why did christ have to die

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WHY DIDCHRIST HAVETO DIE?

CCouldn’t Christ haveaccomplished more byliving a full and happy

life? Think of the people Hecould have healed, the teaching He could have done,the problems He could havesolved. Why was He obsessedwith dying? Why didn’t Hedefend Himself in court for thesake of His family, His disciples,and all who admired Him?

This booklet, compiled byour staff of writers, takes a lookat the reasons given in the Biblewhy Christ planned and allowedHis own death.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo:Terry BidgoodScripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-58424-294-9© 1986,2002 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in Malaysia

CONTENTSThe Symbol Of The Cross . . . . . . . . . 2

The Opinions Of The Cross . . . . . . . . . 3

The Offensiveness Of The Cross . . . . . . . . . 4

The Dilemma Of The Cross . . . . . . . . . 6

The Resolution Of The Cross . . . . . . . . . 9

The Principles Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 10

The Results Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 16

The IronyOf The Cross . . . . . . . . 17

The Background Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 23

The Words Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 26

The Indictment Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 27

The Call Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 29

The Satisfaction Of The Cross . . . . . . . . 30

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THE SYMBOL OF THE CROSS

CCan you imagine what public reaction would be

if a fundamentalist religiousgroup adopted an electricchair as its symbol? Thinkof what it would be like tosee an image of an electricchair on top of theirmeeting places or as jewelryhanging around their necks.

Yet that’s what the cross amounts to. The cross was a means ofcapital punishment.Crucifixion was the way the Romans put their worstcriminals to death. It washorrible—far worse than agas chamber, firing squad,or even a hangman’s noose.

Why, then, do Christians make so much of this instrument of public ridicule andtorture? Why are Christiansobsessed with this symbolof death? Do they realize

what they are doing? In many cases, the

answer seems to be no.Even Christians fail torealize the implications of the cross. It has becomeso widely used as religiousjewelry, as a symbol of loveand hope, and even as asign of good luck that it

has lost much of its originalmeaning and horror. It hasbecome so generallyaccepted, in fact, thateveryone from devotedfollowers of Christ toatheists wear its imagearound their necks.

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The cross hasbecome so widelyused as religious

jewelry that it haslost much of itsoriginal meaning

and horror.


THE OPINIONSOF THE CROSS

SSo what do people think of the cross?More specifically,

what do they think of thecross as it relates to Christ?That’s where the symbolcomes from, and that’swhere the real discussionbegins. Why did a beautifullife have to come to such aterrible end? What was inHis mind? What shouldnow be in ours? Here aresome of the explanationspeople give for the death of Christ.

“It’s an example ofnonresistance.” Somepeople feel that when Jesusdied on the cross, He wasgiving us the ultimateexample of how to live in aviolent, hostile world. Theysay that His death shows ushow to live successfully bybeing strong enough to letothers have their way.

“It means whateveryou want it to mean.”Those who take thisapproach generally believethat Christ did not actuallyaccomplish anything whenHe died on the cross. Sinceit has become such a partof our awareness, it can beused to symbolize manydifferent things.

“It has no realmeaning.” Some peoplesay that the significance ofChrist was in His life—notin His death. They believethat He came to live aflawless life on earth so that we could know whatGod is like. But that was

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“Father, forgivethem, for they do not know

what they do.”Jesus, from the cross


all God sent Him to do. His death, they say, was not related to His missionon earth.

“It representsfailure.” Those who holdthis view say that Jesus hada noble and global plan forearth, but that He diedbefore He could carry it

out. His mission wasaborted when the Romansoldiers nailed Him to the cross like a commoncriminal. When Christ died,these people say, it meantthat He had failed.

THEOFFENSIVENESSOF THE CROSS

SSome people see somuch good in thecross that they fail

to see it as a terribleinstrument of death. But to others, the cross is so offensive that they fail to see its value.

The apostle Paul said itwould be that way. Writingto the Christians at Corinth,he said:

We preach Christcrucified, to the Jews astumbling block and tothe Greeks foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23). The apostles’ claim that

Jesus was the long-awaitedMessiah was almostimpossible for a Jew toaccept. To believe that theMessiah died on the crosswas unimaginable—especially since the OldTestament said that anyonewho died on a tree was

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Some peoplebelieve that

Christ’s mission on earth wasaborted when He was nailed to the cross.


cursed by God (Dt. 21:23).The cross offended themdeeply.

The Gentiles too were offended by the cross. In their opinion, itwas foolishness. They feltthat their logical thinkingand good living wouldsatisfy the gods. They sawno reason to believe in thesenseless death of anobscure Galilean.

