Why Did Jesus Die?
Author: Professor Walter J. Veith, PhD
Summary: Jesus was God's Son. He was all powerful. So why did He suffer a torturous death on a cross?
 
 

Why Did Jesus Die?

The New Testament teaches that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we may inherit eternal life through Him.

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15).

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).
When Paul said that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,” he was referring to the Old Testament, which predicted that Jesus would die for the sins of humanity. Isaiah spells out the affliction and suffering that the Messiah would have to go through to atone for our sins:

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:3-6).

What is Sin?

The Bible has only one definition of sin:

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).

Sin is the transgression of the law of God, which carries a penalty of death. In Christ the penalty is paid and we can have eternal life:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

Sin separates us from God, which means being separated from the Source of life. God is the Author and Maintainer of life:

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear (Isaiah 59:2).

Since we have all transgressed the law of God, we all need salvation, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The next article will discuss how salvation can be gained, and the importance of both grace and the law in our daily lives.

This article is adapted from Truth Matters by Professor Walter J. Veith, an international speaker who has studied Biblical issues in-depth in his quest for truth. His popular series Genesis Conflict brings the debate between Creation and evolution to a new climax as he dissects the arguments with a scientific eye. His highly-acclaimed series Total Onslaught sheds light on the state of the world today as we move to a one-world government and an anticipated apocalypse.
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