Why did Jesus have to die?
Here's the answer:
Jesus dying on the cross is the one way God made to save sinners who believe in Him.
The perfect Son of God did not deserve to die. But Jesus suffered a horrible death: soldiers beat Him and put a crown of thorns on His head, people mocked and spit on Him, nails pierced his hands and feet into a wooden cross.
Why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God have saved sinners some other way? No, Jesus dying on the cross is the only way. Here are some reasons:
• Every person is a sinner. "Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory" (Romans 3:23).
• The punishment for sin is death. "When you sin, the pay you get is death" (Romans 6:23b).
• We can't save ourselves by good works. "God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift" (Ephesians 2:8).
• God allowed His own Son to die to take the punishment for sin. "God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Because God is a just Judge, He must and will punish sinners. But because of God’s love and mercy, He punished Jesus in the place of believing sinners. Only Jesus could die in the place of believers because He is the God-Man—both holy God and sinless Man (2 Corinthians 5:21). A sinner can’t pay the punishment for the sin of others. A sinner has to pay his own punishment of death. And no one but God the Son could take our place.
Besides, why would God let His beloved Son suffer and die on the cross if there were other ways to save sinners? But no other way was possible. Jesus bearing the wrath of God against sinners was the only possible way for believers to escape judgment and have an eternal relationship with God (1 Peter 3:18). That’s why Jesus died on the cross. Thank You, Lord Jesus!
To learn more about following Jesus and the path to heaven, click here.
Bible Truth
"Men of Israel, listen to this! Jesus of Nazareth was a man who had God’s approval. God did miracles, wonders and signs among you through Jesus. You yourselves know this. Long ago God planned that Jesus would be handed over to you. With the help of evil people, you put Jesus to death. You nailed him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead. He set him free from the suffering of death. It wasn’t possible for death to keep its hold on Jesus" (Acts 2:22–24).
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
