The Death of Christ on the Cross: Historical Cause and Redemptive Use
Question: Why did Jesus die on the cross?
This answer argues from the text, not from tradition. If the passage will not carry a doctrine, the doctrine is set aside.
The question can be answered at two levels: the historical cause and the redemptive use.
- The historical cause. Historically, Jesus died on the cross because of a sequence of events and decisions: beginitemize
- The chief priests and religious leaders conspired against him, bringing false or contrived charges.
- They assembled witnesses and accusations to secure a capital conviction.
- They maneuvered to bring Jesus before Pilate in a rushed early-morning proceeding.
- Pilate, lacking the moral courage to resist their pressure, handed Jesus over to be crucified.
- Roman authorities then carried out the execution by crucifixion.
Access note: public and archive access are still being finalized. Use the passages, test the reasoning, and question the assumptions.
In that sense, Jesus died on the cross because corrupt religious authorities and a weak Roman governor brought about an unjust execution. item The redemptive use of that death. God then used this "travesty" of justice as the central event in the plan of salvation. Jesus:
- Was buried.
- Rose from the dead in the power of God.
- Ascended and now sits at the right hand of the Father.
On that basis---his death, burial, and resurrection---God now offers eternal life and forgiveness as a free gift to all who believe. The cross, from a human vantage point a horrific miscarriage of justice, becomes in God's plan the means by which the gospel of grace is grounded. endenumerate
So, Jesus died on the cross because human authorities unjustly condemned and executed him. God then took that very event and made it the saving foundation upon which he offers life, righteousness, and reconciliation to all who believe.