Why Jesus Came
From the announcement of his conception, the mission
of Jesus was linked to our spiritual recovery. The angel
told Joseph that the child Mary was carrying was conceived
by the Holy Spirit. The child was to be named Jesus
"because he will save his people from their sins."
(Matthew 1:21) This redemptive theme was echoed throughout
the ministry of our Lord. He said that he had come "to
seek and to save what was lost" and "to give
his life as a ransom for many." (Luke 19:10; Matthew
20:28)
Our Spiritual Condition
The Bible describes us as being lost, separated from
God and unable to save ourselves. Ours is a hopeless
condition indeed. Yet God wants to save us. The dilemma
that faced God was this: How can he forgive our sins
and also carry out the justice that his law demands
for violators? God cannot ignore the fact that we have
broken his holy law and that carries a severe penalty.
In Jesus Christ, the Father found One whose death would
fully satisfy the demands of justice, thereby enabling
him to forgive our sins. This is how the apostle Paul
expresses the thought:
"God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement
through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate
his justice, because in his forbearance he had left
the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did
it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so
as to be just and the one who justifies those who have
faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:25,26)
The Need For The Cross
The cross of Christ vindicates God. It shows God to
be just in that he did what his own law demanded. He
is also the one who justifies/pardons all those who
have faith in Jesus.
God has never been short of sacrifices. Rivers of blood
flowed from Israel's altars, yet they were unable to
satisfy God's justice. Martyrs too numerous to mention
gave their lives sacrificially in the service of the
Lord, yet not even their deaths could satisfy God.
Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest,
caught the attention of the world's press when his noble
deed became known. He was a prisoner in Auschwitz concentration
camp. When Kolbe heard that a married man with a family
had been selected for execution, he volunteered to take
this man's place. Kolbe became a substitute so that
another man might live.
On Good Friday Jesus became our substitute when he
took our sins upon himself: "He himself bore our
sins in his body on the tree." (1 Peter 2:24)
The debt incurred by our sins could only be paid by
an adequate sacrifice offered on our behalf. Though
two other men died along with Jesus on that Good Friday,
only his death was able to cancel our debt. Peter captures
the concept of Christ being our substitute and Saviour
in these words: "Christ died for sins once for
all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you
to God." (1 Peter 3:18)
In a crucified Christ we see the following: the love
of God, the wisdom of God, the justice of God and a
perfect sacrifice who has made forgiveness possible.
