Why Did Jesus Die On the Cross?

If asked why Jesus had to die on the cross, most Christians today would answer, “To pay for my sins.” You've heard this hundreds of times. But I've taught children's Sunday School for 30 years, and below is what my children think when they hear this explanation. I suspect this is what a lot of adults think too. But they just won't admit it because it is "politically incorrect."

What Children Think - The Bible tells us to forgive those who sin against us. But instead of forgiveness, God the Father wants justice and punishment. Lucky for us, Jesus finds a legal "loop-hole" in the law that allows Him to take the punishment that should have been ours. This appeases the Father's desire for justice and wipes the slate clean. Apparently God the Father doesn't care who gets whacked - just as long as somebody gets whacked. God the Father is the angry God of the Old Testament and Jesus is the loving God of the New Testament.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus paid the price for our sins. But the standard Sunday School answer is a text taken out of context. And the context is the rest of the Bible. According to the first Christians, the main reason Jesus died on the cross was to defeat Satan and set us free from his oppressive rule. Everything else that Jesus accomplished, including paying for our sins, was understood as an aspect and consequence of His victory. Scripture declares that Jesus came into this world to “drive out the ruler of this world” (Jn 12:31), to “destroy the works of the devil” (I Jn 3:8), to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14-15) and to ultimately “put all his enemies under his feet” (I Cor 15:25). Jesus came to overpower the “strong man” (Satan) who holds the world in bondage and to work with his children to “plunder his house” (Lk 11:21-22). He came to end the reign of the cosmic “thief” who seized the world to “steal and kill and destroy” the life God intended for us (Jn 10:10). Jesus came to earth and died on the cross to disarm “the rulers and authorities” and make a “public spectacle of them” by “triumphing over them on the cross” (Col 2:15).

Summary - Are you willing to enlarge your understanding of the Cross?

source: Re|Knew: ReThink everything you thought you Knew