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This morning we're looking at a question that might seem straightforward, but it's worth exploring deeply: Why did Jesus die? I don't think I've ever asked this question coming from a Christian upbringing, but it's a fair one. Wouldn't it have been easier if Jesus could simply have said to the world, "I forgive you"? After all, we forgive people on a daily basis. We forgive yesterday, we forgive today, and we'll forgive tomorrow.
But think about it more carefully. Sometimes people hurt us so deeply that we have to go through counseling, work through processes and steps. Eventually we reach a point where we realize the only way out is to let go. We say, "I forgive you"—even if they robbed us, even if they hurt us terribly. Then, if that person wants to re-establish the relationship, we allow it.
Wouldn't it have been easier for Jesus if He could just say, "I forgive you"? So the real question becomes: Why was it necessary for Him to die? Even more personally: Why did He die for me?
Let me lay a foundation by looking at Romans 3, starting at verse 21. Paul is addressing Christians and presenting them with something revolutionary—a new system, a new way of receiving righteousness from God.
He writes:
"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him... apart from the law."
The Jewish people were used to a system called the law. The law was an effort to get into right standing with God. Its purpose was to help people be saved, but it could never accomplish that. Paul is saying there is a new way of receiving righteousness.
What is righteousness? It means to be in right standing with God. When we say we've received righteousness in Christ, we mean Jesus came to put us in right standing with God so we can be in a relationship with Him, in a position with Him where there is no distance between us.
Paul goes on:
"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law... We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ."
Paul is presenting two systems—two ways of receiving righteousness, two ways of getting to right standing with God. The old way was keeping all the laws and regulations. The new way is faith in Jesus Christ—faith in what Jesus Christ has brought us and the price He was willing to pay.
How many of you always do the right thing? I'll be honest—only me! [laughing] How many of you don't want to do something wrong because you're afraid you'll get in trouble? A couple of us. Those who are driven by fear to do the right thing—in school we might call them the straight-A students, the ones who always set the example. They don't skip class, they don't cheat, they always do the right thing because they don't want to get into trouble.
But here's what Paul is saying: trying in human effort to keep all the laws and regulations was not possible. Through Jesus, a new way was introduced—a way of getting to right standing with God through the work He did on the cross.
The Bible is very clear: no person, no human being, was ever able to keep the law completely. That's why Paul writes:
"For everyone has sinned and falls short of the glory of God."
In our own efforts—by keeping rules and regulations, by keeping the law—it was not possible. That's what this scripture is saying. All have sinned and fall short.
Let me take you back to creation. God created everything and said it was good. When He created man—the Bible calls humanity "man"—He stood back and said, "It is good." Then He created woman from man's side and stood back and said, "It is very good."
But since then, man and God have never rested again. [light humor] What happened? Man fell into sin. Sin came into the world, and along with sin came the curse upon all creation. The effort of the law to restore the relationship between God and His people was never accomplished. That's why Paul brings this new way of receiving righteousness into the picture.
Let me illustrate it this way. Imagine we're all competing in an archery competition. To advance to the next level, we need to hit the bullseye four times in a row.
We take out our first arrow, pull back, and shoot. We hit the bullseye! Great joy! We take the second arrow, pull back, shoot—and we miss. We try again with another arrow, and another. Maybe we hit seven times in a row, but because of that one miss, we don't advance. We had to hit four bulls-eyes in a row to advance.
This is what Paul is saying: All have fallen short of the glory of God. Because of sin, we missed the mark. That's why we were in dire straits—we needed a savior.
But then Paul writes something beautiful:
"Yet God in his grace makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins."
Remember what Paul said: everybody falls short of the glory of God. But yet God in his grace—this really makes us right on His side. He did this through Christ Jesus.
The Bible tells us: the wages of sin is death. Through sin, death came to rule over us. But how does death rule over us? Through guilt, shame, and pain.
Remember what Adam and Eve did when they fell into sin? They hid from God. That's guilt. Then what happened? They discovered they were naked and tried to cover themselves with leaves. That's shame. When we were children and did something naughty, and our father came home, what did we think? "I should hide!" But hiding won't save us. Guilt leads to shame, and shame causes us pain because we feel broken, messed up, like failures.
No human effort can cover the shame. No human can take away the guilt and shame that sin brings into our lives. And because of guilt and shame, we experience pain—we feel broken, we feel we can't do anything right, we feel like failures.
But I'm so grateful to God. He sent His son, and willingly, Jesus sacrificed Himself. And what did He do?
Instead of guilt, we receive grace. When we make a mistake, we don't carry crushing guilt anymore. We know the grace of God covers it. We know that our sin doesn't bring distance between us and God because of grace.
Instead of shame, we receive righteousness. I know my standing in Christ. I know my position in Christ. Nothing can take that away. When I make a mistake or sin, I can come before God and say, "God, I'm so sorry—because I know this is not who I am in You." That is my righteousness.
Instead of pain from being broken, we receive authority. God gives us authority to rule over the pain of our circumstances. Whatever circumstances bring into our lives, we can rule over that.
Paul continues:
"God showed his fairness when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past... He shows his righteousness when he makes sinners right in the sight of God when they believe in Jesus."
Have you ever felt that God is not fair? Be honest—I'm sure we've been there. But let me suggest something: Life is not fair, but God is good. That's always the reality. Certain things are going to happen in our lives that aren't fair, but that's not a reflection on God. He's always good and always fair.
God could have punished sin in times past. But He held back. Why? Because He is righteous, and He demonstrates His righteousness by making sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.
So the answer to "Why did Jesus die" is this: Because He is fair and just. Because He is righteous, and He wants to see righteousness happening in our lives. He wants to give us the gift of righteousness.
It's not only so we can receive eternal life and go to heaven. It's so we can be freed from the power of sin in our lives. It's so we can respond to His love and experience His rule in our lives. It's so we can break the powers of darkness and live the kingdom life—the quality of life that God came to give us.
But let's take the question further. We've answered why Jesus died. But why did He die for me?
C.S. Lewis made a quote that I love. He said:
"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, he would have done no less."
Pond on that for a moment. If you were the only person on this planet Earth, Jesus would have paid the same sacrifice. That's how valuable you are to Him.
Why did He die for me? To reveal His love.
John 3:16 tells us:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Not a certain species, not a certain group—but everyone will have the opportunity to receive eternal life.
Romans 5:8 confirms:
"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."
He didn't wait for us to clean ourselves up. He didn't wait for us to deserve it. While we were sinners—broken, guilty, ashamed—He sent His son to die for us. That's love. That's why Jesus died for you.
