Why did Jesus have to die?

By Wayno Guerrini 1/30/2019

I. In the beginning –

A. Man was created == very good (Gen 1:31)

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Gen 2:16-17

Not just a physical death…..but a spiritual death.

II. So what is Sin?

A. Wilful disobedience. (Unbelief of what God has said.)

B. Always against a person. We forget – God is a person.

C. Multiplies exponentially.

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[e] because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Romans 5:12-14 ESV)

D. Stores up the wrath and anger of God.

Temptation – Lust, Sin, Death (the LSD of the Bible)

Ezek 18:20 – The soul that sins, shall surely die.

Romans 3:23 All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (come back to verses 24 & 25 – they are key to this study)

Romans 6:23 – Sin pays a wage…The wages of sin is death….but….

Romans 2:5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. (ESV)\

Love: God is love (1 John 4:8)  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (ESV)

God is righteous and judges: Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments. (Psalm 119:137)

God is Holy: For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, (Isa 57:15)

Go

Our Father who is in Heaven. Holy is your name….Matt 6:9

God is truth: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, You would have known my Father also. From now on you know him and have seen him” (John 14:6-7)

God is wrath: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18)

God has many attributes. But He never stops being one to favour the other. God is always righteous, He is always truthful. He is always holy. He judges rightly. But at the same time, God is filled with wrath, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.

So there we have it. Our sin is against the personhood of God. Through our disobedience, we are storing up God’s wrath. We are at a place in our society, where we fear man, much more than, we fear the Almighty. What is the end? Again, Ezekiel reminds us: Ezek 18:20 – The soul that sins, shall surely die.

Moral Law – the 10 commandments a sign post of what God is like. The law was a school-master – teaching us about God’s law. Remember that we are created in the image of God. The image of God, His righteousness, his holiness are revealed to us in the law. Has we ever sinned? Broken God’s moral law? Of course….All have sinned. Sin must be judged. We know that the penalty of sin, is death. The law was a

Is there then no hope for mankind? We see the first glimmer of hope in Gen 3:15

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is called the proto-evangel. The first reference pointing the way to Christ.

III. At this point, I hope you are asking yourself, why did Jesus have to die?

The ceremonial law, the statutes contained in Exodus and Leviticus, was a foreshadowing. Sins were covered – but never atoned (paid). So the sinner had to come again and again.

8 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Covered. But not paid. How could sinful man ever be reconciled to the holiness of God? We can’t do it. Never. Ever.

Again, Romans reminds us: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18)

As Charlie Brown would say: “We’re doomed!” And doomed we are.

So how do you propitiate? Satisfy. Appease. Reconcile?

IV. Propitiation – the Necessity of Christ.

God is full of wrath against the sins of mankind.

God demands justice. He demands death. How can we be saved from God’s wrath.

Yes – I will do good works. I will be a good upstanding citizen. Yes that will do it. God will surely let me into Heaven because of my righteous deeds. Ta da!

Will that work? Does that work?

V. The Problem

A. How can God remain just, yet justify the ungodly?

B. The answer to that delicious, delectable, dilemma, is why Jesus had to die?

To delight the Father. The Holy Spirit testifies to the glory of Christ, and Christ testifies to the will of the Father.

C. Let’s define some terminology:

1. Redemption (a commercial or commerce term). It means to buy one out of the slave market. The price is so great, that they could never, ever be sold into slavery again.

Redemption then, is Christ’s atoning work, on the cross towards mankind. He paid the ultimate price. The price was so high, it demanded the death of Christ. I will define atonement in a minute.

Propitiation. That is a term we don’t hear much today. In a very simplistic manner, it means satisfaction. God was satisfied with the death of his Son upon the cross, for your sins, and my sins.

Very simplistic: Redemption (towards man) (|

V

Reconciliation (an accounting term. restoration on friendly terms)

^

|

Propitiation (satisfaction Towards God). Jesus died to propitiate (satisfy) a Holy, righteous, Just God.

The justice of God demanded a sentence. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

Christ enrobed himself with the wrath of God for us. All the requirements of the law are satisfied. We have atonement: that is the repairing of of a damaged relationship.

Jesus’ death satisfied a holy, righteous and just God. Christ died to propitiate (satisfy) God’s righteous, and justified wrath. As the commercial goes: “But wait! There’s more!

Propitiation appeased the wrath of the offended person and brought about reconciliation (a change in relationship).

Because of Christ, my sentence of death, is expiated! I’ll bet you have never heard that term before.

It means we are not only held liable to pay for your sins, (not culpable) but the record is expunged (erased, obliterated (smashed to smithereens)), the account has been paid in full, and the records have been destroyed.

The foreshadowing can be seen in the old Testament’s description of the passover.

Atonement: Exodus 12:13 reminds us:

…when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you,…

Today, I would ask, when God looks at you, does he see the blood of Christ, that brings reconciliation, atonement, expiation, or are you still mired in doubt and guilt with the weight of sin crush down on you? Have you trusted in God’s remedy for sin, or are you relying on your “Good Works to get you into Heaven?”

When God asks, “What have you done with my son, Jesus?” What will be your reply? The answer has unfathomable eternal consequences. Just and Justifier:

It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:26 ESV

Who is directing your eternal path? God or you?

Why did Jesus have to die?

W. Guerrini

February 13, 2019

www.dhbctucson.org

1. What happens on February 14?

2. What is sin?

1. 2. 3.

Sin multiplies? Sin is always directed towards?

3. List some of the attributes of God?

4. Redemption: (towards man)

|

V

Reconciliation

^

|

Propitiation: (Towards God)

5. The justice of God demanded a sentence. What was the sentence? (Rom 6:23)

6. Propitiation – The Necessity of Christ’s

A. God is full of wrath against the sins of mankind. God demands justice. He demanded death. How can we be saved from God’s wrath?

B. The Problem?

1). How can God remain just, yet justify the ungodly?

2). The answer is a delicious. Delectable. Dilemma. The answer is why Jesus

had to die.

7. What is your definition of the following:

Redemption (commercial term):

Propitiation:

Expiation:

Atonement:

Reconciliation

8. What propitiates? Blood or death?