We have all heard that it's for the forgiveness of sins.
I think it's more than that. Forgiveness for sins is only one of the things he came to do. So why did he have to die?
Concerning the reality we are living in and believe in, there are a number of spiritual and theological problems.
1. Our human nature is corrupt because we have knowledge of evil -- that is, we can lie, we can choose to be selfish, greedy, arrogant, lustful, jealous, etc.
2. We are not now living in God's Kingdom. We are separated from God and do not have his regenerative power within us.
3. We are slaves of sin. We must be somehow freed from sin so that we will never sin again. Sin has its power to harm us because
spiritual death is the completion of sin, and sin is a
partial form of spiritual death.
Spiritual death is where a person is thoroughly possessed by evil and wickedness, depriving them of the power to do good and therefore making them cursed to be evil forever. I believe spiritual death happens because a person renders himself useless for the purpose of being a positive, good influence for the people in this world. As a result, God removes the person's ability to do good, making them purely evil.
I recall Jesus saying somewhere that branches that are useless are tossed into the fire and burned -- "If you do not remain in Me, I will not remain in you."
4. Last but not least, we have sinned. We cannot enter God's Kingdom without first being cleared of the record of wrongdoing.
So what did Jesus come to do and why did he have to die?
1.
Second Adam: Adam chose to have a knowledge of both good and evil. We now know that his decision was a mistake. Knowledge of evil -- dark and unholy wisdom, leads to evil and wickedness. It destroys lives. Jesus, the Second Adam leads us to a time and place where we will be cleansed of this destructive disease and will no longer have to choose between good and evil but will only be able to choose good.
We all have to die to this reality and be born in the reality of God's Kingdom. The rebirth can only take place after we have been severed physically from this world -- that is, we have to die physically first.
This resolves the problem present in our human nature as mentioned in point (1).
2.
Path to God's Kingdom: Jesus atoning sacrifice was a ritual that opened a doorway to God's Kingdom. The curtain veiling the Holy of Holies tore open, meaning that human beings could once again have direct contact with God. Those who choose to follow the Way of Truth have direct contact with God in the sense that His Spirit lives in them.
We were separated from God but now we can find a way back to God's Kingdom, resolving point (2).
3a.
Liberator and Conqueror of Death and Sin: Christ's resurrection is a sign that God has not only opened a way for us to conquer death, but also sin. Death is the completion of sin, so by sinning we start a time-bomb inside our hearts that blows up when the time is up. Death means that the time is up. Sin's sole purpose is to destroy our lives. As a destroyer, sin is like a parasite that lives in us and in time, we will be completely possessed by sin.
A person is tempted when he is drawn away and trapped by his own evil desire. Then his evil desire conceives and gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15
Anyone ever watched
The Never-Ending Story? It's where this kid keeps making wishes and one day when he realises that after two more wishes he will lose all of his memories. He is told, "Two more wishes and the
Emptiness will possess you." Sin is a bit like that. It's a parasite that wants to control our minds.
Sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it. Genesis 4:7
Jesus never sinned, but he conquered what caused death: sin. As a result, anyone who follows his path will be able to do the same.
3b.
Lamb of God - Passover Lamb (Liberator from Slavery by Sin): The Israelites were freed by the so-called Passover. Lambs were slaughtered and their blood wiped over the doorways of their homes to tell God's angel to
pass over their homes. Because of the death of the firstborn of all Egypt, the Israelites were freed from slavery by the Egyptians.
The original Passover meal was celebrated the night before the Day of Liberation.
While Moses was Liberator from slavery by the Egyptians, Jesus was Liberator from slavery by sin. On Judgment Day,
Death will pass over us.
The Lord's Supper celebrated by Jesus and his disciples was also the Passover meal. The original Lord's Supper took place the night before Jesus' cruxificion -- the Day of Liberation, repeating the same thing that happened centuries before.
Jesus, God's Firstborn Son, died on the cross serving the role of the Firstborn, Passover Lamb and Liberator all at the same time. He now leads us to the Promised Land, which is God's Kingdom. In other words, Moses, the Passover lamb and the firstborn of Egypt were all archetypes of Jesus.
This resolves the problem of us being slaves of sin as mentioned in point (3).
4.
Lamb of God - Atonement for Sins: and yes, we must be cleared of the record of wrongdoing before entering God's Kingdom. This is why our sins must be forgiven.
Jesus actually serves two different purposes as "the Lamb of God" -- the Passover and the Atonement.