And what about peopletoday? Does the cross stilloffend? Do people stillstumble over its simplemessage? • If their philosophical

point of view does notinclude the reality of sinand the need of a Savior,the answer is yes!

• If by their godly livingand high morals theyexpect to win God’sapproval, yes!

• If they expect His favorbecause of their nationalheritage or family name,yes!

• If they think God is tooloving to punish peoplefor their wrongs, yes! The message of the

cross, a first-century“electric chair,” will offend them.

What we need to realize, however, is that the cross is not justsomething hard to live with. It actually makes life possible. In fact, the cross resolved the greatest dilemma of all time.

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“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.”1 Corinthians 1:18


THE DILEMMAOF THE CROSS

TThe cross resolves twogreat dilemmas—onefrom God’s perspective

and one from man’s. Allparents can understand thedilemma of not wanting tocorrect a disobedient childwith painful discipline,while at the same timerealizing that you can’t just blink or yawn at hisbad behavior.

What do you do? Youlove that little one. But hehas also clearly disobeyedyou, and right now he islying to you in an attemptto cover it up. Sure, youlove him. But you alsoknow that you can’t justbrush off the problem. Hehas to be punished—andyou’ve got to do it.

The situation caused byour sin was infinitely morecomplex than that. Butthere are some parallels.Because God is a holy God,

He cannot just ignore oursin. Yet because He is aloving God, He is notmerely willing to let us get what we deserve.

Another illustrationmight help us to see thedilemma from man’sperspective. Imagine agroup of people trapped

on the roof of a high-risebuilding engulfed in flames.The only way to safety is to jump to the roof of anadjoining building—30 feet

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Because God is a holy God,He cannot justignore our sin.

Yet because He is a loving God,He is not merely

willing to let us get what we deserve.


away! In desperation,people begin to attempt theimpossible leap. Some jumpfarther out than others, butall fall to their death.

So it is with man’shelpless condition beforeGod. Our sin caused aseparation between us anda holy God that cannot bebridged by anything we do.We are utterly helpless tosave ourselves. But the loveof God provided a way: the cross of Christ.

We might diagram thedilemma like this:

The necessity for Calvary’stree can be traced back to a much earlier tree. All ourproblems began when ourfirst parents willfully and

disobediently ate of the treeof the knowledge of goodand evil. God had said that

Adam and his wife woulddie if they ate the fruit ofthat tree. And they did.From that time on, no man was the man he wascreated to be. From thattime on, the children ofAdam were born physicallyalive but spiritually dead.Not only was the gardenparadise lost, but so wasthe innocence man wascreated with.

Every child born from Eden until today hasproven that innocence was

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Our sin caused aseparation between

us and a holy God that cannot be bridged by

anything we do.

Holy

Sinful

GOD

MAN

Loving

Helpless


lost. Once created to walk with God, man hasinherited a nature thatcauses him to forget God, to hate his fellowmen, and to live a life of self-destruction. Because of this, David the king ofIsrael went on record assaying, “Behold, I wasbrought forth in iniquity,and in sin my motherconceived me” (Ps. 51:5).

And the apostle Paulwrote, “Through one mansin entered the world, anddeath through sin” (Rom.5:12) and “the wages of sinis death” (6:23). In another

letter he wrote, “In Adamall die” (1 Cor. 15:22).

This is our condition.When Adam followed theway of the serpent, hedidn’t just hurt himself.When he ate of that tree in defiance of his Maker,spiritual and physical deathfell upon all men. And so ithas come now to us. Theproof is, all of us sinnedagainst God the first chance we got.

Furthermore, we can’t do anything to helpourselves. No amount ofself-improvement or gooddeeds can win back whatAdam lost. The prophetIsaiah saw this clearly, forhe said that our best effortsare nothing better than dirtyrags (Is. 64:6). Much later,the apostle Paul expressedthe same awareness (Eph.2:8-9). His words remind us that no man can pullhimself up to God byyanking on his ownbootstraps.

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No amount of self-improvement or

good deeds can win back

what Adam lost.


This is bad news. Butthe Bible, the most reliablebook in the world, claims to be true. We are born intothis world spiritually dead.We are born separated fromGod. We are born into a

world of physical andspiritual death, and unless something happens,we will live out our lives in rebellion against God.Unless something happens,we are destined for thejudgment of God—thesecond death, the lake offire created for the devil and all of his demons.

And if that were not

enough, the Bible tells usthat there’s not a thing inthe world we can do on our own to merit a rescue.Without a doubt, we needhelp. We need rescue. Weneed to be delivered fromour guilt and bondage—before it is everlastingly too late.

