King David, “the man after God’s heart” (Acts 13:22), wrote prophetically concerning the sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in Psalm 22 about one thousand years before Christ’s first advent. The prophet Isaiah predicted the vicarious sacrifice of Christ (Isaiah 53) some seven hundred years before His first advent.
The sufferings and death of Christ were “substitutionary,” meaning that Christ died “in the place of sinful mankind.“ In other words, the death of Christ on the Cross was on mankind’s behalf. Christ’s death satisfied all the demands and requirements of God’s justice. Since God is holy and righteous, He cannot condone sin in any way, shape, or form. Sin is obnoxious to God. Habakkuk’s prophecy reveals this about God. “You are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” (Habakkuk 1:13).
The Bible tells us that “just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12). The one man is Adam — the first human being God created.
Adam committed the first sin, and that wrought moral ruin to the human race. As a result of Adam’s sin, “many were made sinners.” (Romans 5:19). And also, “one trespass led to condemnation for all men,” (Romans 12:18). This means that all human beings are sinners —by nature and by practice. The evidence is all around us. But it was not God’s intent to allow this condition to continue without His intervention.
For that reason, “At enormous cost, writes William MacDonald, God sent His Son to die as a Substitute for sinners. Salvation from sin and its wages is offered as a free gift through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Man is condemned on three grounds: He has a sinful nature, Adam’s sin is imputed to him, and he is a sinner by practice. But his crowning guilt is his rejection of the provision which God has made for his salvation (John 3:18, 19, 36).” (Believer’s Bible Commentary p. 1698).
The Bible teaches that without exception, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” . . . “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10-12,23). It was therefore necessary for Jesus to die in order to save us from our sins since He could not save us by His life. The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22).
“See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?”
— Isaac Watts 1707
Paul makes it known that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). This is the ‘Gospel’ or good news everyone needs to hear and believe, and are being saved.
Jesus Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession.” (Titus 2:14). Because Jesus gave himself for us, there is nothing more that God could have done to reconcile sinful man to Himself. Hence, no more sacrifice for sin remains. The fact that Christ died, and rose from the dead means He will never have to die again. He now lives after the power of an endless life.
“And the old rugged cross made the difference
In a life bound for heartache and defeat;
I will praise Him forever and ever
For the cross made the difference for me”
— Songwriters: Gloria Gaither / William J Gaither
The birth of Jesus was the promise that Jesus would come into the world to save sinners. And the crucifixion was the proof of that promise. In his witness to Timothy, Paul said, “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 Timothy 1:15).
Christ spoke of His death in John 12, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit.” (V. 24). He also said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” (V. 27).
This statement reveals that the Lord Jesus was well aware that to die was His purpose for coming into the world. Hence He could say, “But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”
What does the death of the Lord Jesus Christ mean to you? Have you ever trusted Him as your Savior with the full assurance of “eternal life?” You can do that right now. The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9,10).