Many people are offended by the teachings of Christianity. Perhaps the most objectionable teaching is that Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for ours. The Apostle Paul writes, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23 NIV)
Regardless of what anyone thinks; whether anybody likes it or not, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of Christianity. Remove Christ’s death and there is nothing left. But why did Jesus have to sacrifice His life? Why is death necessary? Chapter 9, verses 16 through 22 of the inspired letter to the Hebrews gives two reasons why death is necessary. It says, “For where a last will and testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him who made it. For a will is in force where there has been death, for it is never in force while he who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant has not been dedicated without blood. For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Moreover he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry in the same way with the blood. According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.”
In previous verses the writer of Hebrews explained that Jesus is the mediator of a New Covenant between God and mankind. One of the benefits of the New Covenant is that those who participate in it will inherit eternal blessings. However, this raises a dilemma. How can those in the Covenant inherit? The Greek language, in which Hebrews is written, has only one word for both “covenant” and “will”. The passage we just looked at points out that a will does not come into effect until the person who made it dies. To say it another way, someone cannot receive an inheritance unless the person who gave it has died. Therefore, the New Covenant could not come into force without a death. No one could receive the promised inheritance without the death of the One who gave it. This is one reason Jesus had to die. Without His death, the New Covenant could not be enacted.
There is another reason death is necessary. “…apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.” To understand why, we have to consider the nature of sin. God is totally pure, holy and righteous. There is no trace of wickedness in Him. Because God is holy, our sin separates us from Him. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2 NIV) Another Scripture tells us that, “…the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23 NIV)
How can we be redeemed from the death we have earned by our sin? Only with another life. While giving the Law of Moses, God said, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11 NIV)
This raises another question. How can the blood of animals atone for people whom God has made in His own image? The answer is that it cannot. A better sacrifice was needed. Hebrews chapter 9, verses 23 through 28 says, “It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ hasn’t entered into holy places made with hands, which are representations of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place year by year with blood not his own, or else he must have suffered often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the ages, he has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, without sin, to those who are eagerly waiting for him for salvation.”
This passage contrasts the sacrifices made under the Old Covenant to the sacrifice of Christ. One difference between them is the place where the sacrifices were offered. The sacrifices specified in the Law of Moses were offered in a sanctuary made by man. In contrast, Jesus presented His sacrifice in heaven itself. This is the true sanctuary to which the man-made Tabernacle pointed. Thus, Jesus is always able to represent us before God because He is always in God’s presence.
Another difference between the sacrifices is the frequency with which they were made. Under the Old Covenant, sacrifices for sin had to be made every year. Since the life of no animal is as valuable as that of a person, these sacrifices could not really take away sin. As Hebrews will point out in a later chapter, they were merely an annual reminder of sin. They served to defer the penalty of sin for another year. In contrast, Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect. It paid for the sins of mankind in full. Since His sacrifice was perfect, it only had to be offered once. Jesus does not have to offer Himself again and again because His sacrifice has canceled our debt once for all. Jesus’ sacrifice is final. Just as people will not have an opportunity to restore their relationship with God after they die but will have to face judgment, there is no further sacrifice besides the one Jesus made for sin.
This leads us to another consideration. We know from Scripture that Jesus will someday return. For example, angels told His disciples, “…This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 NIV) But if Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect, complete and final, then what is the purpose for His return? Hebrews assures us that it will not be to bear sin. He has already done that. This time He will return to give the promised inheritance, that is salvation, to all those who are in the New Covenant. The question is: Are you in the New Covenant? Have you accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf? Have you let Him pay your debt?