THERESOLUTION OF THE CROSS

WWhen Adam andEve sinned, Godcould have struck

them dead instantly. AndHe would have been just in doing so, because Hisholy nature demands thatdisobedience be punishedby death.

Yet, because God is love,He did not strike our firstparents dead. Instead, Hesought them out, providedthem with a covering ofanimal skins, and gave tothem a wonderful promise

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The Bible tells us that there’s

not a thing in theworld we can doon our own tomerit a rescue.


(Gen. 3:15). At that pointGod announced the goodnews. Yes, the good news isthat God Himself resolvedthe dilemma—His holinessis counter-balanced by His

love! Love found a way.Love found another tree,the cross (Rom. 5:6). Godin His wisdom provided away to undo the terribledamage done to man atthat first tree.

The tree in the Garden ofEden has now given way tothe cross. And on that treeof humiliation, goodnesstriumphed over evil. Mercytriumphed over justice. Therescue was completed. Themission was accomplished.The dilemma was resolved.

THE PRINCIPLESOF THE CROSS

HHow did God do it?What did He seein that ugly tree

of execution? Whathappened as His onlybegotten and dearly lovedSon bled, struggled, cried“It is finished,” and thengave up His spirit?

Let’s look at twoprinciples of resolution thatended the dilemma causedby our sin and helplessnessand God’s holiness andlove: (1) the principle ofadequate sacrifice, and (2) the principle ofnecessary substitution.

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Holy

Sinful

GOD

CHRIST

MAN

Loving

Helpless

God provided away to undo theterrible damagedone to man atthat first tree.


PRINCIPLE 1:The cross provided an adequate sacrifice.

There can be no forgivenesswithout a sacrificial death(Heb. 9:22). Through Hisdeath on the cross, JesusChrist presented to God asacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of all mankind.The animal deaths of OldTestament days fell far short of that, for they didnot actually take away sin.

The Old Testamentsacrifices had to be offeredevery day. Animal afteranimal was brought to thealtar and slain. Each newday brought a new round of sacrificial slayings. The writer of Hebrews,

commenting on this fact,said, “It is not possible that the blood of bulls andgoats could take away sins”(Heb. 10:4).

Furthermore, thosesacrifices were only for sinscommitted involuntarily, inignorance, or throughhuman weakness (Lev. 4:2-7). A sacrifice could not begiven for a premeditated,deliberate sin in OldTestament days. That is why David, when herepented of his double sinof adultery with Bathshebaand the murder of Uriah,did not even present asacrifice. Rather, he camebefore God with “a brokenand contrite heart” to findforgiveness (Ps. 51:16-17).

By His death on thecross, the Lord Jesusprovided a once-for-allsacrifice for all our sins(Heb. 10:12). He was thecomplete and perfectsacrifice. It satisfied everydemand of a holy God, and

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Holy

Sacrifice

Sinful

GOD

CHRIST

MAN

Loving

Sacrifice

Helpless


it brings salvation to allwho trust in Christ.

Christ’s sacrifice wasadequate for severalreasons:• He became a member

of the human family.He could truly representus (something no angelcould do) because Hetook to Himself a human nature.

• He lived a sinless life.Confronted by physical,mental, and spiritualtemptation, Jesus did not sin (Heb. 4:15).

Therefore, when Hedied, He did so as aperfect human being.Because He did not sin, He could die for our sins.

• He remained God.Even though Christbecame fully human, He also retained His fulldeity. He was not halfGod and half man; Hewas fully God and fullyman. His goodness iswhat gave His sacrificeinfinite value, making itadequate to pay for thesins of all mankind.

PRINCIPLE 2:The cross provided anecessary substitute.

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“Now, once at the end of theages, He hasappeared to put away sin

by the sacrifice of Himself.”Hebrews 9:26

Holy

Substitute

Sinful

GOD

CHRIST

MAN

Loving

Substitute

Helpless


Jesus had substitution inmind when He told Hisfollowers that He wouldgive His life as a “ransomfor many” (Mk. 10:45).

Whether they recognizedit or not when He said it,His disciples would soonlearn that Christ wasplanning to give His life in exchange for their legalrelease from sin and guilt.On the cross, Christ woulddie in their place—and inour place. At Calvary, Hedied the death all of usshould have died, taking the punishment wedeserved. “For God so loved the world that Hegave His only begotten Son”(Jn. 3:16). Because of ourhelplessness, God in lovesent His Son to be oursubstitute. He exchangedHis life for ours, dying thatwe might live (Isa. 53:5-6;Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor.5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18).

