Why did a man, innocent and without sin, have to die such a horrible death on the cross?
- Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
- 23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
- 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
- 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
- 26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
- 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
- 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.
When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, he had to die as penalty for eating of the forbidden fruit. This death would have been for eternity except God made a way of escape by sending his only begotten son to die in our stead. Blood is the life of the body, therefore, shedding of blood causes death. Hence without shedding of blood is no remission (forgiveness) of sins. Christ only had to die one time to save all mankind just like by one man’s sin death passed upon all mankind.
- Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
- 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
- 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
- 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Christ died to save us from an eternal death if we only believe in him enough to keep his precepts until the end.