Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of Christianity, but why was it necessary?
The Bible reveals that Jesus' death was not just a tragic event but a divine plan for salvation. Through His sacrifice, God fulfilled His justice, love, and redemption for humanity.
- The price of sin, a debt only Jesus could pay. Sin separates humanity from God, ?Isaiah 59 verse 2.
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, Genesis 3, mankind has been under the curse of sin and death, Romans 6 verse 23. God, in His justice, requires punishment for sin, but in His love, He provided Jesus as the perfect sacrifice. The first sacrifice, a covering for sin.
In Genesis 3 verse 21, after Adam and Eve sinned, God clothed them with animal skins. This was the first blood sacrifice, a foreshadowing of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who would cover our sins permanently, John 1 verse 29.
The Passover, a shadow of the cross. In Exodus 12, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and apply its blood on their doorposts so the angel of death would pass over them. This pointed
to Jesus, our Passover Lamb, 1 Corinthians 5 verse 7, whose blood saves us from eternal death.
- Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice, fulfilling the law. Under the Old Testament law, priests had to offer sacrifices repeatedly for sins, Leviticus 16. However, these sacrifices
could never fully remove sin, Hebrews 10 verse 4.
Only a perfect and sinless sacrifice could do that, Jesus Christ, the bronze serpent, looking to Jesus for salvation. In Numbers 21, when the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes, God told Moses to lift up a bronze serpent on a pole. Those who looked at it were healed.
Jesus compared this to His sacrifice. His own crucifixion. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.
John 3 verses 14 to 15. Jesus' death on the cross is the only remedy for sin, just as the bronze serpent was the only cure for the Israelites.
- Jesus died to defeat Satan and set us free. Satan held power over humanity through sin and death, Hebrews 2 verses 14 to 15. Jesus' death was a strategic victory, breaking Satan's hold and setting captives free.
Rahab's scarlet cord, the blood that saves. In Joshua 2, Rahab, a Canaanite woman, hung a scarlet cord from her window, and her family was spared from destruction. This symbolizes Jesus' blood, which grants us salvation when we trust in Him, Romans 5 verse 9.
- Lessons from the cross. God's love is greater than our sin. For God so loved the world that He. John 3 verses 16. Faith in Jesus is our only salvation. Just as the Israelites had to look at the bronze serpent, we must look to Christ, John 14 verse 6.
Victory comes through surrender. Jesus' greatest victory came through obedience and suffering, Philippians 2 verses 8 to 11. Through Jesus' death we receive life, freedom, and reconciliation with God. His sacrifice was not just necessary, it was the greatest act of love in history. Will you accept His gift today?
Stay Blessed.