Why Jesus Have to Die
Many people do not understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. They say, " Why couldn't God just forgive us? Why did Jesus have to die?"
The reason God could not "just forgive us" is that He is the righteous Judge of the universe, and we have broken His laws. He has said, " The soul that sins, it shall die", God must uphold His holy laws. The bible says, " The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works." Psalm 145:17
We have sinned; therefore, we deserved to die. God loves us and wants to save us, but He cannot be unrighteous. Whatever God does must be in accord with all His attributes, including His righteousness and His justice.
If God were to overlook our sins and receive us into Heaven, He would be loving, but He would not be righteous. On the other hand, if He carried out the sentence of the law and sent us to hell, He would be righteous, but not loving. But God is both righteous and loving. Whatever He does must satisfy both His righteousness and His love. God says that He is " a just God and a Savior."
How did God provide salvation for us and yet maintain His righteousness? He did it by taking our punishment upon Himself and paying the penalty of our sins.
The most precious truth in all the Bible is that the Son of God loved us so much taht He left Heaven and became a man so that He could die for our sins. Because Christ paid the penalty of our sins, God can righteouly forgive those who trust Christ as Savior. God does not overlook our sins, but He forgives them because He sees the blood of His Son which was shed for them.
Note: This article taken from the book entitled "The New life in Christ"
