One of the doctrines taught in the WoF movement that has received some of the most criticism is the theory that Jesus experienced spiritual death. The gist of the doctrine is that Jesus was separated from God the Father while He was on the cross, and then after He died He descended into hell where he suffered until the claims of justice were satisfied and He arose victorious.
When I first read this teaching around 1981 I was fascinated. I was still young, and I had never heard it before. I had already discovered other things from the Bible that I hadn’t heard in denominational churches, so I thought maybe this view was like the others and I went along with it for awhile. Within a year or so I had decided that I didn’t believe it. There were just too many things that didn’t work for me from a theological standpoint. It became one of the few issues where I disagreed with most in the WoF.
That being said, I don’t consider it heresy, although many people do and use that word without hesitation. Before I go any further with this, let’s talk about the definition of “heresy”. If you ask people to define it many will say that it’s a teaching that’s not in the Bible. So let’s explore that definition.
The Bible says that the first convert to Christianity in Europe was a woman named Lydia who sold purple cloth. (Acts 16:14) Now if somebody comes along saying that Lydia sold pink cloth instead of purple cloth, would you consider that heresy? After all, that’s not what the Bible says. Probably not, because it’s not that important. You’d just say that they’re wrong and leave it at that.
So now we’ve gone beyond the point of defining heresy as teaching something that’s not in the Bible, and we’re defining it as something that’s unbiblical AND important. Important doctrines have traditionally been referred to as essential doctrines, and throughout church history leaders have sought to establish what the essential doctrines are. We call these “creeds”. Let’s look at a few of them.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Nicene Creed – (325 AD)
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost.
Nicene Creed – (381 AD, Constantinople)
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead. ; whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Athanasian Creed
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Essence of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Essence of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood by God. One altogether; not by confusion of Essence; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.
Now if you took the time to read through all of that, the only references you saw to the time between the crucifixion and the resurrection said that Jesus descended into hell. They went to great lengths to define God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, and the Incarnation but they left the timeframe from the crucifixion to the resurrection wide open. This has been a debated issue throughout church history. Augustine seems to have believed that Jesus literally descended into hell. Thomas Aquinas believed that he went to hell and purgatory. John Calvin saw the reference as symbolic of His suffering on Earth. Most bible scholars today believe that Jesus went to paradise rather than hell during that time, but nobody can say for sure.
There’s nothing in there about spiritual death. If it was important they probably would have felt the need to address it. This is what we call a non-essential, and there’s an old maxim in the theological community that says “in essentials – unity, in non-essentials – liberty, and in all things – charity”.
Some of the critics insist that the term “spiritual death” could never be applied to Jesus, because it would carry with it a satanic nature. Therefore anybody who uses that term is saying that Jesus took upon Himself the nature of the devil, and that is nothing short of heresy. Well, let’s look at what Billy Graham had to say about that.
“The awful suffering of Jesus Christ was His spiritual death. He reached the final issue of sin, fathomed the deepest sorrow, when God turned His back and hid His face so that He cried, ‘My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?'”
It’s not very likely that these same critics will refer to Billy Graham as a heretic. Let’s see what Martin Luther had to say along these lines.
“And this, no doubt, all the prophets did foresee in spirit, than Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, and blasphemer, that ever was OR could be in the world. For he being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world is not now an innocent person and without sins; is not now the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary; but a sinner which hath and carrieth the sin of Paul, who was a blasphemer, an oppressor, and a persecutor; of Peter, which denied Christ; of David, which was an adulterer, a murderer, and caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of the Lord; and, briefly, which hath and beareth all the sins of all people in his body: not that he himself committed them, but for that he received them, being committed or done of us, and laid them upon his own body, that he might make satisfaction for them with his own blood.”
So Luther goes beyond what Billy Graham said and seems to say what some WoF teachers have implied. And yet he is still considered by many to be a man who was mightily used of God.
II Corinthians 5:21 says that Jesus was made sin. Some WoF people tend to take that verse more literally, going beyond the view held by some of the critics that it actually means that He became a sin offering. However, very few translations actually translate it as “sin offering“.
About this matter, the Pulpit Commentary says:
“Many have understood the word “sin” in the sense of sin offering; but that is a precarious application of the word, which is not justified by any other passage in the New Testament”.
