We find in 1 Timothy 2:5, 6: “The man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” What does ransom mean? The Greek term for ransom is antilutron, which Dr. Young defines as “a corresponding price.” One perfect man served as a substitute for Adam, the perfect man, who lost his life and the lives of humanity with him. However, early Church leaders misunderstood the true meaning of ransom. This misunderstanding led to exaggerated claims about Christ. Anything less than declaring Jesus as God was seen as disrespectful.
For the sake of discussion, let’s accept the idea that Christ is God, a claim he and the Scriptures do not support. If we agree that he was God and that God died for us, we must ask: How can an immortal God die?
Did the Absolute God die? The creeds states that Christ was “very man.” So, calling God “Christ” gives them a name, but not a true Christ. It was the “very man” Christ who died. Regardless of how they explain it, they only have a “very man” who died. So, how could “very God” die? God is eternal and cannot die; only a physical body can die. In the end, they are left with just a perfect “human sacrifice.” That is precisely what we believe and assert.
Dr. Adam Clark, a Trinitarian, explains a Trinitarian, says, “Two natures must ever be dis tinguished in Christ: the human nature, in reference to which he is the Son of God and inferior to him, and the Divine nature which was from eternity, and equal to God.” He argues “To say that he [Christ] was begotten from all eternity, is, in my opinion, absurd; and the phrase eternal Son is a positive self-contradiction. ETERNITY is that which has had no beginning, nor stands in any reference to TIME. SON supposes time, generation, and father.” This means there is no infinite sacrifice, as it was the lesser Son who died. So, where is the infinite sacrifice of God?
Trinitarians face a challenge in their belief that the entire Trinity died on the cross. They claim that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, but they need to prove that both aspects died on the cross. The Bible does not support this idea. Many theologians have tried to explain what is not clearly mentioned in Scripture. Did Jesus ever say he would sacrifice his body and divinity for humanity? No, he stated, “The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). If he gave his flesh, could he take it back? What would happen to the ransom if it was reclaimed after being given?
Dr. Adam Clark interprets Psalm 8:5 as saying, “You have made him a little lower than God.” He connects this to Hebrews 2:7, applying it to Jesus, stating, “For a little while, he was made lower than the angels so that he could experience death.” If Dr. Clark is correct, then Jesus is seen as less than God or lower than the angels. This raises a logical issue: how can he be “less than God” and still be the Absolute God?
