Why did He die?

So Why Did He Die?

There is a growing movement within the church at the moment that promulgates the idea that Hell may not be real; that God is not so cruel as to commit those who reject Him there; and that everyone will get somewhere in heaven because He loves us and doesn’t want any to miss His provision for us. This is a total fallacy. In bygone times it was heresy. It still is.

If there is no Hell, then why did Jesus have to die?

If everything in the garden was still rosy, then why did God tell man, after the fall, that he would have to work hard to earn his food and shelter?

The answer to both of these is “sin”. If there is no hell then sin becomes irrelevant. But sin is not simply a moral issue, it is the reason we were separated from God, and it remains the reason. Sin is falling short of God’s standards – or breaking His law. Here in England, as in most other places around the world, law-breaking is punishable by prison – or worse. It is therefore totally logical that sin, or breaking God’s law, should also be punishable. We call that punishment “hell”.

God’s Word tells us quite a lot about hell. If God’s Word is true, then hell is true and real. Once again we have folk deciding to believe God’s Word – except the bits they don’t like or that don’t fit into their own peculiar theology or doctrine. God required the perfect offering for our sin and that was only to be found in His Son, Jesus Christ. If hell did not exist, then Jesus did not need to pay the price for us, and God lied, or at best exaggerated, His disapproval of our wrong-doing. In fact, if hell doesn’t exist, then  John 3:16 is a complete lie too. In fact if hell doesn’t exist we might as well throw Christianity away as a hoax. As Paul said, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19

Christ died for our sins that we might have eternal life. Put another way, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

This is the Gospel – woe to he who thinks he can change it without incurring the wrath of God.