When Jesus said that Hehad come to give His life a

ransom for many, Hishearers probably realizedthat He had in mind theJewish sacrificial system.From early childhood theyhad seen sheep or oxen orturtle doves brought to thealtar and killed. They knewthat the animal’s death wasassociated with their sins.

As they watched the priestplace his hand on theforehead of the animal, theyrealized that this was asymbol of the transfer ofguilt from the sinner to theanimal. Then, when they

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Because of ourhelplessness, God inlove sent His Son

to be oursubstitute. Heexchanged His

life for ours, dyingthat we might live.


saw the beast killed and theblood sprinkled around thealtar, they understood thatthis blood in some waysymbolized the taking away of their guilt.

The same principle ofthe substitute was laterfulfilled in the One of whom John the Baptist said,“Behold! The Lamb of Godwho takes away the sin ofthe world!” (Jn. 1:29).

This principle isillustrated by a story fromAmerican history. In a tribeof Indians, someone wasstealing chickens. The chiefdeclared that, if caught, theoffender would receive 10lashes. When the stealingcontinued, he raised it to

20 lashes. Still the chickensmethodically disappeared.In anger the chief raised thesentence to 100 lashes—asure sentence of death.

The thief was finallycaught. But the chief faceda terrible dilemma. Thethief was his own mother!

When the day of penalty came, the wholetribe gathered. Would thechief’s love override hisjustice? The crowd gaspedwhen he ordered his motherto be tied to the whippingpost. The chief removed his shirt, revealing his powerfulstature, and took the whip inhand. But instead of raisingit to strike the first blow, hehanded it to a strong, youngbrave at his side.

Slowly the chief walked over to his motherand wrapped his massivearms around her in anengulfing embrace. Then he ordered the brave to give him the 100 lashes.

That’s what Jesus did 14

“Christ was offeredonce to bear thesins of many.”

Hebrews 9:28


for us. In love He becameour substitute and died inour place. He overcame ourinability to save ourselves

by paying the price for oursins. In our illustration, amother’s life was extendedby the substitutionary love of her son; for us,everlasting life was boughtthrough the substitutionarydeath of Christ.

The death of Christ,therefore, was oftremendous value, for it bridged the gulf betweenGod and man. Look againat what happened.

Man’s Condition:Condemned by Adam’s sinand his own, and powerless

to do anything to savehimself, man was under the penalty of death.

God’s Position:God was bound by His ownholiness to punish evil. Todo less would be to violateHis own character. Butbecause He is also love, He desired to save manfrom his sentence of death.

The Resolution:Christ, God’s Son, becamehuman, lived a sinless life,then died on our behalf. Hissacrificial, substitutionarydeath made possible oursalvation.

Look at the completediagram. It shows you how the death of Christresolved the dilemma.

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Holy

SacrificeSubstitute

Sinful

GOD

CHRIST

MAN

Loving

SacrificeSubstitute

Helpless

Christ overcameour inability to

save ourselves bypaying the price

for our sins.


THE RESULTS OF THE CROSS

TThe death of JesusChrist 2,000 years ago was not just a

heroic act that caught theimagination of a band ofreligious idealists. Nor was it an act of weakness.

It was a loving,courageous, death-defyingmission of rescue. Theresult is that the personwho trusts in Jesus Christ is changed in hisrelationship to God. He ischanged in his relationshipto his own sin. And hisfuture is changed, both

for this life and the life to come.

That change is spelledout in four basic conceptsthat show the results ofwhat Christ did for us. Here is what is ours oncewe have accepted thesacrificial, substitutionarydeath of Christ.

1. RECONCILIATION:We are at peace withGod. When Jesus Christdied on the cross, He made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and restored to fellowshipwith Him by faith in Christ. Enmity is turned to friendship, alienation tosonship, hostility to faith,and hatred to love becauseof Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (Rom. 5:1,10; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Eph. 2:16;Col. 1:20-22).

2. JUSTIFICATION:We are declared rightbefore God. When Jesus

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If we could merit our ownsalvation, Christ

would never havedied to provide it.


Christ died, He absorbedour punishment. Therefore,when we believe in Him,our sins are no longer heldagainst us (Rom. 3:24; 4:5;5:1,9; 8:30-31; Ti. 3:4-7).

3. REDEMPTION:We are ransomedfrom our sin andcondemnation. Thedeath of Christ also meanswe have been bought out ofbondage to sin and Satan.The ransom price for oursin has been paid in full(Mt. 20:28; Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 3:13; 4:4-5;Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Ti. 2:14;Heb. 9:12; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

4. PROPITIATION:We are free fromGod’s wrath. This is possible because anacceptable offering hasbeen made on our behalf.The offering has been madeto appease God, to turn Hiswrath from us (Rom. 3:25;Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10).

