might be preached even as He does today.
Noah: Who was the preacher? Noah was the preacher that God sent to the ancient world as a witness to God’s deliverance form the coming judgment. The ark then, like the Church, is a visible proclamation of God’s deliverance for all who believe. Notice II Peter 2:5 confirms our reading. Here Peter uses the various concepts we have been dealing with in the exact way that we have understood them:
2 Peter 2:5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others… 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
Bottom line: Verses 18-20 have nothing to do with Jesus’ decent into Hell. Rather they describe the ministry of Noah, God’s preacher sent by Christ to the ancient world. They are given to show Christians an example of gospel suffering and to assure them that those who reject and persecute the Church’s witness can expect the same misfortune as those who rejected Noah’s witness.
III. The Resolve:
A] To be biblically accurate, any idea that “Christ descended into Hell” must be taken descriptively. It describes the nature and extent of Christ’s sacrifice. On the Cross, Christ endured the penalty and wrath that each of us would suffer for eternity in Hell. Thus, the judgment and separation He suffered on the Cross is the very punishment that defines Hell.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Matthew 27:46 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
2 Corinthians 5:19 God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us– for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”
Ephesians 2:12-13 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
B] That said, what about the line in the Apostles’ Creed that says “He descended into hell”? First, in the original Greek of the Creed, that line actually reads “He descended into the lower (Katoteros)”. This is the same word used in Ephesians 4:9
Ephesians 4:9 What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower (Katoteros), earthly regions?
In other words, the Creed actually states that Christ descended into the lower part or the part beneath the ground. Simply put, Christ was crucified dead and buried and He descended into -or better, He endured the full state of death while in the grave. The Creed says nothing about His going to hell despite the unfortunate translation and subsequent misunderstanding.
Thus, the term Katoteros (lower) along with “Sheol” and “Hades” simply refer to the general state of death suffered by all people in the fallen world, especially as it concerns the separation of the spirit from the body and the body’s burial and decay. Not only that, because death is a judgment these terms will often carry a pejorative sense of foreboding. However, they are never used as synonyms for the place of final judgment (Hell).
Notice the Result: when the Creed teaches that Christ descended into Katoteros (the lower part or part beneath) it simply indicates that the death He died was in every way fully human. Christ died, was buried, His body lay in the grave, and His spirit departed from this life, As such, we must understand both Scripture and Creed to mean that Christ suffered the full extent of literal death on our behalf.
Bottom line: Scripture’s clear and manifold witness is that on Holy Saturday, Christ’s body was laid in the grave and that His soul immediately ascended 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.”
Luke 23:46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last.
John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,
John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father.”