The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says:
“sin—not a sin offering, which would destroy the antithesis to “righteousness,” and would make “sin” be used in different senses in the same sentence: not a sinful person, which would be untrue, and would require in the antithesis “righteous men,” not “righteousness”; but “sin,” that is, the representative Sin-bearer (vicariously) of the aggregate sin of all men past, present, and future”.
The Tyndale New Testament Commentary on II Corinthians says:
“It is not sufficient to regard the word ‘sin’ in this context as equivalent to ‘sin-offering’, for although it is true that in the LXX of Lv. iv. 24 and verse 12 the word ‘sin’ itself appears to have that connotation, this use is not found in the New Testament.”
I believe that the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, and that this is one of those theological tensions like faith and works that we should accept despite some of the apparently contradictory proof texts.
The truth is there are compelling arguments on both sides of this issue. It’s not as cut and dried as the opponents would have you believe. Let’s take a look at a few.
| “Orthodox” View | “Word of Faith” View | |
| Jesus went to paradise (Luke 23:45) as He stated He would to the repentant thief. The Hebrew word for “hell” in Psalm 16:10 is sheol, which is referring to the realm of the dead. Matthew 12:40 is referring to Jesus’ burial. Ephesians 4:9 is referring to Jesus’ descent from heaven to Earth. | Jesus went to hell (Ps. 16:10; Mat. 12:40; Eph. 4:9) during the three days and nights. When He said “this day” to the thief it was for emphasis, like saying “I’m telling you right now”. Matthew 12:40 and Eph. 4:9 are both referring to Jesus’ descent into hell. He wasn’t buried (in the heart of the earth). He was laid in a tomb on the surface of the earth. | |
| Jesus was made a sin offering (II Cor. 5:21), not sin itself. The Greek word for “sin” is hamartia, which if often translated “sin offering”. Jesus was a holy sin offering, fulfilling the Old Testament type of the spotless lamb as an offering for sin. Jesus was cursed (Galatians 3:13) when He was on the cross and sin was judged. | Jesus was made sin. (II Cor. 5:21) The Greek word hamartia in this verse is translated as “sin” almost without exception. Jesus said that He would be lifted up as Moses had raised the serpent in the wilderness. Serpents in the Bible represent sin and Satan. Gal. 3:13 is referring to Jesus’ spiritual death when He was separated from God. | |
| Jesus can’t be separated from God the Father. His cry of “My God My God, why have You forsaken me?” on the cross was either a cry of anguish or simply a quote from Psalm 22:1. Hebrews 2:9 is referring to physical death. | Jesus was separated from God the Father on the cross. That’s why He cried “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” He had been abandoned while the sins of mankind were placed on him and He tasted spiritual death for every man. (Heb. 2:9) | |
| Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross, indicating that the debt had been paid in full. The Greek for “it is finished” is tetelestai, which means “paid in full”. It was printed on Roman tax receipts when a debt was satisfied. | When Jesus said “It is finished” He was referring to the Old Covenant. The curtain was torn from top to bottom (Mat. 27:51) and the New Covenant began. He then gave up the ghost and descended into hell where He suffered until the claims of justice were satisfied. | |
Numerous theories concerning the atonement have been offered throughout church history.
- The Ransom Theory was attributed to Origen (185-254 A.D.) It stated that the death of Christ was a ransom paid to the devil for any claims that he had against man. Although Jesus said that His life would be sacrificed as a ransom (Mark 10:45), we view this as a price paid to a Holy God (I Tim. 2:5,6) whose law had been violated by man’s sin rather than a payment to Satan.
- Recapitulation (Irenaeus 130-202 A.D.) taught that Christ lived a life of obedience to substitute for man’s disobedience, which brings transformation to us.
- Satisfaction (Anselm 1033-1109 A.D.) stated that sinful man robbed God of His honor. Christ’s death was more than was demanded of Him, and we reap the benefits of the leftover merits.
- Moral Influence (Abelard 1079-1142 A.D.) stated that Christ’s death wasn’t an atoning death, but a suffering with His creatures to express God’s love. This is one that most would consider unacceptable.
- Penal Substitution was taught by Calvin (1509-1564 A.D.). It stated that Christ was sinless, and took upon Himself the penalty deserved for us.
