Why Did Jesus Die: The “Why?” of Jesus’ Sacrifice
by Srikanth A Nair
Originally, this post was written to answer three questions posed in a YouTube video, which unfortunately is no longer available.
Despite the absence of the original video, I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to you, according to God’s will. This is not so that you have more knowledge; rather, I pray you will have a greater understanding of Biblical truth. May the Lord draw you nearer to Him and help you establish a living and dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ!
Why did God create a world with a sacrificial system?
Firstly, to believe that God created the world with a sacrificial system already in place, is to start off on a false premise.
God did not create the sacrificial system as part of creation. But, in His divine omniscience, God knew man would sin and therefore, had already conceived in His mind, the way out for humanity, which is through sacrifice. It was implemented (not created in response) when man sinned, not as a knee-jerk reaction (an afterthought) to the fall of man. The fall of man was tragic, but not a surprise to God. God did not create man to fall, but knew that He would. If God had created man without freewill, it can safely be said that man would always choose God’s way and Satan could never have successfully tempted Adam and Eve, which led to original sin. Original sin is man choosing to disobey God and expressing that decision (free will in action) by eating the fruit (not apple) of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Why is sacrifice necessary? Is mercy not enough? Why can’t God just forgive everyone?
To comprehend this question, we first need to have a reasonable understanding of who God is. Also, since I am a Christian, the God I believe in and write about is ONLY found in the Bible.
According to the Bible, God:
- is holy (Exodus 3:5, Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19, 1 Samuel 2:2, Revelation 4:8)
- is perfect (Deuteronomy 32:4, 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 18:30, Matthew 5:48)
- is light (Psalm 118:27, 1 John 1:5, Revelation 21:23)
- is just (Deuteronomy 32:4, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Job 34:12, Isaiah 30:18, 2 Thessalonians 1:6, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 6:10)
- judges (Genesis 31:53, Psalm 7:11, Psalm 58:11, Acts 10:42, Revelation 18:8)
- punishes (Exodus 20:5, Ezra 9:13, Hosea 9:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:8, Hebrews 10:29)
- is patient and does not want anyone to perish (Ezekiel 33:1, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9)
- is merciful & forgiving (Deuteronomy 4:31, Psalm 99:8, Daniel 9:9)
- loves us (Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalm 42:8, Jeremiah 32:18, Hosea 3:1, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Zephaniah 3:17, John 3:16, Romans 8:39, Ephesians 2:4, 1 John 3:1)
- is love (1 John 4:16)
This list is by no means exhaustive, but you get the idea.
The truth is, we cannot fully understand God. We cannot get into His head and figure Him out. Any attempt to do that is futile. But, as we can see from the verses above, the Bible has revealed enough about Him for us to get an idea of who God is.
God cannot be more merciful and less just or be more wrathful and less compassionate. If He did lean to one side more than the other, He would cease to be perfect and thus, cease to be God…
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Why Did Jesus Die: The “Why?” of Jesus’ Sacrifice [updated 2017] | Srikanth A Nair
