Jesus Died for Our Sins

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

(John 1:29)

Before Christ could become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, He first had to become the spotless Lamb of God. Under the Old Covenant, a lamb without blemish had to be sacrificed during the Feast of Passover (Exodus 12:1–14). The Feast of Passover symbolized God’s sacrifice of His Son for the sin of the world, which is why John refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

(Hebrews 4:15)

As God’s sacrificial Lamb, Jesus had to accomplish two things: He had to die on the cross, and He had to die without sin. In other words, Jesus had to be the perfect, unblemished sacrifice. It is therefore important to note that Jesus lived His entire life without ever once committing sin. That does not mean He was never tempted—for the above passage clearly teaches that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are. Nevertheless, though He was tempted in all things, He never yielded to sin.

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.

(1 Corinthians 15:21-23)

To fully understand what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we must recognize that He walked the earth as the Son of Man, not as the Son of God. In the passage above, the apostle Paul reveals that death came through a man—for through Adam, sin entered the world, and death through sin (Romans 5:12). Therefore, because death came by a man, the resurrection of the dead also had to come by a man—the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

(Philippians 2:5-7)

We have stated that Jesus lived and died on the cross as the Son of Man, not as the Son of God. However, even though He lived and died as a man, He remained the Son of God at all times. How was this possible? Paul answers this in the passage above: when Jesus came to the earth, He “made Himself of no reputation” and took on the likeness of men. A more precise understanding of this passage is that, before coming to earth, Jesus laid aside His divine glory and power, taking on the form of a man. Thus, while on earth, He lived and died as a man, having no recourse but to walk in perfect obedience to the Father.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

(Hebrews 12:2-4)

Knowing that Jesus lived as a man helps us understand why Paul urges believers to look to Him as the ultimate example for our Christian walk. In this passage, Paul specifically addresses the saints’ struggle against sin, reminding us that we have not yet resisted temptation “to bloodshed.” He points to Jesus as the model of endurance—beginning with His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He sweat great drops of blood, and culminating sixteen hours later with His death on the cross. Throughout that entire ordeal, weakened by scourging and crucifixion, Jesus endured hostility and suffering while resisting every temptation to sin.

All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; Help me! They almost made an end of me on earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts. Revive me according to Your loving kindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.

(Psalms 119:86-88)

For those who believe it was impossible for Jesus to sin, we have the prophetic words of the Lord in the above passage: “They almost made an end of me on earth.” This reveals how close it came to Jesus being unable to complete the work of the cross. As the Son of God, it would have been impossible for Jesus to fail—but as the Son of Man, the struggle was very real. Therefore, mankind will forever be thankful to the Son of Man, Christ Jesus, for all that He endured on the cross for us.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

Under the Old Covenant, before a lamb was sacrificed for sin, the priest would lay his hand upon its head, symbolically transferring the people’s sins to the lamb. In the passage above, Paul teaches that God made Jesus—who knew no sin—to become sin for us. This transference occurred just before Jesus died on the cross. In the same way the priest placed sin upon the sacrificial lamb, God the Father placed the sin of the entire world upon His Son, making Him the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

But You have cast off and abhorred, You have been furious with Your anointed. You have renounced the covenant of Your servant; You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. You have broken down all his hedges; You have brought his strongholds to ruin. All who pass by the way plunder him; He is a reproach to his neighbours. You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice. You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and have not sustained him in the battle. You have made his glory cease, and cast his throne down to the ground. The days of his youth You have shortened; You have covered him with shame.

(Psalms 89:38-45)

We have already noted that when Adam sinned, death entered through his transgression. In that context, Paul was referring to spiritual death, for God had warned Adam that on the day he sinned, he would surely die (Genesis 2:17). Though Adam’s physical death occurred nearly nine hundred years later, his spirit died immediately, and he became separated from the life of God.

In the same way, when God placed the sin of the world upon His Son, death entered once again. Jesus died spiritually and became separated from the life of God. The consequence of this spiritual death is described in the passage quoted above. God the Father cast off and abhorred His Son; He became furious with Him and renounced His covenant. The Father profaned the Son’s crown and cast it to the ground, signifying the full weight of divine judgment that Jesus bore on our behalf.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

(Mark 15:34)

For all eternity, God the Father and God the Son had been inseparable—they were One. Yet the moment Jesus incurred spiritual death, the Father turned His face away, and for the first time ever, the eternal fellowship between Father and Son was broken. It was this separation that prompted Jesus’ anguished cry from the cross: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” God forsook His Son because He is not the God of the dead but of the living (Mark 12:27).

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'Into Your hands I commit My spirit.' “Having said this, He breathed His last.

(Luke 23:46)

The moment Jesus experienced spiritual death, He was no longer in control of His own destiny, for He had surrendered His spirit to the one who held the power of death—that is, the Devil (Hebrews 2:14). For this reason, just before His final breath, Jesus declared, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”

For the first time in all eternity, the Son of God was no longer in control, but was fully dependent on the Father’s redemptive plan being fulfilled. His complete trust in the Father, even in death, secured the foundation for humanity’s salvation.

Michael E.B. Maher

Resurrection of the Dead

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