- The Dramatic Theory (Aulen 1879-1978) said that Jesus died to gain the victory over the powers of darkness.
There is no one prevailing view on this issue that is considered the only acceptable view. It’s similar to the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. We all agree that Jesus is coming back, but there are numerous theories on all of the details – pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, premillennial, postmillennial, amillenial … etc. Those are non-essentials.
In this article from Christianity Today in 2000 you will see the same point that I am making expressed. The article concludes with this statement:
Bible-believing Christians can allow themselves to differ on the nature of Jesus’ descent into hell. Some will be able to recite this part of the Apostles’ Creed with conviction, while others may choose to remain silent.
What the critics have done is elevate the status of a non-essential issue to an essential, which enables them to label those with whom they disagree as heretics. The essential issue is that mankind needed a savior, Jesus came and paid the price so that we could be born again through faith in Him. We should be able to disagree on this issue without splitting hairs, name-calling, and expressing condemnation.
In conclusion, I will leave you with a quote concerning this issue.
The key to understanding the cry of Jesus from the cross is found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'” (Galatians 3:13, NIV).
To be cursed is to be removed from the presence of God, to be set outside the camp, to be cut off from His benefits. On the cross, Jesus was cursed. That is, He represented the Jewish nation of covenant breakers who were exposed to the curse and took the full measure of the curse on Himself. As the Lamb of God, the Sin Bearer, He was cut off from the presence of God.
On the cross, Jesus entered into the experience of forsakenness on our behalf. God turned His back on Jesus and cut Him off from all blessing, from all keeping, from all grace, and from all peace.
God is too holy to even look at iniquity. God the Father turned His back on the Son, cursing Him to the pit of hell while He hung on the cross. Here was the Son’s “descent into hell.” Here the fury of God raged against Him. His scream was the scream of the damned. For us.
Interestingly enough, this didn’t come from a WoF teacher, or even from a Charismatic. It came from a Calvinist by the name of R. C. Sproul. Another Calvinist named John MacArthur said:
Although Christ is the One who is eternal life itself (1 John 5:20), He did experience a kind of spiritual death—defined not as cessation of existence but an experience of separation from God. While on the cross, Jesus was fully conscious as He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). That utterance reflected His temporary and humanly incomprehensible sense of alienation from the Father while God’s full wrath and the burden of sinners’ iniquities were placed on Him and judged (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10–13; Heb. 9:28). For that brief time, Christ’s experience paralleled the condition of unbelievers who live, paradoxically, in spiritual death (separation from God) in this life and face divine judgment in physical death.
And finally, the most famous Calvinist in history, John Calvin himself, stated this in his book “Institutes of Christian Religion” (p. 318 of the book; p. 326 in pdf).
But, apart from the Creed, we must seek for a surer exposition of Christ’s descent to hell: and the word of God furnishes us with one not only pious and holy, but replete with excellent consolation. Nothing had been done if Christ had only endured corporeal death. In order to interpose between us and God’s anger, and satisfy his righteous judgment, it was necessary that he should feel the weight of divine vengeance. Whence also it was necessary that he should engage, as it were, at close quarters with the powers of hell and the horrors of eternal death. We lately quoted from the Prophet, that the “chastisement of our peace was laid upon him” that he “was bruised for our iniquities” that he “bore our infirmities;” expressions which intimate, that, like a sponsor and surety for the guilty, and, as it were, subjected to condemnation, he undertook and paid all the penalties which must have been exacted from them, the only exception being, that the pains of death could not hold him. Hence there is nothing strange in its being said that he descended to hell, seeing he endured the death which is inflicted on the wicked by an angry God. It is frivolous and ridiculous to object that in this way the order is perverted, it being absurd that an event which preceded burial should be placed after it. But after explaining what Christ endured in the sight of man, the Creed appropriately adds the invisible and incomprehensible judgment which he endured
before God, to teach us that not only was the body of Christ given up as the price of redemption, but that there was a greater and more excellent price—that he bore in his soul the tortures of condemned and ruined man.
One wonders if WoF opponents will now attack these gentlemen with the ferocity that they have attacked those with similar views in the WoF movement? Pardon me if I don’t hold my breath.