The Death of Christ

Christ is Greek for Messiah. Messiah is a Hebrew title given to one man in history who would deliver God’s people from oppression in the world. When the Bible attaches the name Jesus of Nazareth to the title of Christ, we have the union of a divine title with a human name. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He saved them by dying for them.

The death of Christ is no ordinary death because Jesus Christ was no ordinary person. His supernatural birth provides the first evidence as a virgin girl was impregnated by divine conception. The purpose was for God (incarnate) to be born a man, born of a woman without inheriting the sin of Adam. To fulfill the purpose for which He came, Jesus Christ needed to be sinless. His perfect sinless life was preparation for the perfect death.

Jesus Christ was a gift from God for the salvation of sinners to become possible. Who would pay the penalty for all the sins accumulated against God? Human rebellion against our Creator is profound. The crimes against the Law of God are on par with the words, “only evil all the time.” Criminals are not inclined to pay the penalty for their crimes, nor are they usually capable. For someone to pay the penalty for someone else would be even more profound. When we read, “Christ died for us,” we are talking about a substitute payment. The life of Christ was freely offered as a sacrificial death to pay the penalty for sin.

The death of a sinner brings him to the judgment of God for the payment of the penalty for his sins. If a man’s sin has not received a prepayment in this life, he will pay the eternal penalty for sins himself. The blood of Christ carries the equivalent meaning to the death of Christ. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. The blood of Jesus poured out on the cruel cross of Calvary was the blood of the Lamb of God — another title given to Jesus. The implication of the title is sacrifice and coupled with His sinlessness unveils the concept of an unblemished lamb prepared for substitutionary sacrifice.

The cry of hell is, “Why have you forsaken me?” The answer from heaven is, “Your sins against God.” Jesus became sin for us as the Lord laid the iniquity of us all on Him. He bore the sin of many, by becoming a curse for us in his body on the tree. In other words, God put our sins on Christ. Jesus took our guilt, shame, and punishment when our sins were imputed to Him. God looked at our sins on Christ and poured out His wrath in punishing the Son of Man.

The death of Christ was a sacrificial offering to God on behalf of those for whom Christ came to save. Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, paid the penalty of death, bore the wrath of God, reconciled our separation from God, and set free those in bondage to sin — a ransom for many. In other words, Jesus Christ’s substitutionary, sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary was acceptable to God. We know this to be true because God raised Jesus from the dead, returned Him to His rightful place on the throne of God in glory, a glory that He had before the foundation of the world. Jesus was seated at the right hand of Father. He is seated because His work of redeeming the ungodly was completed with His words from the cross, “It is finished.” The blood of the Lamb is now applied to some…but not all.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

July 20, 2021