Why Did Jesus Christ Have to Die? Part 2
(April 21,2025)
There are two main reasons why Jesus Christ had to die if man had any hope of being with God: One, God’s holiness demands that all who would live in His presence be holy, and man is not. Two, God’s justice dictates that man’s sins must be paid for.
Last week we discussed God’s holiness. Today we will discover that God’s holiness demands that justice be done. God cannot let the guilty go unpunished. It would violate His holiness. In fact, God would be unjust to let the sinner go free.
Justice is one of God’s top priorities. Isaiah 42:1-4 says, “Here is my servant, who I uphold, my chosen One in Whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations…in faithfulness He will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth.” God’s justice demands that man’s sins must be punished, therefore, unless a miracle happened every human being was going to be doomed to eternal hell.
Does this seem unfair to you? Does it seem like God is going too far? After all, no one is perfect. Why doesn’t God grade on a scale with the really evil people, like Hitler, going to hell for a season, and the regular sinners like us get a heavenly “spanking” and set in a corner? Punish us for a little while, sure, but then take us to heaven.
To understand God’s perfect justice, one must grasp the seriousness of our “littlest” sin and God’s absolute perfection. Would a bride accept a wedding dress with one little black ink spot on it? No! Neither will God accept a person with one little sin staining their soul.
Friend, your sins are an afront to a holy, righteous God. He cannot tolerate even one sin. Thankfully for us God loves us too much to leave us hopeless, so He devised a plan. More on His amazing love next week.