Topical Bible: Jesus, the Christ: Death of, Voluntary

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The death of Jesus Christ is a central tenet of Christian theology, understood as a voluntary act of sacrifice for the redemption of humanity. The New Testament provides numerous accounts and teachings that emphasize the voluntary nature of His death, underscoring His obedience to the divine will and His love for mankind.

Scriptural Basis

1. John 10:17-18: Jesus explicitly states the voluntary nature of His death, saying, "The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father." This passage highlights Jesus' authority over His own life and death, indicating that His sacrifice was a deliberate and willing act.

2. Philippians 2:7-8: The Apostle Paul writes, "He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross." This passage emphasizes Jesus' humility and obedience, suggesting that His death was a conscious submission to the Father's will.

3. Matthew 26:53-54: During His arrest, Jesus tells His disciples, "Do you not think that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?" Here, Jesus indicates that He had the power to avoid death but chose not to, in order to fulfill the Scriptures.

4. Hebrews 10:5-10: This passage reflects on the sacrificial system and Jesus' fulfillment of it, stating, "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings You were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’" This underscores Jesus' voluntary acceptance of His role as the ultimate sacrifice.

Theological Implications

The voluntary nature of Jesus' death is foundational to understanding the atonement. It reflects His active participation in the divine plan of salvation, rather than being a passive victim of circumstances. This voluntary sacrifice is seen as the ultimate expression of divine love and grace, as articulated in Romans 5:8: "But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Christ's Obedience and Love

The voluntary death of Jesus is also a profound demonstration of His obedience to the Father and His love for humanity. In John 15:13, Jesus teaches, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." His willingness to die is the ultimate act of love, setting an example for believers to follow in self-sacrifice and devotion.

Fulfillment of Prophecy

The voluntary nature of Jesus' death is seen as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering servant who willingly bears the iniquities of many. Jesus' conscious choice to fulfill these prophecies affirms His identity as the Messiah and the divine plan for redemption.

In summary, the voluntary death of Jesus Christ is a profound theological truth that underscores His authority, obedience, and love. It is a pivotal event in the Christian narrative, fulfilling divine prophecy and providing the means for humanity's reconciliation with God.

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Isaiah 50:6
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
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Isaiah 53:12
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul to death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
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Matthew 26:24,39,42,53,54
The Son of man goes as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
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Mark 14:36,39
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible to you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.
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Luke 9:51
And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
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Luke 12:50
But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
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Luke 22:15,42
And he said to them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
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John 10:17,18
Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
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John 18:5,8,11
They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
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John 19:11
Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against me, except it were given you from above: therefore he that delivered me to you has the greater sin.
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Philippians 2:8
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.
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Hebrews 7:27
Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
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Hebrews 9:26
For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
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Library

Christ on the Road to the Cross
... nor all together, killed Jesus, but that Jesus died because ... of His own will became
in His death the 'oblation ... His own, were the cords that bound Christ to the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/christ on the road to.htm

The Death of the Master and the Death of the Servant
... We have here, next, a Christian's death as being the voluntary entrusting of ... that
here we have a distinct instance of prayer to Jesus Christ, a distinct ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/the death of the master.htm

"For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Hath Made Me ...
... But our Lord Jesus discovers this mistake, when he tells them ... were once in this state
of bondage which Christ speaks of ... to the power of a body of death within us ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon vii for the law.htm

Christ Foreseeing his Passion
... in history to approach to the gigantic arrogance of Jesus Christ, and it ... all depend
on the world's knowing that Christ's death was His own voluntary act of ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/christ foreseeing his passion.htm

Jesus the Good Shepherd.
... people, persecuted him because he had followed his conscience: Jesus, by interposing ...
We may resign ourselves to death or choose it; but even though ... Christ could ...
/.../xxi jesus the good shepherd.htm

(On the Passion, xvii. : Delivered on the Wednesday. )
... Jesus, therefore, cried with a loud voice, saying, "Why hast ... all [1083] ;" and again,
he says, "For Christ loved the ... He who had come to destroy death and the ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/sermon lxviii on the passion.htm

Christ Our Mediator.
... In the life of Jesus we see His two natures constantly ... His death was voluntary. ... Having
accomplished His preparatory work, Christ returned to the Father to make ...
/.../ix christ our mediator.htm

Argument. --That Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Truly Man, as ...
... Chapter X. Argument."That Jesus Christ is the Son of God ... of resurrection is established,
in that Christ is raised ... and in the dissolution of death the flesh ...
/.../chapter x argument that jesus christ.htm

What the Historic Christ Taught About his Death
... be only euphemisms, but are apparently declarations of its voluntary character. ... The
Gospel reveals the precious blood of Jesus Christ, His death for us as ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/what the historic christ taught.htm

How Christ Performed the Office of Redeemer in Procuring Our ...
... grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God ... admirably made from
the birth of Christ to his ... become obedient to death, even the death of the ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 16 how christ performed.htm