Life-giving Word wears death-bound nature; perfected humanly, perfects us divinely

So since it was unreachable for human nature to abolish death — for it had been held under him, as he was bringing it down into that ancient curse — of necessity the life-giving Word of God clothed himself with the death-held nature, that is, the one according to us, or the human, so that death, leaping upon his flesh like some untamed beast, might cease its tyranny against us, being abolished by God. So he himself is the one being perfected in flesh for us in a human way, yet perfecting us in a divine way by abolishing death’s power.

For incorruption was lacking to human nature, even as it somehow came to be at the beginnings. “For God did not make death, nor does he delight in the destruction of the living; for he created all things to be, and the generations of the world are saving, and there is in them no drug of ruin nor a kingdom of Hades on the earth; but by the devil’s envy death entered into the world.” Having perfected us thus, he was saying to the Father and God in the heavens: “I glorified you on the earth, having perfected the work that you have given me to do.” For it is truly glory to God and Father to abolish death through his own offspring. So the perfecting is his through sufferings, but for us what has happened is an addition of what was lacking; for the things in Christ are a new creation. And that he does not say a bare human — with the Word excluded — has been perfected for us, but rather the Only-begotten appearing in human form, the inspired Paul will confirm again, adding: “For both the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified…”