“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.“ - Romans 5:7-8
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”-John 15:13
The Significance of Christ’s Death— An Act of Love
Christ’s death on the cross is a demonstration of His love for us. But why did He have to die? Why was it necessary?
(1) Jesus died on our behalf to settle the debt of our sins.
God is just so He requires that the debt we incurred because of our sins should be ENTIRELY written off. The righteous requirement of the law should be fulfilled!
The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” Wages refers to the pay for something we have worked for, so if we serve our sinful desires the proceeds is “death.” Sin on the other hand is defined as the offenses against His holy law (1 John 3:4). Now, if we look up the word “death” used in Romans 6:23 it is “thanatos” in Greek, which also means, “the implied idea of future misery in hell.” So rephrasing Romans 6:23, we also say that the penalty or what we earn for our lawlessness is hell. Christ took upon Himself the punishment of our sins. He took our place, He took our place!!! He bore the sins of many (Hebrews 9:28). Our sins were imputed on Him. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He paid off the debt of obligation due from us to God. His death is accepted by God as the full payment for man’s deliverance or freedom from sin and death. Jesus suffered to the full, functioning as the substitute for the sins of the world. Because of His death on the cross, an imputed righteousness is made available for those who place their trust in Him.
Christ died and was buried. He descended into Hades, the abode of the dead or interchangeably referred to as hell. But “Christ’s soul was not left there” (Acts 2:31). Christ defeated death by His resurrection or rising from the grave. Christ has victory over death and “death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:9). So what happens is this, those who believe in Christ and in His finished work on the cross, “were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. (Romans 6:4-5,8).” This just means, those who place their faith in Jesus, have died with Him and is likewise risen with Him. Death no longer has power over Christ and those who are His.
(2) Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins.
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:22
In the Old Testament, sacrifices of the blood of goats and calves were made to appease or pacify God’s anger towards the people who sinned against Him. What would happen is that the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place where they offered sacrifices first for himself and then for the people’s sins. These sacrifices were offered continually year by year and served as a reminder of the people’s sins each time. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).”
Man has no means nor capability to completely pacify God against His anger towards our sin. Man isn’t able to produce the offering that is totally pleasing in His sight. It is only God who has the means to provide that one perfect sacrifice and it was through the offering of His most precious Son Jesus.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. “
God is in His abounding love, spared His only Son! The weight of our sins demanded a perfect sacrifice that can wash away all our inequities and cleanse us from all our unrighteous once and for all. Jesus, because He is like His Father, perfect, pure, and blameless, especially because He loves us “has given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice, to God for a sweet-smelling aroma (Ephesians 5:2).” It is by the precious blood of Jesus that we are forgiven of all our trespasses. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. Glory to God for His great love!
SAVING GRACE
“Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Romans 5:20
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
What is “Grace?” Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God. It is a gift. A gift is not earned; it is freely given. In order to have a gift, we have to receive it. Romans 4: 3 goes to the extent as saying, “Now to him that works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” We cannot earn our salvation through our good works. Relying on ourselves will only sink as deeper into debt. It is only by God’s grace we are saved.
God bestows His unmerited favor upon us through faith in Jesus and His COMPLETED work on the cross. His death is the reason we are made right with God. Faith is enacted by repentance and the submission of our will to Him.
Here is an excerpt on the subject of Grace from the book, All of Grace by C.H. Spurgeon:
“Because God is gracious, therefore sinful men are forgiven, converted, purified, and saved. It is not because of anything in them, or that ever can be in them, that they are saved; but because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God. Tarry a moment, then, at the well-head. Behold the pure river of water of life, as it proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb!
What an abyss is the grace of God! Who can measure its breadth? Who can fathom its depth? Like all the rest of the divine attributes, it is infinite. God is full of love, for “God is love.” God is full of goodness; the very name “God” is short for “good.” Unbounded goodness and love enter into the very essence of the Godhead. It is because “his mercy endureth for ever” that men are not destroyed; because “his compassions fail not” that sinners are brought to Him and forgiven.”
Please continue with Faith and Repentance.
