If you have seen The Passion of the Christ, or if you plan to do so, you will see a powerful and realistic account of Christ's death. Although few people doubt that Christ died, many wonder why he died. Did Christ have a martyr-complex, dying just to make a political statement? Did he slip up, getting himself in trouble with the law by opening his mouth just a bit too much? Or did he die for a purpose?
The Bible consistently argues that Christ's death on the cross was intentional, purposeful, and wonderful. Let's take a look….
(1) Christ Planned to Die
In the Bible, Jesus says, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father" (John 10:17-18).
And, just as Jesus was being arrested, he told his disciples not to fight back saying, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" (Matthew 26:53-54). Jesus consistently claimed that his death was planned and intentional. He came to earth to die. But for what purpose?
(2) We are Sinful
The Bible says, "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). It also says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Every single human being falls short of God's standards. We all do wrong. To say that some do worse than others is to miss the point. God's standard for each of us is moral perfection and none of us does right all the time.
(3) God Must Judge Sin
It may seem unfair that God's standard is perfection. But God has to be true to himself. That's just the way he is. The Bible says about God, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13). It also argues that God's standards have had the effect "…that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God" (Romans 3:19). And, the Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). God must judge sin; it's just part of his nature to do so. He does this by severing a relationship with us; first in our experience of him in this life and later in placing us in hell.
(4) God Judged Sin in Christ
If you've read to this point, you might think that the Bible's view of God is horribly perverse – here is a God that creates us only to have us fall short so that he must sever ties with us. But, this isn't the picture God is trying to send at all. God wants us to know how unhappy he is to be separated from us. Although God puts the blame for our sin on us, he wants to do whatever it takes to provide a way out. For God to be true to himself, this "way out" meant the death of Christ. The Bible says, "God made him [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). It also says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree [wooden cross], so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).
This is the Bible's argument for why Christ had to die. He took the punishment for ours sins. He was punished in our place. This Bible says that through his death, God could be both "…just and the one who justifies…" (Romans 3:26). In other words, God could be true to His own standards of justice while providing a way to make us righteous again in his eyes.
(5) We Must Believe Christ to Receive God's Gift
Christ's death for us is a gift, a wonderful gift. God only requires one thing of us in order to receive it – that we believe it. Just above, we quoted part of Romans 3:26 and we can now include all the words of that verse: "He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26, italics added). Faith in Christ is the one required step for this transaction to be complete.
The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" (John 3:16-18). God no longer judges us on the basis of our sin, but on the basis of whether we believe that Christ paid for that sin.
Have you told God that you believe in what Christ did for you on the cross? If not, the following prayer might be helpful to you as you speak to him:
"Dear God, I admit that you are my creator. I admit that I only draw breath because you have given me life. I admit that I am yours. I also admit I've sinned against you. I have not met the standards you desire for me. I've done wrong. I acknowledge that because you are a righteous God, you must punish that sin. But, I also acknowledge that you provided a way out by sending Christ to be punished in my place when he died on the cross. I believe this. I want to begin a relationship with you, a relationship that will last forever. Thank you God for the death of Christ on the cross for me. Amen."
Want to know more?
Join us at Spring Lake Church for worship, Sundays at 9:00am, & 10:30am. Call, write, or visit our website for more information. God Bless You!
Spring Lake Church
2240 Klondike Road
Green Bay, WI 54311
920-983-9090
www.springlakechurch.org
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