“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This verse written by the apostle John is perhaps given as the most common reason as to why God sent His Son into the world to save sinners such as ourselves. However, while appearing to be telling us why God sent His Son (John 3:16) is in fact telling us what caused or moved God to send His Son into this world. It was God’s love for you and I that caused Him to sacrifice His own Son on our behalf so that we might have forgiveness of our sins and enjoy eternal life with Him. In 1John, the apostle provides the why when he writes, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God sent Jesus to be a “propitiation” that is a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath so that God becomes “propitious” or favorably disposed toward you and I. Because of our sin God’s justice required that He find a way for the penalty due us to be paid for and that is why God sent Jesus into this world.
This is echoed elsewhere by others in the New Testament.
“Therefore, He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
[In Christ] “God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25).
God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, poured out on Jesus the full brunt of His wrath against sin. On the Cross Jesus took our place and willingly endured the penalty that we deserved.
Jesus died as a sacrifice. “but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb 9:26).
Jesus died to remove us from the wrath of God that we deserved. “He Himself [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Jesus died to remove our separation from God. You and I needed someone to provide reconciliation, in order to bring us back into fellowship with God. Paul says that God “through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor 5:18-19).
Jesus died because we as sinners are in bondage to sin and to Satan, we needed someone to redeem us out of that bondage. Jesus gave Himself as the ransom and it is through His death and resurrection that we find redemption from our sins. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
At this point we might be tempted to see Jesus’ death on the Cross to be all about us. It was for our benefit, it was because of our sin, it was because God desired our fellowship. However, salvation is not primarily about us. Yes, we do benefit by Jesus’ sacrifice but what we gain should not be our focus. Our focus is to be God. God has redeem and commissioned us as His disciples to take this message of propitiation and reconciliation into the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18-19). Because of Jesus’ death we are able to fulfill this command and if we are truly seeking God’s glory, we are obligated to fulfill this responsibility and share the Gospel with those who do not know why Jesus died.
Pray that God would give you and I boldness to proclaim His message and that our churches would be devoted to making disciples and remain faithful in the teaching of the Scriptures. This is why Jesus died.
This is echoed elsewhere by others in the New Testament.
“Therefore, He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).
[In Christ] “God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25).
God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, poured out on Jesus the full brunt of His wrath against sin. On the Cross Jesus took our place and willingly endured the penalty that we deserved.
Jesus died as a sacrifice. “but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb 9:26).
Jesus died to remove us from the wrath of God that we deserved. “He Himself [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Jesus died to remove our separation from God. You and I needed someone to provide reconciliation, in order to bring us back into fellowship with God. Paul says that God “through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor 5:18-19).
Jesus died because we as sinners are in bondage to sin and to Satan, we needed someone to redeem us out of that bondage. Jesus gave Himself as the ransom and it is through His death and resurrection that we find redemption from our sins. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
At this point we might be tempted to see Jesus’ death on the Cross to be all about us. It was for our benefit, it was because of our sin, it was because God desired our fellowship. However, salvation is not primarily about us. Yes, we do benefit by Jesus’ sacrifice but what we gain should not be our focus. Our focus is to be God. God has redeem and commissioned us as His disciples to take this message of propitiation and reconciliation into the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18-19). Because of Jesus’ death we are able to fulfill this command and if we are truly seeking God’s glory, we are obligated to fulfill this responsibility and share the Gospel with those who do not know why Jesus died.
Pray that God would give you and I boldness to proclaim His message and that our churches would be devoted to making disciples and remain faithful in the teaching of the Scriptures. This is why Jesus died.
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