Why did Jesus have to die?



Bible Reading - Mark 15:33-47

Hanging on the cross with the sins of all mankind upon Him, Jesus cried out to God. Spurned by the very people He came to save, He drew His last breath and died (v37).

Jesus was determined to save us from sin even though it would literally kill him. Why the need to go to such extreme measures? Why did Jesus have to die?

The answer is righteousness. God is holy and just – He cannot tolerate sin and rightfully punishes those who persist in it. When we sin, we deserve God’s anger and are unworthy to have a relationship with Him. Yet out of mercy, God does not want to leave us like that. He wants to cleanse us of sin so that we can be with Him.

Sin is dirty. Just as a single ink blot mars a clean sheet of paper, so sin stains our life. Just as carelessly discarded waste chokes up a drain, so sin pollutes our relationship with God and obstructs our access to Him.

Sin is deadly. Many trivialize sin to a harmless wrongdoing or a joke. However, the Bible says clearly that the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23) and thus everyone deserves to die. If that sounds terrible, it is. Sin is a death sentence that none of us can overturn.

Did Jesus do wrong? Not at all. He is completely innocent. However, Jesus loves us so much that He willingly bore the penalty of our sins (Romans 5:8). He went to the cross for you and me. He has served our death sentence for us.

God’s justice demands a penalty for sin. God’s mercy compels Him to send His Son to be the sacrifice that will pay for it once and for all (Hebrews 10:12-14). At the cross, God’s justice and God’s mercy meet.

Through Jesus, we can enjoy a relationship with God. Because of Jesus, God forgives our sins and blesses us with a purposeful life in Christ.

Celebrate that you can be right with God because of Jesus! How will you express your gratitude to Jesus for what He has done for you?

As you spend time on the couch with God, take a moment to pray and reflect on what you've read.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger

Image
If you’re reading this right now then be warned. This devotional to spiritual warfare is a bit dangerous, not to you, but to your way of life. If ignorance is bliss, it aims to destroy that bliss forever. Imagine living in a house infested with termites. For years you never noticed them. Just beyond reach, just out of sight, they lived, they ate, they spawned, they festered. For all those years you blindly ate, played, and slept, unaware of the lurking presence right beneath your head at night. If you live in a house full of termites is it better to know or is it simpler to live in ignorance? If you prefer ignorance, then stop reading right now. If you don’t want to know about the spiritual forces that have been eating away at the foundation of your life and family like termites, then there’s no need to go any farther. Ignorance is in fact bliss, at least for the short term. This book’s aim is nothing short of ripping up the base boards, pulling out the sheetrock and exposing the d
Read more

FEARFUL

Image
" Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles " (Acts 2:43) Read: Acts 2:43 The word awe is defined as “fearful” and usually refers to the fear of the LORD in the Bible. Fear of the Lord doesn’t mean sheer terror. It’s having a healthy respect for God’s power, acknowledging his all-encompassing character and that he holds life and death in his hands. Early believers focused upward and gave God credit for the miracles performed through the Apostles and the salvation they offered through Jesus. We have no less reason for awe of God today. His signs and wonders are all around us. He created everything (Genesis 1:1), holds everything together (Colossians 1:17) and raised Christ from the dead by which we are saved and made new (Romans 6:4). He has a home for each of us in his Kingdom (John 14:2), which will be established when Jesus returns (1 Thessalonians 4:16). God is the author of life through which babies are formed, and plants s
Read more

Worship

Image
Text: Psalm 104.24-35 Psalm 104 starts and ends with the words, “Praise the Lord, my soul”. The beginning and the end are a proclamation of praise to the Almighty God. In fact, the whole psalm is a review of the greatness of God in creation and, therefore, a meditation on God’s providence. To consider such things, helps us to draw closer to God and worship Him. If we are sincere with ourselves, our daily situations (children, work, news, stress, etc.) can take our attention away from God. It is not easy to just plug-in and worship the Lord. I find myself missing so much of God’s creation, because my mind wanders off to my daily concerns. My wife calls me to really see the beauty around us, otherwise I would miss it. How easy it is for us to be carried away and not once lift our eyes to the Lord, and worship Him that created the earth. Let us open our spiritual eyes, God has revealed through the authors of the Psalms that all of creation is called to worship. It is not just appreciation
Read more