Tiefer einsteigen

Would you like to learn more? Do you have questions or concerns?

Here you'll find answers that will help you on your quest!

Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?

Jesus' sacrifice is the prerequisite for our salvation. But what does His death have to do with our justification? Why does God need the cross to forgive our sins?

The Holy God

"The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He!" - Deuteronomy 32:4

God is holy and unchangeable (James 1:17). Sin cannot stand before Him. He, the righteous judge, cannot simply wipe away guilt. His nature demands justice, and every guilt demands atonement and punishment (Hebrews 10:30-31).

Human righteousness

"God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." - Psalm 53:2-3

Every person will have to give an account before their Creator. But no one can stand before Him—human righteousness is useless before Him:

"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." - Isaiah 64:6

God is the only one who can erase sins (Psalm 51:2-4). If a person wants to stand blameless before their Creator, they stand in complete dependence on Him.

God's justice and His forgiveness

Forgiveness could only come through bloodshed even in the Old Testament. There we read about the numerous sacrifices made for human guilt. Similarly, Jesus entered for us as a substitute sacrifice. In Him, all the requirements of the law were fulfilled once for all. He shed His holy blood in place of those who deserved death. All the sin offerings, which in the Old Covenant provided temporary cleansing of guilt, were merely a foreshadowing of the perfect sacrifice He made.

This is the wonderful solution to humanity's unsolvable problem. God ensures the fulfillment of His law. His forgiveness goes hand in hand with His justice. Jesus, who bore all sins upon Himself, paid the price on the cross. Now anyone can claim their ransom—the righteous forgiveness of sins. That's why it is testified in the Injil:

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." - Acts 4:12

Returning to one's own righteousness?

"How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" - Hebrews 2:3

Going back at this point and relying on one's own righteousness is dangerous. Trusting again in one's own works means nothing less than withdrawing trust from God. If one prefers to work one´s own way into heaven instead of claiming God's perfect forgiveness for oneself. One must be aware of the consequences:

"For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,

'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.'" - Galatians 3:10

Everyone must be aware that on the day of judgment, they will stand before God, the Judge, and will be held accountable. Is it possible for a person to stand blameless in the judgment of the best Judge? As previously written, those who are under the works of the law are under a curse. They are obligated to keep the whole law in every point. God's wrath remains on them if they do not obey the Son and believe in Him (John 3:36).

Righteousness through faith

This righteousness first requires an acknowledgment of one's own sins. One must completely surrender to God and trust that not one's own works, but solely His work, is sufficient to be found righteous before Him (Philippians 3:7-9)In faith, one claims cleansing through the holy blood of Jesus. Accordingly, the attitude of the believer changes—away from self-righteousness and pride—to grateful devotion to the Lord.

We see what righteousness by faith means in the example of Abraham:

"And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." - Genesis 15:6

"Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham." - from Galatians 3:7

In the first letter of John we read:

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

And elsewhere:

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Only now are we able to fulfill God's law. The fulfillment of the commandments happens through the power of a new heart with the help of the Spirit of God, as announced in the Old Testament:

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." - Ezekiel 36:26-27

The love we learn from the Father is the fulfillment of the law. When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, He answers:

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 22:37-40