2 – God is Immortal, Yet Jesus Died: The Deathless One and the Cross

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Divine Paradoxes: Resolving Seeming Contradictions in Christian Theology
Category 1: God’s Nature vs. Christ’s Earthly Life

1. Introduction

The paradox of Christ’s death stands at the heart of the Christian gospel. Scripture affirms that God is immortal—He cannot die (1 Timothy 6:16), is the source of all life (John 5:26), and upholds the cosmos by His word (Hebrews 1:3). Yet, Jesus, fully God, truly died on the cross (Mark 15:37; John 19:30). How can the immortal God experience death?

2. God’s Immortality in Scripture

2.1 Key Passages

  • 1 Timothy 6:16 – “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light…”
  • Psalm 90:2 – “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
  • Malachi 3:6 – “I the LORD change not.”
  • Romans 1:23 – God is described as “incorruptible”.

2.2 Doctrinal Meaning

  • Immortality implies inability to die, unchangeableness, and self-existence.
  • God is life in Himself, the uncaused cause of all things (John 5:26; Exodus 3:14).

3. Christ’s Death in Human Nature

3.1 Crucifixion and Real Death

  • John 19:30 – “He bowed his head and gave up the ghost.”
  • Philippians 2:8 – “He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
  • Romans 5:8 – “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

3.2 Not a Death of the Divine Nature

  • The divine nature of Christ did not cease to exist or die.
  • Death occurred in Christ’s human nature, which He fully assumed (Hebrews 2:14–17).
  • The person of the Son truly experienced death by means of His human body and soul.

4. Theological Resolution: One Person, Two Natures

AttributeDivine NatureHuman Nature
ImmortalityCannot dieCapable of dying
Eternal lifeSelf-existent and uncreatedAssumed and created
Continuity of existenceCannot ceaseWas truly separated in death

This paradox is resolved through the hypostatic union: Christ is one person with two distinct natures. The divine Son never ceased to be God, but in His humanity, He fully tasted death.

5. Historical Theological Perspectives

5.1 Church Fathers

  • Athanasius: Christ died “in the flesh” but remained “the living Word” eternally.
  • Gregory of Nazianzus: “He who cannot suffer became passible by assuming what suffers.”

5.2 Councils and Creeds

  • Chalcedonian Definition (AD 451): Christ is “consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the manhood.”

5.3 Reformation Thought

  • Calvin: The death of Christ is genuine, and yet the divine nature remained untouched.
  • Luther: Stressed the personal union—the person of Christ died, though not in His divinity.

6. Doctrinal and Devotional Implications

6.1 Assurance of Redemption

  • Only a truly divine person could offer an infinite sacrifice.
  • Only a truly human substitute could stand in for mankind.

6.2 Profound Mystery of Divine Love

  • God did not avoid suffering—He entered it to redeem creation (Romans 5:6–10).

6.3 The Gospel is Rooted in Paradox

  • The cross is folly to the world, yet power to those being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18).

7. Conclusion

The paradox that God is immortal, yet Christ died, brings us face-to-face with the miracle of redemption: the deathless One experienced death for the dying. His divine nature preserved His identity as God, while His human nature allowed Him to taste the very penalty of sin. This is no contradiction—it is the deep mystery of incarnate love.

References

  • The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)
  • Athanasius. On the Incarnation
  • Gregory of Nazianzus. Theological Orations
  • Calvin, J. Institutes of the Christian Religion
  • Council of Chalcedon (AD 451)
  • Grudem, W. Systematic Theology
  • Packer, J.I. Knowing God
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