The Multifaceted Dimensions of Christ's Death: Termination and Creation
Orientation
The cross is often reduced to a single aspect, leaving believers uncertain about the full scope of what Christ accomplished.
- Christ's death is not just a payment for sin, but a decisive act that ends the old order and begins the new.
- It addresses sin, Satan, the flesh, and every barrier between God and humanity.
- This multifaceted work is the foundation of our complete freedom and new life.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
— John 1:29
Clarification
Christ's death is both a termination of what held us captive and a creation of what gives us life.
- It is a mistake to see the cross only as forgiveness; it also destroys the power of sin, Satan, and our old self.
- It is equally a mistake to see it only as destruction; it simultaneously creates new life, access to God, and the Church.
- Both aspects are accomplished fully by Christ and applied by the Spirit, not by our effort.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)
— Colossians 2:15
Structure
Scripture presents three key pictures that together reveal the logic of Christ's death: the Lamb, the Serpent, and the Grain.
- As the Lamb of God, He takes away sin's penalty and guilt (John 1:29).
- As the Bronze Serpent, He condemns sin in the flesh, breaking its power (John 3:14).
- As the Grain of Wheat, He dies to release divine life, multiplying sons and forming the Church (John 12:24).
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)
— John 12:24
Weight-Bearing Prose
Christ’s death, according to Pauline revelation, accomplishes definitive termination and creation. The terminating aspects are comprehensive: it destroys Satan and death’s bondage (Hebrews 2:14), disarms spiritual powers (Colossians 2:15), crucifies the old man (Romans 6:6), circumcises the flesh (Colossians 2:11), and crucifies the believer to the world and sin (Galatians 6:14). It cancels our debt to the flesh (Romans 8:12) and slays the ordinances that separated people (Ephesians 2:14-15). This is a finished judicial reality.
Concurrently, His death is powerfully creative. It forms the new man (Ephesians 2:15), releases the life of Christ for multiplication (John 12:24), and tears down the veil to grant believers direct access to God (Hebrews 10:19-20). Through His death, Christ presents believers holy and blameless before God (Colossians 1:22). This is not a process we complete, but a position we inherit.
The Holy Spirit is the agent who applies this finished work. Christ offered Himself through the eternal Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). The Spirit’s work is to mortify the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13), enabling believers to carry about in the body the dying of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:10). Sanctification is thus the Spirit making experientially real what is judicially true: our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. Any teaching that leaves the old man alive, sin in power, or access blocked denies the sufficiency of Christ’s cross.
Integration
The work is done. Christ’s death has terminated all that was against you and created all that is for you. Your old self was crucified with Him; your access to the Father is open and complete. There is no veil. There is no debt. There is no condemnation.
This reality is your resting place. The Spirit now works to make this truth your present experience, not to accomplish something unfinished. Your assurance is not in your ability to grasp all these aspects, but in Christ who accomplished them all. He is your righteousness, your sanctification, and your life. You are presented blameless before God because of Him, not because of your progress. Abide here. The pressure is off. Christ is your all.