The Most Misunderstood Act

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did Jesus die? And why was it such a gruesome death?” Some may have never asked this question. Others assume they know the answer. But do they?

Some people think it was merely to set a good example of love and sacrifice for others. Some people think He died so we can go to Heaven, as long as you are a good person.

It is true that His death on the cross sets an example for us. It is also true that He died so we can go to Heaven. Yet, what most people miss is that He died for bad people, for His enemies, for sinners. He didn’t die for good people – because none of us are good.

Jesus tells a story of two men. One man gloated that he was righteous, had avoided the “worse sins,” had given to the poor. He thought that because he was “good,” God would accept Him and welcome Him into Heaven.

The other man wouldn’t even lift his eyes to Heaven, but smote his chest, and prayed “God be merciful to me a sinner.” He knew he was not good. Jesus clearly states that “this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.”

The Bible says that there is no one that is good. We are all born His enemy. We have all broken God’s commandments. We are all deserving of punishment. God says that punishment is eternity in Hell.

It’s this very reason that Jesus died – Because we are not good. The only way for us to walk free and not receive Hell as the punishment for our sins is if one who was worthy took that punishment upon Himself. No mere man is worthy, because, as we’ve already stated, no mere man is good.

The only one worthy to bear our sins is the one who was both God and man – Jesus. Jesus never sinned, because He is God and God cannot sin. He did not deserve death, yet He died in our place. He proved He was worthy by rising from the dead 3 days later.

We need to make a choice. Either choose to continue to try to be a good person and hope we can be good enough for God to accept us - but if we do this, we are doomed to fail and Hell will be our demise - or chose to trust that what Jesus has done is enough to suffice the punishment for all our sins. If that is what we choose to trust, we’re trusting the right thing, and it will carry us into acceptance with God and eternity in Heaven.

Remember the two men. The first one thought he was good, when he wasn’t. He tried hard to be good enough to be accepted by God, but when men try hard to be accepted, they misunderstand and ignore what Jesus’s sacrifice was truly about.

It is only when we chose to be like the second person, and in spite of all our guilt and shame, trust Jesus’s mercy on our sinful soul, we are then accepted. Will you choose this today?

If you want to understand more about why Jesus died or if you want to be sure you are accepted by God, we at Victory Baptist Church are here to help.  You can contact us at the information below, join us for a church service, or sign up for a Bible study you can do on your own at the link below.