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Opinion:- " Spiritual Death of Jesus" is it Meserete Kristos doctrine ? (VIDEO)
Opinion:- Dear ethiocross editor and concerned at MKC theological seminary,
Greateeings to you in the precious name of My Lord Jesus Christ. I am neither a bible teacher nor a theologian. I am a church attendant in the Washington Metropolitan area. Yesterday evening, one of my friends posted on her facebook what Hauilu Yohannes, www.hyfm.org former Evangelist at MKC www.meseretekristoschurch.org taught on different controversial issues which include "Spiritual death of Jesus". Hailu, of course, claims his explanation to the subject as biblical, too logical and too simple to understand. While advocating for "Spiritual death of Jesus", Hailu also claims his teaching and doctrinal outlook are still consistent and in line with either of his former church or the rest of the main line evangelicals. Is it really?
Personally, I believe that this is the time the church has to wake up and explain the subject to believers than keep silent. That is why I am incited to read on the subject and place my own input by dedicating the following commentary to the blog section of www.ethiocross.com
Hailu on Rise & Shine Show from hailuyohannes on Vimeo.
Spiritual Death of Jesus?
Have you ever heard of a teaching that Jesus tormented and died spiritually? Or, have you ever take notice of a doctrine which says Jesus died spiritually and took Satan’s nature?
Or, have you ever heard of preachers thunder that Satan dragged Jesus through Hell by the nap of the neck (... as if Satan is immune to the torments of Hell)?
If not, I have attached to you one of such teachings by a former Meserete Kristos Church Evangelist and recent graduate of Rhema Bible College, Hailu Yohannes. http://vimeo.com/17972504
The logic
One of such things that I have noticed is this statement that comes from some who are connected to the Word of Faith camp, “I have always believed fill in the blank. Then I found the following scripture to prove it.” The logic used by most of them looks:
1. Create Theology
2. Look for any verse that seemingly supports the created doctrine
3. Look for any quotes in Church History that teach something similar
4. Vilify anyone who disagrees
What the Bible says ?
Let me say that by using this method to interpret scripture is to make the Bible say what you want it to say. We should let scripture speak for itself. If we approach scripture with a pre-supposed idea, we will find verses that seemingly fit that idea. I could give lots of examples. This is the mistake that Kenyon first made long time before Hailu when he assumed that Jesus HAD to die TWICE.
I am going to attempt to let the scriptures speak for themselves…Note that I am going from Genesis to Revelation to prove what I say is a theme throughout the whole Bible.
The Old Testament
Let’s start with the Old Testament. All Christ followers are aware that the Old Testament shows types and shadows of Christ. Since the Atonement is one of the focal points of our disagreement, we need to focus in on what God says makes covenant with Him and what pays for sin.
Ex 12:13
13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
NKJV
Ex 24:7-8
8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words."
Take note, it is the Blood that kept the destroying angel away. Also notice that it is the blood that which makes Covenant with God, nothing else. This same verse is used by Peter in the New Testament. (I will quote it later).
The sacrificial system of the Sin Offering
Lev 6:24-29
24 Also the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 25 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the LORD. It is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of meeting. 28 But the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. And if it is boiled in a bronze pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed in water. 29 All the males among the priests may eat it. It is most holy.
NKJV
Notice how the sin offering is “most holy” before the sacrifice and after the blood has been shed. Christ was most holy before and after the shedding of his blood.
Lev 17:11-12
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' 12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.'
NKJV
Leviticus 17 is rich with what the blood does for you. It makes atonement.
I am now going to quote scriptures throughout the New Testament. Notice the theme. It is the blood that pays for our sins, not Christ’s Soul or Spirit, only His Blood.
The New Testament
Matt 26:28-29
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
NKJV
I have to honestly ask how important Communion is to the Word of Faith sect since as one Word of Faith leader once said, “If dying on the cross could pay for sins, and anyone could have done those.”?
Rom 3:25-26
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
NKJV
Clearly this Romans passage describes the blood as paying for our sins.
