Christ First Forum

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

By Frank B. Holmes

"If Man could ever fully understand the significance of Jesus Christ Death on the cross, he would fall on his face in gratitude and adoration toward the redeemer of mankind."

There are many reasons found in the scriptures why Jesus had to die, but I would like to share with you 5 major reasons I see and why they are so significant to mankind.

(1) Jesus had to die in order that scripture and prophecies could be fullfilled.

All through the bible you will find where prophets spoke of future events and you will find it mentioned that this must be or has been because the scriptures or prophecies must be fulfilled. Jesus Himself said that He had to die in order that scripture must be fulfilled. Luke 24:46 Jesus said: That it is written and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. From Hosea 6: 1,2!

Mark 14:48-49 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? 49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled. From Isaiah 53:7!

Mark 15: 27-28 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors. From Isaiah 53:12!
Every prophecy that has ever been foretold in Scripture has either come true or it is going to come true. Their are many others scriptures that show prophecy of Jesus death but for time and space I will just share with you few more. John 19: 32-37 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” From Psalm 34:20 and from Zechariah 13:6!

If Christ death, burial and Resurrection was prophesied and told of and it came true, then we must understand that His return and second coming is true also. And according to scripture the wrath of God abides on His shoulders.

The second thing I would like for you to see!
(2) Jesus had to die in order to defeat the devil and for us to have victory over him.

Revelation 12:10-11 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Brothers and sisters, Don't you see! Jesus died to give us victory over the devil. That is the very reason Paul states in Ephesians 6:13-17 that we have spiritual armor to not only defeat the devil but to be armed and dangerous.

Now the third reason and very important reasons Jesus had to die was:
(3) To save mankind and to cleanse us from all our sins.

1 Corinthians 15:3 Paul said; For I delivered to you first of all that I also received that Christ died for our sins according to scriptures'
John the baptist said in John 1:29 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

You see, here is the problem! We have all sinned and done things wrong. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And we have all failed to obey God's laws. Because of this we become separated from God. Our creator. Sin has separated us from God. The wages of sin is death. An by ourselves we can do nothing to correct it.

So God sent His only Son. John 3:16. He cam to earth as a man. Very unique in that He was tempted but never sinned and never disobeyed God. He died and shed His blood as the sacrificial lamb so that our sins would be not only washed away, but covered and forgiven.

Jesus said in Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new[a] covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.

On that faithful day around 2000 years ago when He hung on the cross.
John 19:28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing[a] that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

It is finished mans paid in full! Praise God!
When Jesus cried this out, not only had He taken the worlds sin but the rejection of man. For 2000 years man has rejected Him and the atonement of His death on the cross for all of mans sin

(4) Jesus had to die in order to Live!

In other words He had to die in order to be resurrected, so that we may be resurrected.
Lets look at the importance of His resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:12-22 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. 20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
John 10:15 Jesus said as the Father knows me, even so I lay down my life for the sheep. then in v.27-30 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”
Here is the promise! Jesus had to die, to live, to be raised from the dead so that those who receive and believe on Him will also be raised from the dead to a glorified body like Him and their is nothing or no one who can alter that.

The fifth and final thing I would like for you to see is this:
(5) Jesus had to die so that we can be reconciled to God!

The sum total of Christ death on the cross and His purpose comes down to this. Without Jesus dying for our sins in substitution and becoming the sacrificial lamb their would be no way we could be reconciled to God.
He took the penalty and bridged the gap. The cross is the bridge that leads to God!

In Matthew 27:50-51 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. This was symbolic in that it made it possible by the sacrificial Lamb Of God dying for our sins. That we who believe and receive Him as Savior and Lord could enter the Holy of Hollies and have access to God.

Ephesians 2:13-19 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
If you could just grasp the significance of this one fact? We as believers can and shall always have fellowship with God the Father. The Creator, Most High God, The God of the Mountain, The great I Am, The everlasting Father, The God of the Universe. Who has always been and who will always be. Glory to God! This should make you want to shout!

Oh! My Brethren, Yes Jesus had to die! He did it for you and I!

That was really awesome, Frank. It's so true that the powerful reality of why Christ had to die escapes most people. Even for Christians, the reality is hard to grasp and therefore remains something that we've heard our whole lives but never really let it sink in. Satan keeps the truth of Christ's death subdued so unless we have a close walk with the Lord, we miss the absolute awesomeness of what God did for us. Once realized, we are never the same. It's a very humbling discovery.