Student Voice

Why did Jesus Have to Die?
Jan 8, 05:23 PM
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Why exactly did Jesus die for us?

There’s a few different ways you can effectively answer this question, however, they ultimately come down to one thing, love. Jesus died for us because he loves us and because God loves us. John 3:16a tells us that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten son…” So in essence, the ultimate reason that Jesus died for us comes down to love. However, it’s still important to understand why Jesus needed to die for us.

Ever since Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the Garden by eating the forbidden fruit humans have been separated from God by sin (Gen 2:16 – Gen 3:24). Because humans failed to live up to the perfection that God intended for us, we are unable by ourselves to have a right relationship with God. Regrettably, things have gotten worse since Adam and Eve ate the fruit, each and every one of us is now born with a natural tendency to sin. Needless to say, we all have a list of sins far beyond what Adam and Eve started in the Garden.

God, in His justice, cannot leave sin unpunished and there’s only one appropriate penalty for sin. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23a, “For the wages of sin is death…” Simply put, because of our sin, we deserve to die. That’s the only way for justice to be served. This is the cool part though; God doesn’t want us to die. So instead he sent His son Jesus. Jesus, being completely God and completely human, was able to live a life that was fully pleasing to God. When Jesus was killed on the cross he paid the penalty that each and every one of us deserves for our sins. Of course, it’s up to each of us to decide whether we want to accept him as our Lord and Savior.

No one else could have paid the penalty, because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Each of us has our own sins that need to be paid for, so no one deserves to get into heaven on their own (Ephesians 2:8-9). Even if someone did live a perfect life, which none of us have or will, they still couldn’t pay for anyone else’s sins, because they’re only human. Since Jesus was God and man, he could pay for all the sins, of all people, ever.

Now we’ve come full circle. So, why would Jesus die for us then? Because He loves us, and He’s the only one who could.

— Mark Mallia


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