Questions about Messiah’s death: We should always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us the reason for our hope. 1Pe 3:15,’But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:’ So what are the questions we should have answers for?
1. Why did Messiah come into this world? He came to put away sin by sacrificing himself (Heb.9:26). 1Jn 3:5,’And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.’ John.1:29 The next day John seeth Messiah coming unto him, and saith, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ Under the law of Moses, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would offer sacrifices to make an atonement for the people every year. Apart from this, on appointed days he would offer sin offerings for the people. But Messiah has once, by His own sacrificed, took away sin from us, forgiving us.
2. For whom did Messiah die? He died for sinners and the ungodly. (Rom 5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Messiah died for the whole world, not just for Christians or believers. Messiah paid the price for everyone who is a slave to sin, to be free from sin. However some still prefer to stay in slavery. Christ died for everyone who has faith, He died for everyone who is ungodly or does not revere Elohim.
Tit 2:14,’ Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’
3. For what did he die? 1Co 15:3,’For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
Elohim appeared on earth many times, but he sent his only Son to live with us. Messiah did not come to earth only to perform miracles or to heal people. If so he would have just appeared and disappeared. He came to earth to take away our sins. Gal 1:4,’who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:’ that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;(Heb.2:14)
4. Did he die willingly? He gave himself for our sins (Gal.1:4).Messiah had, in the past, avoided being captured and stoned by the Jews (John.8:59; 10:39). He did this because his time had not come yet. But as he went to Jerusalem for the last time, He told His disciples that his time was at hand (Matt.26:18). John.10:17-18,’ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.’ Messiah came into this world with a purpose; He came to take away the sins of the world. His work was to do the will of the Father(John.4:34, Gal.4:4-5). He never did anything against the will of the Father, and so even when he was nailed to the cross for our sins, he did that willingly.
5. Where did he bear our sins? 1Pe 2:24,’Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Heb 9:28,’ So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation’. In ICor.5:7, Paul described Him as the Paschal lamb who was sacrificed for us. The Almighty has laid our iniquities on Messiah (Isa.53:6) and we by his stripes are healed of our iniquities or sinfulness (Isa.53:5). Messiah fully took our sin on Himself and paid for our sin by His death on the cross. Our sin is serious and it cost him incredible suffering.
6. Should he repeat this act again? In Old Testament times, the sacrifices and ceremonies performed for cleansing from sin had to be repeated again and again. The High Priest would make an atonement for the sins of Israel once a year, on the Day of Atonement. But now Messiah has come as the high priest of the good things of the future…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. He suffered once for our sins. He offered only one sacrifice(Heb 9:11-12).
1Pe 3:18,’ For Messiah also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:’ Messiah’s sacrifice was final, not to be repeated.
The doctrine of Messiah's death and resurrection is the foundation of Christianity. We believe that Messiah was born of a Virgin, was crucified for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day. It is by holding on to this truth that we have confidence to stand before Him on the Day of Judgment. Without his death, no one will have eternal life or enter into the kingdom of heaven.
