(Rev. xxi. 2, 9, 10). But He will never die again (Rom. vi. 10; Rev. i. 18). Christ's
tomb, whether at Jerusalem or at Medina, is empty now and for ever; and by His Atonement
and His Resurrection He hath "abolished death, and brought life and incorruption to
light through the Gospel" (2 Tim. i. 10).
193. M. Your Bible says that death is the wages of sin (Rom. vi. 23)death of
the body and death of the spirit, that is to say eternity in hell (Rev. xx. 14). Did
Christ undergo for men both parts of the penalty, eternity in hell as well as death
of the body?
C. No. He does not endure eternal existence in hell.
M. How then can you say that He bore the punishment of your sins?
C. We do not say so, for it is of the nature of punishment that it cannot
be borne except by the guilty, and Christ was without sin. If an innocent man
suffers instead of a guilty one, it is incorrect to say that the innocent man was punished,
though he endured suffering for, on behalf of, or even instead of, the criminal. The Bible
says, therefore, "Christ suffered for us," . . . and He "bore our
sins in His own body on (or up to)the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should
live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Pet. ii. 21-24). Notice
that the word punishment is not used.
194. M. Does Christ deliver those who believe