THE IRONY OF THE CROSS

TThe irony of all this is that something asugly as the cross—

something revolting enoughto cause people to reject thebest Man who ever lived—is actually our only hope of rescue from our spiritualhelplessness. That’s whatthe Bible says. And that’swhat Christ confirmed whenHe rose triumphantly fromthe dead.

The cross was not amistake. It wasn’t a goodlife falling on bad times.The irony of the cross isthat (1) it is the greatestexample of God’s love, andthat (2) in dying, Christ alsoshowed us how to live. Thefirst point of irony is this:

CHRIST’S DEATHDEMONSTRATEDGOD’S LOVEThe great truth of the mostfamiliar and best-loved

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verse of the Bible is that the cross was evidence ofGod’s love.

For God so loved theworld that He gave Hisonly begotten Son, thatwhoever believes in Himshould not perish buthave everlasting life (Jn. 3:16). A parallel passage

reads, “By this we knowlove, because He laid downHis life for us” (1 Jn. 3:16).

Some people look for God’s love in nature.But they won’t find itguaranteed there, becausethe message of the createdworld gives conflictingmessages. Sometimes itseems to tell us that God is wonderfully loving. Thewarm sunshine, the gentlerain, the blooming flowersof the fields, and thewatchful care of a cow for her calf all seem to say, “God is love.”

At other times, however,the message of nature is

quite the opposite. Sun anddrought make the groundhard and unproductive. Akiller tornado may roar outof a darkened sky withoutwarning. A nest of youngrabbits may be killed by anight-stalking cat orforaging jackal. Or anerupting volcano may wipeout entire villages, killinghundreds and makingthousands homeless. No,the love of God cannotalways be seen in nature.

Nor is God’s love clearlyevident in history. A familyof immigrants to the UnitedStates from Vietnam orKorea may say that coming

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In the cross,we see God’s love at its best

and our sin at its worst.


to the USA proved to themthat God loves them. But if you talk to the youngmother of three childrenwhose husband was justkilled by airplane hijackers,she may scoff bitterly at the idea that a loving Godcontrols all events. Many of the Jewish people wholived through the horrors of Auschwitz or Dachauwould also reject the idea that God’s love isdemonstrated in history.

When Christians talkabout God’s love beingmade known, therefore,they must point tosomething else as evidence. According to the Bible, that evidenceis the cross. Because JesusChrist is God’s Son, Hisdeath was a profounddeclaration of God’s love.

God has shown His lovefor us—but at great cost. Inthe person of Jesus Christ,God became a member ofthe human family. He lived

His whole life without sin.Then, though innocentHimself, He died a terrible

death to make our salvationpossible. Shining throughthe darkness thatsurrounded Calvary that fateful day was thewondrous brilliance of thelove of God. Think for amoment about what Christsuffered, and remember thatit was for us.

Stand in awe as Heagonizes before God theFather in Gethsemane until His sweat becomeslike great drops of bloodfalling to the ground.

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Because JesusChrist is God’s Son, His death was a profounddeclaration of

God’s love.


Follow in horror as Heis arrested like a criminal,mutilated by a Romanwhip, and tortured,mocked, and derided with a crown of thorns.

Weep for Him as Hestumbles under the heavywooden beam He is forcedto carry to His place ofexecution.

Cringe in revulsion ashardened Roman soldierspound spikes through Hishands, drive nails throughHis feet, and roughly dropthe beam into place.

Listen to Him as Hehangs there on the cross,praying for His enemies,talking lovingly to Hismother, and promisingsalvation to the criminalwho repents.

Be still as you see thesky grow black at noon,and as you sit through the 3 hours of eerie middaydarkness.

Listen to His cry ofabandonment: “My God,

My God, why have Youforsaken Me?”

Remember that on thecross, Jesus endured theagony of hell for you andme. God was His Father.He had existed with Himfrom all eternity in arelationship closer thananything we could everknow. Yet the Father “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become therighteousness of God inHim” (2 Cor. 5:21).

The second point ofirony is:

CHRIST’S DEATHSHOWED US HOWTO LIVE Not only did the cross give us the highest evidence of God’s love, but it also provided us witha spiritual principle of life.The love that led JesusChrist to this unparalleleddeed of self-sacrifice was an example for us.

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We are to love as Heloved; to live as He lived.The Lord Jesus had thecross in mind the eveningbefore His crucifixion whenHe told His disciples, “A new commandment Igive to you, that you loveone another; as I haveloved you, that you alsolove one another” (Jn.13:34). Calvary love is to be standard for our love.

