The trinity doctrine and its advocates teach that the Incarnation was not a sacrifice of life on the part of the Son, in and of itself--that it was only part of the ONE SACRIFICE made on the cross. Notice in the following statement that Ellen White says that "In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a Redeemer:
"The darkness rolled away from the Saviour and from the Cross. Christ bowed His head and died. In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a redeemer." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.
Now who can ever again say that the Incarnation was not a sacrifice in and of itself--without the cross? The "prescribed limit" as a sacrifice, is just that!
How could Christ have reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice in and by His Incarnation? There is only one way! What was the "prescribed limit" of the Everlasting Covenant? That the death of the Testator be effected--that the covenant was of no effect until the death of the Testator should take place. Who was the Testator? The Son of God. The prescribed limit as a sacrifice was death of the Testator. The only way the Son could have reached that prescribed limit as a sacrifice in His Incarnation, was that in His Incarnation He died to the first estate of His Being, His very Divine Nature, and took upon Himself Human Nature. That was a sacrifice in and of itself that satisfied the "prescribed limit as a sacrifice--but not as a redeemer. As our redeemer, Christ must prove that it was possible for man to have never fallen--that it is possible for man to overcome in human nature. Christ proved that and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin--our sin. He died in lieu of us dying. He died that we might live.
"He (Christ) suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which WAS His." Desire of Ages, p. 25; 1 Cor. 11:24-265, cf. John 6:53, 54, Titus 3:5, 6.
The life which WAS His, is the Holy Spirit Divine life and soul he sacrificed for us as the Testator, which reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice. That would have paid the penalty for sin and permitted the universe to go on without experiencing further detriment because of sin. Our world could have been destroyed and the rest of the universe would have survived. But to redeem us, He also died on the cross, paying our penalty--suffering the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.
"The Incarnation of Christ was an act of self-sacrifice." E.G. White, Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 186.
The Incarnation was a self-sacrificial act in and of itself without Christ's death on the cross.
"The darkness rolled away from the Saviour and from the cross. Christ bowed His head and died. In His Incarnation He had reached the prescribed limit as a sacrifice, but not as a Redeemer." E.G. White Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, p. 409.
The above statement makes a distinct difference in the Incarnation as a sacrifice, compared to the cross sacrifice, wherein Christ became our Redeemer. We were redeemed by His blood on the cross. We are sanctified by the life He laid aside for us at His Incarnation, His Holy Spirit life and soul gift--His Divine Nature, given as a regenerating agency. One sacrifice was for our regeneration via overcoming by partaking of the Divine Nature Holy Spirit life and soul of the Son of God, and the other was was for our redemption--paying the penalty of death--that was the death Christ payed on the cross to redeem us.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:
Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Ron Beaulieu