Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Princewill Njong: Reasons Jesus came and died
Princewill Njong: Reasons Jesus came and died: "Hey TJ, when I read your comments at times I feel obliged to give up my position: your logic on the status of the Magi, the notion of the ma..."
Reasons Jesus came and died
Hey TJ, when I read your comments at times I feel obliged to give up my position: your logic on the status of the Magi, the notion of the magi itself and the way you relate it to magic is just amazing. As somebody studying language, I really find your sense relation between magi and magic interesting.
That said, the argument over the birth of Jesus has been interesting and informing; I would have loved to leave the subject feeling more convinced that I won; if only I knew the bible as much as you do, or was more comfortable discussing biblical issues: this does not mean I've changed my view and position on Christmas though, it means you've given me something to think about in relation to that and I've sincerely learned some useful things. I hope for same there; thank you.
Now to the issue of scriptural evidence as to how Jesus' death saved man from sin and condemnation; I think I may need the help of a bible savvy here. However, I'll love to share a few things I found which I believe express my belief and thinking on the issue of Jesus' life and death. Below are first scriptural evidence that the shedding of Jesus' blood actually saved us from eternal condemnation and gave every man, who truly believes in God a chance to reconnect with Him, through Christ, and avoid eternal condemnation.
Why did Jesus shed his blood?
Matthew 26:28 ...this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
The Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood for the remission of sins. As we examine scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments, we can gain a better understanding of the significance of the blood of Jesus.
When we turn back to the Old Testament of the Bible, we see that after sin entered into the world, God required the blood sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sins.
In addition, John Piper also provides the following reasons, from the bible of course, Jesus came to die.
Why did Jesus Christ suffer and die? I believe that is the most important question of the twenty-first century. Here are ten answers from the Bible.
It is impossible to build lasting unity among races by saying that all religions can come together as equally valid. God sent his Son into the world as the only means of saving sinners and reconciling races. Only as the races find this reconciliation will they love and enjoy each other.
God’s design for marriage is for a husband to love his wife the way Christ loves his people, and for the wife to respond the way Christ’s people should. This kind of love is possible because Christ died for both husband and wife.
The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. Since our sin is against the Ruler of the Universe, “the wages of [our] sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not to punish it would be unjust. So God sent his own Son, Jesus, to divert sin’s punishment from us to himself. God “loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation”—the wrath-absorbing substitute—“for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
Then God publicly endorsed Christ’s accomplishment by raising him from the dead, proving the success of his suffering and death.
The law’s demands have been fulfilled by Christ’s perfect law-keeping, its penalty fully paid by his death. This is why the Bible teaches that getting right with God is not based on law-keeping: “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). Our only hope is having the blood and righteousness of Christ credited to our account.
The measure of his love increases still more when we consider the degree of our unworthiness. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it.
I see Christ suffering and dying “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). And I ask, am I among the “many”? And I hear the answer, “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus paid the highest price possible to give me—personally—the greatest gift possible.
The death of Christ secures freedom from condemnation for those who believe that Christ has served their death sentence. It is as sure that they cannot be condemned as it is sure that Christ died!
But for those who trust Christ, the best is yet to come. “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). We will see the all-satisfying glory of God. “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
For all these reasons and more, Christ suffered and died
TJ, I hope you find this scribbling informative in some way. I should be anxious to read what you have to say. Thanks a million
That said, the argument over the birth of Jesus has been interesting and informing; I would have loved to leave the subject feeling more convinced that I won; if only I knew the bible as much as you do, or was more comfortable discussing biblical issues: this does not mean I've changed my view and position on Christmas though, it means you've given me something to think about in relation to that and I've sincerely learned some useful things. I hope for same there; thank you.
Now to the issue of scriptural evidence as to how Jesus' death saved man from sin and condemnation; I think I may need the help of a bible savvy here. However, I'll love to share a few things I found which I believe express my belief and thinking on the issue of Jesus' life and death. Below are first scriptural evidence that the shedding of Jesus' blood actually saved us from eternal condemnation and gave every man, who truly believes in God a chance to reconnect with Him, through Christ, and avoid eternal condemnation.
Matthew 26:28 ...this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
The Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood for the remission of sins. As we examine scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments, we can gain a better understanding of the significance of the blood of Jesus.
Leviticus 17:11, For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 4:3-5 If the priest that is anointed do sin...then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering....he shall... lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD. And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation...But the blood of the animals still couldn't do the trick. The Israelites were still unfaithful to their God as evidenced by their awhoring after other gods. A better sacrifice was needed.
Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.God promised His people, the Jewish people, a new covenant about 600 years before the coming of Christ. We will see that this covenant would also require blood.
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:In the Bible, we have the Old Testament (or Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament. Both were ushered in by blood. The Old Testament came by the blood of animals. The New Testament by the blood of Jesus Christ.
31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Old Testament Exodus 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
Hebrews 9:18-20 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were only a picture of the ultimate sacrifice. When Jesus Christ went to the cross almost 2,000 years ago, He was the ULTIMATE sacrifice.New TestamentMatthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
- His skin was whipped off by scourging,
- His beard was torn out of his cheeks,
- His head pierced with thorns,
- His face marred more than any man. He was unrecognizable. The Bible says he was more marred than ANY man.
- His hands and feet were nailed through with thick spikes,
- His side pierced with a spear after he died.