Jesus Christ also had His death on the cross inview when He said this:

Unless a grain of wheat

falls into the ground anddies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it producesmuch grain. He wholoves his life will lose it,and he who hates his lifein this world will keep itfor eternal life. If anyoneserves Me, let him followMe (Jn. 12:24-26). This is the law of the

harvest: A seed must diebefore it can produce aplant. Jesus Christ was the “seed” that had to die.Yet His death producedspiritual life for all whowould trust Him. We arethe fruit of His suffering and death.

But the law of death to bring life did not endwith Christ’s cross. Jesusdeclared that it also appliesto His followers. We musttake the way of the cross,the way of dying to our ownselfish desires, if we are tobear the kind of fruit thatGod created us to produce(Eph. 2:8-10).

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“Christ alsosuffered for us,leaving us anexample, that

you should follow His

steps.”1 Peter 2:21


The apostle Paul sawthis principle in Christ’sdeath. Time and again hespoke of being crucifiedwith Christ, of dying to self,and of walking the Calvaryroad. With deep convictionhe wrote, “But God forbidthat I should glory except in the cross of our LordJesus Christ, by whom theworld has been crucified to me, and I to the world”(Gal. 6:14).

Because the cross of Christ was Paul’sinspiration and confidence,he could write off the world-system as somethinguseless and dead. He sawnothing in it to attract him.

When we live by the lawof the harvest, we will befruitful in our service forChrist. Following Hisexample, we must first dieto self. As we do, we will beable to say with Paul, “Ihave been crucified withChrist; it is no longer I wholive, but Christ lives in me;

and the life which I nowlive in the flesh I live byfaith in the Son of God,who loved me and gaveHimself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

Here again is the ironyof the cross. Not only doesit bring God’s life to us, butit brings our life to God.

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“I have beencrucified withChrist; it is no

longer I who live,but Christ lives inme; and the lifewhich I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the

Son of God, wholoved me and gaveHimself for me.”

The Apostle PaulGalatians 2:20


THEBACKGROUNDOF THE CROSS

WWe are fortunateto be able tolook back to

the cross and see it inperspective. The firstdisciples of Christ were not so privileged. For themthe crucifixion came as aterrible, heart-rendingtragedy. Their belovedLeader was dead. Theirhopes of a messianickingdom had evaporated.Their enemies werecheering. They werestunned by the unexpectedtwist of events. Only later,when Christ surprised them with His resurrectedpresence, did the disciplesbegin to understand thatthe Old Testament pointedto a cross as well as to akingdom. Only then didthey begin to see that Christhad to fulfill the picture of a suffering Servant before

He could return as thepromised King.

The resurrected Jesusexplained to His astonishedfollowers how the cross was part of the plan of God.First, He showed them Hiswounds. Then He said,“These are the words whichI spoke to you while I wasstill with you, that all thingsmust be fulfilled which werewritten in the Law of Moses

and the Prophets and thePsalms concerning Me” (Lk. 24:44). He openedtheir minds to the OldTestament pictures and

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“For by oneoffering He hasperfected foreverthose who are

being sanctified.”Hebrews 10:14


prophecies about His death(v.45). For example:

OLD TESTAMENTPROPHECIES OFCHRIST’S DEATH• Genesis 3:15—The Seed

of woman “bruised”• Psalm 16:10—Messiah

not left in the grave• Psalm 22:1—Messiah’s

cry of forsakenness• Psalm 22:6-8—Messiah

mocked• Psalm 22:15—Messiah’s

thirst• Psalm 22:16—Messiah’s

pierced hands and feet• Psalm 22:17—The

stares of Messiah’senemies

• Psalm 22:18—Gamblingfor Messiah’s garments

• Psalm 69:21—Vinegaroffered to Messiah

• Isaiah 49:7—God’sServant despised

• Isaiah 50:6—Messiahphysically abused

• Isaiah 52:14—Messiah’sface disfigured

• Isaiah 53:5—Messiahpierced for our sins

• Isaiah 53:7—Messiahsilent before Hisaccusers

• Isaiah 53:9—Messiah’sgrave among the rich

• Isaiah 53:12—Messiahidentified with criminals

• Daniel 9:26—God’sMessiah “cut off”

• Zechariah 12:10—Messiah “pierced” by Israel

• Zechariah 13:7—TheShepherd struck down

OLD TESTAMENTPICTURES OFCHRIST’S DEATHThe imagery of the crossappears in three OldTestament pictures.

