What is the reason Christ died on a cross? Why was it necessary? What was his motivation? Why did he die in such a horrible way?
The Legal Reason: Sin
Every human being born since Adam has a sin problem.
Ro 5:12
Adam and Eve began innocent but were deceived. They believed the lie that going against God would be good. When they disobeyed God, sin entered the world.
Born with a desire to sin
Have you ever noticed that you do not have to teach a child to lie? Since sin entered the heart of mankind, everyone carries the propensity to be “bad.”
Eph 2:1
Jesus, however, did not have a human father. He was born pure, like a second Adam.
Ro 5:15
Jesus is the only human who never sinned. (He was God at the same time, but that is another story.) He never once felt jealous. He never lied. He never even lusted. Because he lacked sin, Jesus alone qualified to be the sacrifice for us.
Throughout the Old Testament, believers offered animal sacrifices as atonement for sin. In this system, because of their sin, blood needed to be shed, and something had to die.
Ro 6:23
Animal sacrifices foreshadowed the coming Messiah, the son of God who would become a man. Jesus was uniquely qualified to take all that was resting on me—the sin, the awful guilt, the shame—and bear it himself.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he cried out something amazing, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mt 27:46
God the Father turned his head from Jesus and for the first time in Christ’s eternal existence, he experienced separation from the presence of his dad. It was not his sin that caused God to forsake him, it was mine.
Classic Bridge Illustration
I was an angry, insecure kid. School felt hard and my way of dealing with it was rebellion and anger. Why did Jesus die on a cross? Because he knew there would be a wrecked kid that had no hope. Jesus loves me more than heaven. He loves me more than being worshipped by angels. Jesus endured pain and death so I could have life forever in Heaven with him. How could I do less than dedicate my life to a God like that?
The Rock, your place to belong
At the Rock, you can belong before you believe. Use the links to the right to begin your relationship with Rock Church. If you are local to Fargo, click the “free movie ticket” button to the right and check out one of our services, every Sunday at 10 AM, at West Acres Cinema. If you are not local to our area, that’s okay. There are all kinds of ways that you can participate in the happenings at Rock Church. We have many people that only interact with our church online. Use the “become a friend” button to be included in everything we are doing.