Hebrews 9:9 ...a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience... 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;The blood of animals had to be shed over and over but the blood of Jesus was shed only one time. The Catholic religion does not understand this and contends that the blood is shed over and over again in the mass, but the Bible says something different:
9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Hebrews 10:12, ...after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. Hebrews 7:27 ...this he did once, when he offered up himself.The blood of Jesus is powerful. It is a saving, healing blood. Look at what the blood has done:
Hebrews 9:28 ...Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many...
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
| What the blood of Jesus does | Bible Reference |
|---|---|
| The blood pays for our sins so we don't go to hell. | Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. |
| The blood bought us. [3] | Acts 20:28 ...feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23 ...ye are bought with a price... |
| The blood justifies us before a holy God. | 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.. |
| The blood redeems us. | Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. |
| The blood brought us Gentiles into a relationship with God that we didn't have before. | Ephesians 2:11-16 ... ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh ...without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus...are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. |
| The blood brought Jew and Gentile (regardless of race or nationality) into a right relationship with God. | Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. |
| The blood brought peace. | 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. |
| The blood purges our consciences from dead works. | Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? |
| The blood lets us enter into the holiest place before the throne of God. | 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. |
| The blood forges an everlasting covenant between the believer and God. | Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, |
| The blood sanctifies us. | Hebrews 10:29...the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified... |
| The blood cleanses us from all sin. | 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. |
| The blood washes away our sins. | Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, |
| The blood causes us to overcome this old wicked world. | Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. |
In addition, John Piper also provides the following reasons, from the bible of course, Jesus came to die.
Why did Jesus Christ suffer and die? I believe that is the most important question of the twenty-first century. Here are ten answers from the Bible.
Jesus came to die…
#10) To destroy hostility between races
The suspicion, prejudice, and demeaning attitudes between Jews and non-Jews in Bible times were as serious as the racial, ethnic, and national hostilities today. Jesus died to create a whole new way for races to be reconciled: he “has broken down…the dividing wall of hostility…making peace…through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14-16).It is impossible to build lasting unity among races by saying that all religions can come together as equally valid. God sent his Son into the world as the only means of saving sinners and reconciling races. Only as the races find this reconciliation will they love and enjoy each other.
#9) To give marriage its deepest meaning
God’s design was never for marriages to be miserable, yet many are. That’s what sin does…it makes us treat each other badly. Jesus died to change that. He knew that his suffering would make the deepest meaning of marriage plain. That’s why the Bible says, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).God’s design for marriage is for a husband to love his wife the way Christ loves his people, and for the wife to respond the way Christ’s people should. This kind of love is possible because Christ died for both husband and wife.
#8) To absorb the wrath of God
God’s law demanded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). But we have all loved other things more. This is what sin is—dishonoring God by preferring other things over him, and acting on those preferences.The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted. Since our sin is against the Ruler of the Universe, “the wages of [our] sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not to punish it would be unjust. So God sent his own Son, Jesus, to divert sin’s punishment from us to himself. God “loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation”—the wrath-absorbing substitute—“for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
Then God publicly endorsed Christ’s accomplishment by raising him from the dead, proving the success of his suffering and death.
#7) So that we would escape the curse of the law
There was no escape from the curse of God’s law. It was just; we were guilty. There was only one way to be free: someone must pay the penalty. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).The law’s demands have been fulfilled by Christ’s perfect law-keeping, its penalty fully paid by his death. This is why the Bible teaches that getting right with God is not based on law-keeping: “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). Our only hope is having the blood and righteousness of Christ credited to our account.
#6) To reconcile us to God
The reconciliation that needs to happen between man and God goes both ways. God’s first act in reconciling us to himself was to remove the obstacle that separated him from us—the guilt of our sin. He took the steps we could not take to remove his own judgment by sending Jesus to suffer in our place: “While we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). Reconciliation from our side is simply to receive what God has already done, the way we receive an infinitely valuable gift.#5) To show God’s love for sinners
The measure of God’s love is shown by the degree of his sacrifice in saving us from the penalty of our sins: “he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). When we add the horrific crucifixion that Christ endured, it becomes clear that the sacrifice the Father and the Son made to save us was indescribably great!The measure of his love increases still more when we consider the degree of our unworthiness. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our debt is so great, only a divine sacrifice could pay it.
#4) To show Jesus’ own love for us
The death of Christ is also the supreme expression that he “loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is my sin that cuts me off from God. All I can do is plead for mercy.I see Christ suffering and dying “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). And I ask, am I among the “many”? And I hear the answer, “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus paid the highest price possible to give me—personally—the greatest gift possible.
#3) To take away our condemnation
The great conclusion to the suffering and death of Christ is this: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). To be “in Christ” means to be in relationship to him by faith. Christ becomes our punishment (which we don’t have to bear) and our worth before God (which we cannot earn).The death of Christ secures freedom from condemnation for those who believe that Christ has served their death sentence. It is as sure that they cannot be condemned as it is sure that Christ died!
#2) To bring us to God
“Gospel” means “good news,” and it all ends in one thing: God himself. The gospel is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to captivate us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy—namely, himself. “Christ…suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).#1) To give eternal life to all who believe on Him
Jesus made it plain that rejecting the eternal life he offered would result in the misery of eternity in hell: “Whoever does not believe is condemned already....the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:18, 36).But for those who trust Christ, the best is yet to come. “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). We will see the all-satisfying glory of God. “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
For all these reasons and more, Christ suffered and died
TJ, I hope you find this scribbling informative in some way. I should be anxious to read what you have to say. Thanks a million
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