Sacrifices. Thesubstitutionary death of Christ is most oftenpictured in the OldTestament by the sacrificialsystem. The provision ofanimal skins for Adam andEve is seen by many Bible

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scholars as God’s initiativeto provide for man’s sin bymeans of sacrifice (Gen.3:21). The Passoversacrifice is a primary image of deliverancethrough the shed blood of a lamb (Ex. 12; Lev. 23; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 Pet. 1:19).John the Baptist connectedthe animal sacrifice andJesus Christ when he cried, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). An extensiveexplanation is given inHebrews 9:11–10:18.

The BronzeSerpent. Israel wasafflicted with the bites ofserpents because of theirdisobedience. At God’sinstruction, a serpent wasmade out of bronze andplaced on a pole in thecenter of camp. All wholooked at it were healed oftheir bites (Num. 21:4-9).

Christ would be “liftedup” and all who looked on Him in faith wouldexperience spiritual healing (Jn. 3:14-15).

Jonah. Jesus taught that the experience of Jonahin the belly of the great fishfor 3 days and 3 nights wasa picture of His own death,burial, and resurrection(Mt. 12:39-41).

By prophecies andpictures, therefore, the OldTestament looked forwardto the death of Christ. Hiscrucifixion was not anunforeseen detour in theplan of God. Rather, it wasthe reason that He came.

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“Behold! The Lamb of

God who takesaway the sin of

the world!”John 1:29


THE WORDS OF THE CROSS

EEven in dying, Christwas teaching us howto live. The seven

recorded statements fromthe cross give us sevenprofound lessons on life.

1 “Father, forgive them, for they do

not know what they do”(Lk. 23:34). Forgiveness isbetter than revenge.

2 “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will

be with Me in Paradise”(Lk. 23:43). Faith isrewarded with promise.

3 “Woman, behold yourson! . . . Behold your

mother!” (Jn. 19:26-27). Our own needs should notovershadow the needs ofothers.

4 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken

Me?” (Mk. 15:34). Anythingthat could jeopardize ourrelationship with Godshould produce anguish.

5 “I thirst” (Jn. 19:28). These words, spoken

to fulfill prophecy, remindus of the authority ofScripture.

6 “It is finished”(Jn. 19:30). Do not

let yourself lose sight of your goal of doing God’s will.

7 “Father, into Yourhands I commend My

spirit” (Lk. 23:46). In yoursuffering, entrust yourself to God.

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THEINDICTMENT OF THE CROSS

IIn the Bible areastonishing words that will testify forever

to the wickedness of man.Describing the execution of Jesus Christ, the gospelwriters used the statement,“They crucified Him.”Never before had One soinnocent endured such anoutpouring of human scornand contempt. The wholeprocess was a terrifyingrevelation of human sin.

First, there was thejealous hatred of thereligious leaders of Israel.The Pharisees, Sadducees,and scribes joined forces todiscredit Jesus (Mt. 22:15-46). They resented Hispopularity (Mt. 21:45-46;Jn. 12:19). They said Hismiracles were works ofSatan (Mt. 12:22-30). They were appalled at His acceptance of ordinary

people (Lk. 15:1-2). Theyhated His exposure of theirhypocrisy (Mt. 15:1-14).Although they were lookedup to as the spiritualleaders of Israel, theyfalsely accused, illegallytried, condemned, andcrucified the One sent from God (Mt. 26–27).

Second, there was thegreedy betrayal by Judas.As one of the disciples, he shared in the life andministry of Jesus. Theteachings, the miracles, the very heart and soul of the Savior were his toexperience. But in the end,Judas chose to betray Him.As treasurer of the Twelve,he often stole from thecommon purse (Jn. 12:6). It is therefore no surprisethat he would sell his own soul, and the Savior,for 30 pieces of silver (Mt. 26:14-16).

Third, there was the cunning cowardice of Pontius Pilate, the

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governor of Palestineappointed by Caesar. Hewas hated by the Jewishleaders. He knew they were manipulating him into killing Jesus, and heresisted it. All of his countermoves failed. Although hepublicly proclaimed Christ’sinnocence, he did not setHim free. Giving in topressure, he ordered thecrucifixion of Christ.

Fourth, there is the fickle desire of thecrowd. A few days earlier,the masses had cried,“Hosanna to the son ofDavid,” as Christ enteredJerusalem. But now theyclamored for His death,shouting, “Crucify Him!Crucify Him!”

Fifth, there was theheartless cruelty of theRoman soldiers. Theystripped Him and beat Him. They mocked Him.They spit on Him. Theytwisted a crown of thornsonto His head. They ledHim away, bruised andbleeding, and crucifiedHim. What monstrousbehavior!

