People everywhere are gathering in theaters to see Mel Gibson’s movie about the crucifixion of Jesus. “The Passion” is a story of hate and love, brutality and mercy, betrayal and forgiveness. Ultimately, it is the story of the fall and redemption of the human race. It reminds us how great a price God paid in order to rescue you and me.
Was this just a senseless act of injustice and brutality? And who is responsible for Jesus’ death? Was it the Roman soldiers... or the Jewish mob? Was it Pilate, the governor who knowingly gave permission for an innocent man to be executed... or was it the Priest who schemed against Jesus? Was it Judas, the man who betrayed his friend for money… or was it you and me? Finally, was there any real purpose to all this? And why should you care?
You may have asked these questions and many more. Please read the rest of this article for it is our prayer that in it you will find the answers you need.
Who was Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God. He is God revealed in human flesh. Nothing that He did or that happened to Him was random. Everything was according to God’s will. If the Son of God was crucified, then you can be sure that God Himself had ordained it. You can also be certain that His death was the only possible way that fallen humanity could be reconciled to God.
Why was Jesus born into this world? As we will explain later, our rescue or salvation would require the death of a man over whom death had no power. This man would be called the Savior. The Bible tells us that the “sting of death is sin." Because of man’s sinfulness, no natural man could be this Savior. This death would eternally destroy a sinful man. God was the only one who would be able to fulfill the task at hand. But God is both holy and eternal. He has no sin and he cannot die. Since our salvation would require the death of the Savior, the Savior would have to be someone who could die. For this reason Jesus was born into this world so that as God made flesh he could lay down His life. Then having died as our Savior, the Bible tells us that it was not possible that death could hold Him. He arose from the dead three days after He was crucified.
Why did we need a Savior? The Bible tells us “by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin.” In the story of Adam we see that through his transgression all of humanity was sold under sin and awaited eternal damnation. God had created man in “His own image." Mankind was created without “sin” and was supposed to live eternally with God. Adam’s transgression changed everything, and sin became the nature of the human race. The “seeds” of evil became inbred in every one of us. We may restrain it or control it to some extent, but we cannot change it. You might say that born with us into this world are the seeds of our own destruction. We became captives and slaves of a sinful master whose throne was seated in our own heart.
Even the best of men at times find themselves capable of the vilest of deeds. Sin and evil are like a cancer. As long as it exists it is attempting to consume the whole. It consumes lives, families, nations and civilizations. It started with the transgression of one man in the Garden of Eden and look at the result we have today. Never would God allow “sin” to be eternal. The sentence of eternal damnation came upon us all, for we all were all carriers and propagators of the deadliest disease there has ever been. Helpless in our own selves, we desperately needed to be rescued. We needed a Savior!
Why did Jesus die? Paul, the great Apostle, wrote “I declare unto you the gospel…how that Christ died for our sins…” OK, we accept the fact that Jesus died for our sins. But what does that really mean? Some suppose that this means that He suffered in order that we could escape punishment. This would imply that we could continue in sin since Jesus took sin’s penalty for us. But would we think it right to allow a murderer to have someone else go to prison in his place? Could the murderer go free or keep on killing and not be held accountable because someone else had taken his punishment? Of course this is absurd, and of course that is not why Jesus died. The word of God declares “the soul that sins shall die” and “the wages of sin is death.” There was no way for us to avoid this death sentence. “Sin” had destroyed God’s creation, and God would most certainly destroy this “evil” wherever it was found. But the Bible says “God is not willing that any should perish.” God’s desire was not to destroy the soul, but the sin. His true desire was to reclaim His people who had been lost through transgression. But was this really possible? How can we be delivered from the depravity that is so much a part of what we are? The answer is found in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for you and me, or you might say, He died on our behalf. He suffered a death that would have destroyed us. But remember, He is the creator, He cannot be destroyed. The creator hung on the cross as a representative for his creation. He was our proxy. Our death became His death in order that His death could become ours.
What is a Proxy? A proxy is a person who is authorized to perform an act on behalf of another. When a proxy takes actions on your behalf, you become bound by and subject to the actions they take in your name. Jesus died a proxy death for us upon the cross. This is why the Bible says, “if one died for all, then were all dead” (they all died). Everything that happened to Jesus on the cross has a corresponding ramification for you and me.
What does Jesus’ death do for me? The Bible says, “Our old man is crucified with Him (Jesus), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” The power of Jesus’ cross is not summed up in the fact that He suffered and died but in how that His death becomes transferred upon the believer. Take a closer look at this passage from the Bible.
1.“Our old man is crucified with Him.” Anyone who truly comes to Jesus Christ dies a “super-natural” death. They cease to be the person they once were because that person is crucified with Christ.
2.“That the body of sin might be destroyed.” The reason the old nature dies is so that the depravity that was interwoven throughout our human nature can be destroyed.
3.“That henceforth we should not serve sin.” When a person is rescued (saved) they are no longer a slave under the bondage of sin. Their cruel master is destroyed and from that day forward they will serve him no longer.
4.”For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Jesus’ death transferred upon us frees us from the dominion of sin. You do not have to carry things in your heart such as bitterness, hatred, anger, envy, or evil desires. Jesus freely gave Himself to die for you and me to make us free—not just from the penalty of sin, but from the very presence of it in our hearts.
What can I do? Jesus said “Repent and believe the gospel.” Confess your sinful condition unto God and believe upon His Son Jesus Christ. Come to Him believing and knowing that everything He suffered, He suffered for you. He laid down His life to save your soul and make you free!
