Why Did Jesus Have To Die?

Many have asked this extremely important question, "Why did Jesus have to die?". Most will concede that Jesus was the most selfless and loving person who ever lived. Contrary to all the speculation emanating from Hollywood right now, there is not one shred of evidence that Jesus ever married or had children. His wife is His glorious Church which will be His eternal Bride and will be made up of all the saved of the earth. Let me suggest some reasons why Jesus died.

1) He died to reveal God's love to the whole world. John 3:16 puts it this way, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". Jesus gave His life on the cross to express to mankind the depths of God's love. He died for everyone. Anyone who will come to Him and accept Him as Lord and Saviour will experience God's love deep within his heart.

2) He died for our sins. Please meditate on Isaiah 53 in the Old Testament. Here the Bible says: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
(Isaiah 53: 5) The indication is that Jesus Jesus paid in full the punishment of our sins on the cross and His death brings peace for all who trust in Him.

3) He died to save us from ourselves. We do well to meditate on II Corinthians 5:15, "He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again."
When one experiences the cross in one's life, one is changed by the cross into a giving, loving unselfish person.

4) Jesus died to deliver us from Satan's power. How powerfully Hebrews 2: 14, 15 speaks to us today, "So that by His death, He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

5) He died to make us His ambassadors of peace. Please meditate on Romans 5:10-11, and II Corinthians 5. Through the cross, we are reconciled with God forever. That is, the cross brings about friendship instead of hostility with God. This is the beginning of peace with God, peace within ourselves and peace with one another. There can be no other peace like this, the peace that Jesus brings.

6) He died to give us eternal hope and life everlasting. Easter is a great opportunity to celebrate such glorious hope. Jesus said by the graveside of a loved one, "I am the resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me, though he were dead yet shall he live and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. "
The cross made such power over the grave possible. Without Jesus' triumphant victory over the grave, there would be hope for none of us. On the cross, He triumphed over sin, Satan, death, Hell and the grave. The world know of no greater victory than the cross and subsequent resurrection. Will you give your life to the Saviour Who died for you and rose triumphantly from the grave?