Why Did Jesus HAVE TO Die?

For years, I asked people, “Why did Jesus HAVE TO die? Why did God insist that was the only way?” Jesus even begged for a different way.

I received a variety of answers, but they all boiled down to one thing: sin required death. A holy God cannot let sin go unpunished; we all have sinned, and therefore deserve Hell. The ancient way to satisfy God was animal sacrifice. Then, God provided a perfect sacrifice to atone for sin, His Son. Only a sinless sacrifice could take on the curse. Therefore, Jesus had to be innocent and die on a tree.

However, that answer still does not explain why God let sin exist or why it requires death. The death of Jesus did not end death or sin. To this day, both happen and will continue to happen. In fact, it is difficult to prove his death did anything. We cannot even prove he lived, let alone that resurrection occurred. All we have is the hope that what the Apostles said was true.

Perfectionistic theologies insist that we CANNOT hold God responsible for sin or death. However, that makes the Creator a fool for starting creation in the first place because one event messed everything up. If God is not responsible for sin happening, then he is not in control of this universe or our lives. Sin mastered the Creator.

If God’s plan did NOT include the opportunity for sin, then why place a potential threat to perfection within reach of humans. Why let Satan have the chance of access. If God did not expect sin to happen, then he is not all-knowing, because he did not comprehend the danger of the tree, Satan, or the strength of desire.

Perfectionistic theologies describe a weak God because an all-powerful God could have ended sin before or after it happened. The theology makes God evil because he condemns every sinner to the torment of Hell for an event he should have controlled.

I do not believe that is true. I do not find God spoken of like that in the Bible. Actually, I don’t find Perfection Theologies taught in the Bible. Therefore, there must be a different answer to why Jesus had to die.

God is in control, even when things seem out of control. God let sin happen, and he allowed it to continue to happen. God knows everything that can happen in this universe. Satan did not, and cannot, slink in while God sleeps. God designed the scenario in the garden to let humans choose to obey or not. God did not force anyone to sin, but he is responsible for letting sin happen.

Death was the legal punishment for sin, either the death of the person who sinned or a sacrificed animal. But people stopped “cleansing the camp” of those who spread sin. Occasionally the Israelites purged the country, but the effects were always short-lived. If God wanted the Israelites to stay pure, why did he not step in more often and more dramatically?

From the beginning, God was always quite willing to forgive, and occasionally, forget any sin. That included murder: the murder of a brother, friends, babies, and even the murder of Jesus. Throughout the Bible, God begged for repentance instead of “pass the blame,” lies, or arrogant blindness. With repentance, comes total forgiveness. He wants us to know good from evil, as he does. He believes we can choose good over evil, as he does. God desires people to be responsible for their sins, just as he is responsible for letting us sin.

The Jews have always been adamant about this next detail. Jesus did not die for sin under Mosaic Law. No Mosaic Law requires an innocent person’s death in response to the personal sin of another. Plus, if there were Mosaic Law, God could have only saved the Jews.

The answer to why Jesus had to die came earlier than Moses. In Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised Abraham a child and a substantial future nation. All Abraham had was his faith and the promise that all those kids would be faithful. In a bizarre twist, Abraham did not participate. God took the responsibility of transgression for both parties.

Biblically, that is the point where covenant required death, the price that needed satisfied. People sinned; God had to die. Since God is alive, no one could take his place. Therefore, Jesus must be God, not a separate person. God the Father died on the cross. He did this for every human, past, and future, not just for the Jews.

In this death, the Creator of everything showed us how he felt about sin. Suffering is not God punishing us. Each sin tortures God like a stripe across his back, like another nail driven. Yet, he loves even the worst human. That is why Jesus had to die a horrible death. God said he would.

From the beginning, God took responsibility for letting us sin. He forgives those who place him on the cross: past, present, and future. Forgiveness is available when we acknowledge our need for forgiveness. The death of Jesus proclaims that death is not the end. His love gives us reason to repent.