Rom 5:9-10
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
NKJV
1 Cor 11:25
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
NKJV
Eph 1:7
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
NKJV
Eph 2:13
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
NKJV
Col 1:19-20
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
NKJV
1 Peter 1:18-19
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
NKJV
1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
NKJV
Rev 1:5
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
NKJV
Rev 5:9
9 And they sang a new song, saying:
"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
NKJV
I believe that the theme is clear, without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. For those who believe that the atonement must include as payment Jesus dying spiritually as described by taking on Satan’s nature are very much wrong. It is the blood and only the blood that paid for your sins and my sins. What is your understanding? Have your say ?
Blessings,
References: NKJV, dakesbibleboard.coml
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer. The writer can be reached huutuu@yahoo.com
This entry was posted on December 20th, 2010 at 09:15:00 pm by admin and is filed under Church, Opinion - View.
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8 comments
The payment of sin was the shedding of the blood of Jesus.Ephesians 2:15-17 (KJV)
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Colossians 1:22 (KJV)
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Hebrews 10:20 (KJV)
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
1 Peter 4:1 (KJV)
1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
I find no evidence whatsoever to substantiate claims of His suffering for us in Hell or anywhere outside of His flesh.
The sacrifice of His body and the shedding of His blood is always what is referred to as being what paid the debt of sin.
In Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt
thou be with me in paradise.
No suffering here in this compartment.
1 Peter 3:18-19 (KJV) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Here not being tormented but anointed to make an announcement.
Phil 2:8-11 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
1Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Really do we need to go any further? The sacrifice of His body and the shedding of His blood is always what is referred to as being what paid the debt of sin. To say it is incomplete or wasn't good enough by implying He was tormented to complete His suffering is heresy
Dear Hailu,Interesting logic and explanation.
Unfortunately, not everything in the bible is so logical and so attractive to belive in. Because it is God's idea not humans.
Sadly to tale, there are no Scriptures to support your claim of Christ being tormented in Hell or the requirement of Christ's spritual torture for our salvation. ALL Scriptures referencing suffering being experienced by Christ was in the days of His flesh.
Hebrews 9:11-26 (NKJV)
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.
18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you."
21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another--
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
No where is there any mention of torture being needed for remission of sin. Our salvation was bought with a price, that price was the blood of Jesus. Not his torture, there was no requirement of Jesus having to go to Hell, only the blood. His blood made the covenant his death released the covenant into fruition
Redemption in Hell:“
It is a mystery to me how anyone could conclude that Jesus had to complete the work of redemption in hell. Yet some Faith teachers attempt to strengthen their argument by insisting that a number of ancient Christian creeds--such as the Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed--include the phrase “descended into hell.” They seem to be unaware that this phrase did not appear in the creed until the fourth century, that it was not part of the original. It is certain that neither the early church fathers not the framers of the creeds believed that Christ suffered in hell under Satan. In any event, Word of God itself must be the court of final appeal.
How can anyone miss what the Lord said to the thief on the cross? Jesus did not say, “Today you will be with me in hell.” He said, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 24:43). According to the Apostle Paul, paradise is in the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2). There is simply no way to reconcile this explicit statement made by Christ with the Faith teaching that Jesus suffered in hell.
Two Key Passages:
Faith teachers twist two passages in particular—Matthew 12:40 and Ephesians 4:9,10—to make their case that Christ did in fact go to hell. Let’s take a quick look at these texts.
First, Matthew 12:40 (“the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”) simply references the time of Jesus’ burial in the grave. If the Faith teachers want to use this text to support the idea that Jesus went to hell to be tortured by Satan and his demons, the burden of proof clearly falls on them. And this verse says nothing of the sort.
Second, Ephesians 4:9,10 (“What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended in the very one who ascended higher that all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe”) contains an idiomatic expression referring to Christ’s incarnation on the earth and not to any incarnation in hell. In fact, David used the same expression (“lower parts” or “depths of the earth”) in Psalm 139:15,16 when he said, “My frame as not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.” Surely no one would conclude that David was born in hell! Yet Faith teachers persist in assigning Jesus to the lowermost regions of that most dreaded place.
To Paradise, Not Hell
It is worth noting that Jesus on the cross cried, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46; cf. John 19:30). He most certainly did not shout, “Satan, into your clutches I submit my being. Take me, I’m yours. Take me to hell.”
