17. Why did Jesus die?

Key Verses / Passages

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Tim 1:15

Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Good News I told you. You received that Good News message, and you continue to base your life on it. That Good News, the message you heard from me, is God’s way to save you. But you must continue believing it. If you don’t, you believed for nothing.

I gave you the message that I received. I told you the most important truths: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day, as the Scriptures say; and that he appeared to Peter and then to the twelve apostles.‍ ‍1 Cor 15:1-5

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Discussion

Yeah - why did he have to die?  Why couldn’t God just arrive on a cloud or something and make a statement like; “This Earth and everything and everyone on it is mine; if you follow my rules and don’t rebel then we can have a great relationship!  Otherwise … not so much.”

The first statement in the Bible says that God created everything… The first people on the planet had a close relationship with him…
Imagine that! A face-to-face relationship with God and they blew it!!!

From the beginning of man’s life on the planet, our nature is rebellion, which is displayed as selfishness, greed, envy, jealousy, murder, etc.

God the Father put in place some guidelines on how to live with Him and each other.  We call these the “Ten Commandments”.  But we can’t live up to even these few rules.

The Father knew this would happen and created a “way out” for people to show they understood the seriousness of disobeying Him.  This “way out” was “sacrificial offerings” of animals, grain and wine.  Essentially it was like a self-administered penalty of paying fines.

The trouble with this was that it had to be done repeatedly because there wasn’t a sacrifice strong enough to wipe out the sins of all the people…

Once again, the Father provided a “way out” by providing His own Son as the ultimate sacrifice, so that whoever believes in His sacrifice would be forgiven and restored as part of the family.  This is a big deal.  God loves us so much that he created a special option from the penalty box; just like in Monopoly there’s a “Get out of Jail Free” card.  A substitute where the penalty must be paid, but the offender gets off free.

Jesus death on the cross, an agonising experience, provides that substitution sacrifice for all who believe and call on Him as their saviour.

And this was not hidden from the people… for centuries, God the Father had been telling people, either through the authors of Psalms, Prophets or outright statements; that He would send a super-human to lead them back to a strong relationship with Him.

This is the Good News - that the promised super-human died in our place!

He paid the penalty to restore us to His Father, forever.

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Reflection / Questions

•       Can you live up to the 10 commandments?  Really?  Jesus said even if you think about it, without committing the action, then you have broken the instruction.  Think about how you have broken these guidelines.

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Prayer

Dear God, thank you that you do everything so well and thank for providing a substitute for the penalty I should have paid.  I believe with my whole heart that Jesus is my saviour and Lord.  Thank you.  Help me continue in that belief and to grow in knowledge and love of you, my God.