I forgot this topic was in the Quarterly!...

Before raising perhaps the obvious contentious issue, there's this on Sunday's section This is a wonderful truth, but a thought comes to mind: I've been taught several times over the last two decades that the Son of God didn't die but the Son of man did because divinity can't die. How does God save us through Jesus if God's Son didn't actually die?

Moreover, the sacrifice needed to be of greater value than Adam BEFORE his fall.

We know that Christ existed prior to the Incarnation. As far as I know, I don't think anybody here is disputing this.

Relative to the Incarnation, in what form and under what name or title did Christ exist prior to the Incarnation?

Also, how did the Incarnation take place?

Yes, some of us still believe Jesus lay down his divine life for our atonement, eh. A sacrifice worthy of the law whose penalty was being suffered.

We Adventists still try to think that in his pre-existence Christ looked much like us, since he appeared to Abraham as a man and we are made in his image, which he shares with his Father - a physical and character resemblance. As for name or title, Word, Wisdom, and Son are all well known: the titles in Isaiah 9:6 are Messianic titles - including quite likely everlasting Father of the human race, as the Second Adam.

Name is a significant word, since there is thinking today that even Father, Son & Holy Spirit are titles of adopted roles which are identities - just roles for the Bible's salvation project. Such allows for the potential of interchangeable titles/roles, as has been mentioned in week of prayer and Sabbath School books. Instead of adopted roles many Adventists still hold to the identities of Father, Son and Holy Spirit which is also their names.

How did the incarnation take place?! I thought that's an unknown?!! Doesn't it just say that God's Spirit did it?

Colin, Jesus did indeed die. He did not pretend to die. Tom posted a SOP quote awhile ago which said if Jesus had failed on the cross He would have remained in the tomb. True, divinity did not die, but Jesus was/is a combination of divinity and humanity. Thus, He depends on His humanity to live among us in His divinity.

This isn't the quote Tom posted, but it's nice one:

Jesus said to Mary, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." When He closed His eyes in death upon the cross, the soul of Christ did not go at once to heaven, as many believe, or how could His words be true--"I am not yet ascended to my Father"? The spirit of Jesus slept in the tomb with His body, and did not wing its way to heaven, there to maintain a separate existence, and to look down upon the mourning disciples embalming the body from which it had taken flight. All that comprised the life and intelligence of Jesus remained with His body in the sepulcher; and when He came forth it was as a whole being; He did not have to summon His spirit from heaven. He had power to lay down His life and to take it up again (3SP 203, 204). {5BC 1150.6}

Here's another quote:

Arnold,

Can't get much clearer than that quote, which tells us very clearly that "divinity did not die."