What Did Jesus' Death Do For Mankind? Galatians 1:4

Everyone agrees that Jesus is important and that his death is important, but not many agree on what his death on the cross did. What does the Bible say?

"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever."  Galatians 1:4.

JESUS GAVE HIMSELF

Giving is a choice. Jesus' death was not forced; he could have done many things to avoid the horrible death on the cross. He was aware it was coming, so he could have left town. He knew Judas was his betrayer, but he didn't challenge or censer Judas. He could have done a miracle or said one of those wonderful things that silenced his critics. He said heaven had ready more than six legions of angels to rescue him. But he didn't do any of those things. He stayed quiet and endured humiliation and death.

FOR OUR SINS

What is sin?   The Bible says, "All wrongdoing is sin..." 1 John 5:17, and "He who knows the good he ought to do and fails to do for him it is a sin."James 4:17.  Every act of rebellion against God is a sin.

Sin must be judged, or else God would be guilty of compromise, and evil wins mankind. But since he is the God of Love, he sent a substitute to take our place in judgment.

God accounts Christ's death as on behalf of our sins. The resurrection is God's demonstration of approval or ratification that God accepted Jesus' death on our behalf.*

RESCUE

To rescue someone is to deliver them out of a threatening situation. There was purpose in his death. It was not an accident but an intentional act to save mankind.  We need rescuing since we are in danger because of our sins and the judgment of God, who is holy and would never compromise.

Your sin had to be paid for, and either you pay for them, or a substitute does. But the substitute must not have any sin of his own, or he would not be qualified to pay for them since he must have his own sin paid for. Christ lived a perfect and sinless life. Even the professional district judge Pontius Pilot found no wrong in him. His enemies had to fabricate lies to justify his execution. He was able to bear the sins of others because he had no sin of his own to pay for.

The payment must be equal to the judgment, so the person paying for the sin would have to be God since God is the judge. Jesus proved himself to be God in many ways, so he alone is worthy.

How does Jesus' death rescue us from our sins? It is because God accepted his death on our behalf.

THE PRESENT EVIL AGE

In Christ, we are brought into God's kingdom and have become separated from this age and freed from the judgment that will come. The age we live in is going to end. Those who do not have Christ do not have any assurance of surviving God's judgment.

WHAT WE MUST DO

Jesus did the work for us. He paid for our sin as only he could do. The Father accepted his death on our behalf and leaves nothing for us to do to make salvation. Christ declared it so when from the cross, he said, "It is finished." John 19:30. All that is left for us is to accept what he did for us the same way we receive a gift since salvation is a gift. As the Gospel of John says. "But to as many, as received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God." John 1:12.

If you want to know more about receiving the gift of salvation, see the tab above for the Gospel.

*Thoughtful readers will recognize this is the most simplistic explanation of the resurrection, and much much more could be said.

(c) Adron 10/13/16

Does The Bible Explain What Being Born Again Is? 1 Peter 1:3

Jesus taught that we must be born again but what if we need help understanding what that is, does the Bible explain it? The apostle Peter gives some insight.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Peter 1:3.

In his Epistle, or letter, Peter opens with a greeting of exuberant worship and the new birth is the pivot of his worship. In doing so he makes a few remarks that are very illuminating.

"HIS GREAT MERCY"
The foundation is not our deeds or our worthiness but His great mercy. Mercy is when you have the opportunity to exercise authority over someone but instead demonstrate forgiveness when condemnation is justified, like a judge who could condemn a guilty criminal but grants pardon instead.

"HE HAS GIVEN US"
The word "has" means that something already happened. This phrase is past tense. God did something for us already and we do not need to look for it to happen.

Being born anew is an event that happens at a point of time and you can point to that day and hour and say that was when it happened.

"NEW BIRTH"
This phrase is used several times in the Bible. It may be seen as a metaphor that describes salvation. A birth is an event. That which is born does not have any power to be more born or less born. The one being born does not make the birth he just experiences it. The one being born cannot take credit for birth because his birth is the result of another's action. In the same way we do not make salvation but we experience it when we by faith receive it.

"INTO A LIVING HOPE"
Not just a hope but a living hope. The word, living, is a present tense word, it is not a temporary hope but it is a hope that is a forever living hope. This is something more than just an idea, teaching, or concept, instead, it is a hope that is evident by the activity of the mercy of God and what He has given us.
Our hope is not in ourselves or our efforts but it is through or by something else.

"THROUGH THE RESURRECTION"
To be born again is a participation in the resurrection.

The resurrection is a cornerstone teaching of the Christian faith. It represents and confirms the validation by God and acceptance by God of Jesus' work of salvation on our behalf. The resurrection illustrates that the power of death is broken which means the threat of hell is revoked because the justice of God is proven to be satisfied. Because of the resurrection, we can be assured that Jesus took our sins upon himself and endured their punishment completely and is victorious.

"OF JESUS CHRIST"
It all points to this person. Only Jesus could save us.
      * Only Jesus was perfect and without sin (even his most fierce critics could find no fault in him, and a professional judge washed his hands of condemning Jesus whom He deemed innocent.) Being sinless, he was qualified to bear our sins.
     * Jesus gave his life willingly. He said, "I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again." John 10:18.
     * As the Son of God, he alone had the right to offer himself. If anyone else died for mankind's sins, we would be indebted to that one over God, which would be wrong. Only our creator could be our redeemer since we would not be in conflict with either our God or another who is our Savior. Jesus alone is the expression of God, and he alone could be our savior.

Because God is good and merciful, He gives us this new beginning of birth into a hope that will never die. The verse teaches that the new life is a gift that must be received, which means we must choose to receive it. When we receive by faith the work of Christ on our behalf, we receive the new birth.

No one can really imagine what blessings and joys are in store for those who come to God and receive the new birth.

To learn more about the plan of salvation, click on the tab, the Gospel, above. 

(c) Adron 9/23/16