Now, it would be easyfor us to condemn thesepeople. But let’s be honest. Those wicked deeds against the innocentSon of God represent thetruth about all of us. Theyare an indictment of ourown sin.

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“Pilate, . . .wishing to

release Jesus,again called out to them.

But they shouted, saying,‘Crucify Him,crucify Him!’ ”

Luke 23:20-21


THE CALL OF THE CROSS

LLook again at the cross.Look at the One dying

there. He neversinned, yet He is on thecross to bear the penalty for the sins of the wholeworld. He’s dying there onyour behalf. That should be you on that cross.

It’s an ugly scene, isn’tit? It shows us how terriblesin really is, and what ahorrible price had to bepaid to set us free from it. Ifyou are a Christian, comingone more time to the crossshould fill your heart withgratitude for what Christ did for you there. As yoursacrifice and substitute, Hemade it possible for you tobe forgiven and to be savedfrom your sin. Why don’tyou give Him your thanksright now? Then determineto walk in obedience toGod.

If you are not a

Christian, won’t you trustHim as your Savior? Yoursin is real. You cannot doanything at all about it—except to trust in JesusChrist. Don’t wait. Tell

Him that you believe inHim as your personalSavior. Ask Him to saveyou. He will, because it was for you that He died on that excruciating cross.He was your sacrifice. Hepaid the penalty for yoursin. Trust Him now!

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“God so loved the world that

He gave His onlybegotten Son, thatwhoever believes in Him should notperish but haveeverlasting life.”

John 3:16


THESATISFACTIONOF THE CROSSby Darlene Lehman as told to Judith Fabisch

IIf there was ever a time I didn’t want to be accepted by God,

I don’t remember it. Our home was religious.

Grandmother never had toforce me to go to church onSunday or Holy Days. After

school, I often stopped atthe cool, dimly lit cathedralnear our house and knelt in one of the empty pews. It was a devotion of agony.I wanted God’s forgivenessso badly, but He alwaysseemed so very far away.

When I was about 10, the bishop visited ourcathedral. While he wasthere, he blessed some holywater. Grandmother sentme to get a bottle of it toput in the small vialsscattered around our home. I ran all the way tothe cathedral, but I walkedhome much more slowly. Iwas thinking hard. I wantedso much to be accepted by God. Impulsively, Idrank the holy water!Grandmother could not be angry with me, for sheunderstood the guilt anddesire that can be in ayoung girl’s heart. But still I was not satisfied.

High school did notremove the thirst that was

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“I wanted God’s

forgiveness so badly,but He always seemed so very

far away.”


in my soul, but I was soonoccupied with studies,friends, and dating. Withina year of graduation I metand married Dick. It wasn’tlong before I was settledinto the routine ofestablishing a home and family.

Although I loved myhusband and my home, Ilonged more than ever forspiritual peace. I increasedmy acts of devotion to mychurch, attending faithfullyand doing extra things totry to meet God’s approval.But I still came awayempty. I even went to an evangelistic meetingdowntown. But I didn’tunderstand what was beingsaid, so I walked awayfrustrated. I was ready to do anything to please God.

I begged God. I cried outto Him. I pleaded with Himto reveal Himself to me.And the answer finallycame from an unexpectedplace—through my mother-

in-law. A sense of peacesurrounded her, and shewas always very kind. Sowhen she asked me to

attend a Christian women’sclub meeting with her, I wasglad to go. A missionarywas speaking. In clear,loving, unmistakable terms,she brought us to the cross.

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“I begged God.I cried out to Him.

I pleaded with Him to reveal

Himself to me.And the answer

finally came from an

unexpected place.”


I understood for the firsttime the meaning of Christ’sdeath—praise God! Irealized that I should havecome here—to the cross—along time ago. I knew that

the thirst of my soul wouldbe satisfied here. I acceptedthe love and forgiveness ofGod. With tears of joy, I

trusted Christ and Hissacrifice for me.

The years have not been easy since. In time I left my church because of the emptiness of itsritual. I grew rapidly in Christ and in mycommitment to Him. Dick didn’t understand, and eventually he left me. But the Lord hassustained me and thechildren throughout the years.

The peace andsatisfaction I found at the cross has been real—far greater than could ever be found in a bottle of holy water. The forgiveness of sins and acceptance by a holyGod can be found only atthe cross.

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“I realized that I should have come

here—to thecross—a long

time ago.I knew that the thirst of

my soul would be satisfied here.”


why did christ have to die

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