If we are to take the Bible seriously, we must conclude that Jesus committed His spirit to the father, not to Satan. The apostle Paul put it ever so eloquently when he wrote of Christ, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them BY THE CROSS” (Colossians 2:15, emphasis mine).
Jesus did not suffer horrible torture at the hands of Satan in the bowels of hell. Christ triumphed over the devil at the cross! It was His death on the cross that made possible our salvation. How could the writer of Hebrews have made it any clearer?
Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Christ] too shared in the humanity so that BY HIS DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM WHO HOLDS THE POWER OF DEATH—THAT IS, THE DEVIL—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14,15).
”
Hank Hanegraaf, “Christianity in Crisis” [Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), 165-167
Well,This is one of the worst heresies of our time. I don't believe he had learnt this doctrine in MKC. He must have got it at Rhema BC. Those connected with that institute add a lot of their imaginations and diabolical teachings to the cross. Benny Hinn and others, learning from their 'predecessor' Kenneth Hagin (Rhema's founder) mock Jesus' being punished in hell. When he died Jesus gave Himself to the Father. He was in Paradise as He promised to one of the criminals crucified with Him.
Jesus said it was finished (completed) on the cross and gave up His breath. There was no other penalty of being dragged and beaten up in hell. If separation was the issue Hailu said that Jesus said that He was left alone by the Father. Yes that was separation. For Jesus that was not spiritual death. Nowhere was it written Jesus died spiritually. After all, spiritual death was a result of sin. Adam sinned and died (both spiritually and physically). But Jesus never sinned. The fact that He bore our sin and He became sin for us does not mean He died spiritually.
The cross should never be short changed for any other thing. On it was the perfect sacrifice. Nothing needs be added for our salvation.
ነፍሴን በሲዖል አትተዋትምና in OT Sheol could mean the abode of the dead; but also simply grave (cf Gen. 42:38) same word but rendered መቃብር.
I think he (Hailu) is stepping on the threshold of a first class heresy. Listening to the interview was a saddening thing.
It is so saddening and grieving to watch teachers of our days digging out from the sacred Word of God that God has not hid. When standing behind the podium, they are in haste to show their skill to turning the stones into loaves of bread so that they can nourish the innocent and the dependent emptiness, void, fault, lie (denying reality), and strong-headedness. If one asked to put their core teaching in one word, I presume, the reply would be disobedience. They neither give their ears for correction nor their heart for repentance. They always claim they are well equipped to serve the body of Christ by way of looking down on other ministers or members. When challenged about their teaching, these teachers claim that they received the revelation from the Holy Spirit. I pray and hope they will yield to the Way, the Truth and Life.
Dear readers this teaching of SPIRITUAL DEATH OF JESUS is part of the "New" or "False" teaching introduced by Pastor Kenneth Haggin. It does not stop there.
The complete teaching says that Jesus was "BORN AGAIN" when he was raised from hell and at that time, he became the "Beggoten Son of God" but he is not the only begotten Son of God. All Christians are.
For me this teaching is demonic and deviant from the truth. The source of all false teachiing is not God. 
Thank you for pointing that out brother!I too have watched a couple of his talk on that show, and found some of his sayings to be nonsense.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33.
Jesus says we will have troubles. We will have them. Sickness, poverty, ...etc. So when troubles arrive, what shall we say?
On the Rise and Shine show, Hailu Yohannes teaches not to utter that we have them. (pls find the video and watch it). If I was there I would have asked him what he would say when he goes to see his doctor. "Doctor, I am not sick"?
You know what I am talking?
In my narrow view, I see two types of Christians - those who simply talk and talk whatever random word or phrase that comes to their mind, and those Christians who simply walk the walk with no hype or hoopla.
Spiritual teachers are expected to have methodical thoughtfulness. Yet, we have too many who claim to be Bible teachers at a young age with less maturity and life experience.
I know "Sew bederesebet bezia yimelalesal" yibalal.
The problem is, there are many who don't see themselves in a mirror to find out where they are in life, what they look like, and what they are capable of.
Peace!
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