WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE?

By pilgrim 2 April, 2023 PILGRIMAGE, STUMBLING BLOCKS 2 Comments

As the passion week dawns upon us, believers worldwide reflect on the cross of Christ and his painful death. The question often is asked, “If God is God, why did He need Jesus, His Son to die on the cross? Could there not have been another way? Could God not forgive sins without having Jesus to die?” A brief explanation follows-

The integrity of God: When God created this world and laid its foundations, the core principle on which this world was designed to run was man’s submission to God. Eden no longer was accessible when this core principle was flouted and the world we live in became one cursed because of sin, with death becoming a reality that encompasses one and all. Judgment is real and follows from man’s sin. The need for Jesus to die originates from God’s unwavering nature to not compromise the basic principle of sin and judgment.
The justice of God and the satisfaction of God: Where there is crime, there is an apt judgment and unless judgment is affected, there is no satisfaction of God. If man were to pay the price of his sin, there would be no one who would be able to enter God’s eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life.
The perfection of Christ: Christ was unique among all men and women in that He was the only one who was perfect and pure. Nobody else lived without sin like Jesus did and so when he decided to die for us, he died not for his sins but according to his volition, for the sins of others.
The inclusion of mankind within Christ: If Jesus were only man, his death would have been enough only for the sins of another one person. But he was not just fully man, he was also fully God. And because he was the origin of all men, he could legitimately include all men and women within himself and so his death counts for the sins of all mankind

Four scenes are helpful to understand how the death of Christ made if possible for man to have forgiveness and life:

The temple: where the purity of Jesus overcomes the impurity of man caused by his sin.
The marketplace: where Jesus pays for our sins what we could not pay for ourselves.
The court: where Jesus takes on the judgment of God rather than allowing us to bear it.
The home: where Jesus brings reconciliation between God and man following our separation from God due to our sins.

Nothing can compare with the cross of Christ. May this passion week be a cherished moment for us to reflect on what Jesus means to us.