Lesson 17

Why Jesus Died On The Cross

I Peter 3:18

A pastor was teaching a very difficult passage of scripture, explaining them many interpretations of the words. Afterward, a woman said to him, "Pastor, I'll bet if Jesus had known all the trouble those words would cause, He would never have said them!"

When Peter wrote 3:18-22, of his first epistle, he had no idea that it would be classified as one of the most difficult portions of the New Testament. Good and godly interpreters have wrestled with these verses, debated and disagreed, and have not always left behind a great deal of spiritual help. The Criswell Study Bible says that there are more than 90 variations of interpretations of these verses! We may not be able to solve all the problems and answer all the questions that arise from this section, but we can get the basic message that Peter gave to encourage Christians during difficult days.

The theme of I Peter is living for God in the midst of suffering. Throughout the letter, Peter points to Christ as our model of how to endure suffering and emphasizes the necessity of suffering in believers' lives. The key idea of these 5 verses is that Christ suffered unjustly at the hands of demons and men, and that he triumphed through the resurrection. Like Him, we too will triumph over our unjust suffering. That's the overall theme and we will spend a couple of weeks wrestling with the text. But for today, I want to narrow our study to just one verse, a wonderful verse, which answers the question, Why Jesus Died On The Cross.

So why did Jesus die on the cross? Was He, in fact, a criminal who deserved to die as a punishment for His crimes? Was He indeed the blasphemer that the Jewish religious leaders claimed He was? Was He the seditionist that they told the Romans He was?

At the conclusion of His trial, His judge said, (Luke 23:4) Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. (John 19:4) Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. (John 19:6) When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

Jesus did not die because of any wrongdoing. (2 Cor 5:21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (1 Pet 2:22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1 John 3:5) And ... in him is no sin.

Why, then, did Jesus die on the cross? Was it an accident? A wrongful death deal? No. That cannot be because Jesus is Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).

Why did Jesus die on the cross? Was He a martyr who died for a good cause? Someone who just wouldn't renounce His religion? No. As we shall see today, Jesus was not just a martyr dying for a good cause. I Peter 3:18 tells us three clear reasons why Christ died on the cross.

Because Of Sins

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins"

From the beginning, the penalty of sin has always been death. Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death. Sin demands death. The payment for sin demanded the death of Christ. Christ hath once suffered for sins.

It should not be a surprise that we suffer, because Christ "also" suffered.

Please notice that Christ's death was not painless. He "suffered for sins." Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer ... The agony and pain was part of the plan. It reminds us that sin, which promises pleasure, ultimately brings only pain and death.

Please notice that Peter tells us that Christ hath once suffered for sins. Christ's suffering was unique and it was ultimate. He needed to be done only once for all time which is the meaning of that Greek word, (see Hebrews 7;26-27; 9:24-28; 10:10).

Why did Jesus die on the cross? The first reason given by Peter is that Christ died because of sin. "Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."

Becoming Our Substitute

"the just for the unjust"

Over and over the Bible teaches us and reminds us that salvation requires a substitute. Every lamb that was sacrificed for sin under the Old Testament revealed God's plan for an innocent victim to take the place of the guilty. For God to just and righteous in the punishment of all sin with death and, at the same time, to be merciful toward sinners, it was necessary for an innocent one to suffer on behalf of the guilty. "Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust..." Isaiah 53 says "All we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 1 Pet 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree 2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; 1 Cor 15:3 Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 2 Cor 5:14 one died for all 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Heb 2:9 (He) taste(d) death for every man.

I should have been crucified

I should have suffered and died

I should have hung on the cross in disgrace

But Jesus God's Son took my place.

Jesus died because of sin. Jesus died becoming our substitute.

Bringing Us Salvation

"that He might bring us to God"

There was a purpose to this death. Christ's purpose in gathering up our sins on the cross and in enduring the darkness of death was to open the way to God. "That he might bring us to God," writes Peter.

The cross bridges the gap between sinful man a holy God. That truth is demonstrated symbolically by the veil in the Temple. Within the veil was the Holy of Holies, and there dwelt the ark of the Lord, representing the presence of God. No one could enter that place except the High Priest who went there once a year to offer the blood on the altar. So strict was this law that bells were attached to the bottom of the high priests garments so that he could be heard moving about within the holy place. If the bell could not be heard for a long period time then he was assumed dead but you couldn't go in to check on him. Sinful man cannot come into the presence of a holy God. But at the death of Christ came the rending of the Temple veil from top to bottom, opening the Holy of Holies to immediate access for all (Matthew 27:51).

We gain access to God only through Christ. "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me," Jesus said in John 14:6. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Christ came to bring us into the presence of God. "That he might bring us" is a formal term used to describe someone's being introduced or provided access to another.

The pain and suffering of Jesus served a wonderful purpose. Christ died because of our sins, becoming our substitute, bringing us access to God. It is possible that you understood that Jesus died on the cross but that you really never understood the meaning or significance of that fact. You really didn't know why.

Well, now you know. You need to know also that the story doesn't end at the cross. Peter eludes to that in this verse. He says that Jesus was put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. He died. But he didn't stay dead. After three days and nights, Christ arose from the dead.

That, my friend is the gospel. It is that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. That he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

Knowledge brings responsibility. Knowing that Jesus died and rose again and knowing why Jesus died on the cross leaves you with a decision to make. It is the decision to repent of your sins and believe that Christ's death was for you. It is the opportunity for you to publicly profess your personal repentance of sins and faith in Christ.

That's why at the end of every Sunday service we offer what we call an "invitation". If, in your heart, you genuinely and sincerely choose to trust in Christ then today you are urged to come and profess your faith in Christ.

Perhaps you still have unanswered questions and would like a more personal explanation of the gospel. If you will come and express that, someone will take the time to explain the gospel to you and answer your questions.

Perhaps you are already a believer but some other decision needs to be made - baptism; membership; re-dedication to Christ. The invitation is your opportunity to respond. Will you please come?