Why Did Jesus Have To Suffer And Die?

Is God a “bloody God”?

Two primary qualities of God help us understand why Jesus Christ had to suffer and die in order to redeem mankind. First, God is righteous. Thus His justice demands that a penalty for sin be paid. As Kenyon writes:

God cannot ignore the fact of man’s hideous transgression. That transgression must be punished, and if man is restored to God, it must be upon grounds that will not pauperize man nor rob him of his self respect; but it must be upon legal grounds that will perfectly justify man in the sight of God… [1]

Second, God is love. Thus, in His grace and mercy, He decreed that the penalty for sin could be paid by a substitute, providing that the substitute be sinless. God wanted, and mankind needed, a man who:

…met the demands, first, of the heart of Deity for a perfect human who would do His will; second, He met the demands of fallen man in that as a man He met the Devil and conquered him in honorable open combat. [2]

Because of the magnitude of Adam’s sin and its reverberating ramifications, only the death penalty would satisfy true justice. Hebrews 9:22 says that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [of sin].” In the Old Testament, it was the death of unblemished “stand-in” lambs and other animals that God allowed to temporarily cover His people’s sins (Heb. 10:1-14). These sacrifices were foreshadows, or types, of the coming Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He is the true “Lamb of God” whose blood was shed to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Hebrews 9:14
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

As we have stated, Jesus Christ was the only man who was “without spot or blemish,” both genetically and behaviorally. As such, only he could qualify to offer his life as the payment for the sin and sins of mankind. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ was part of God’s plan to make available salvation to all mankind.

Hebrews 9:27 and 28
(27) Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
(28) So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

What the blood of bulls and goats could do only temporarily for Israel in the Old Testament, the blood of Jesus has done once and for all for everyone who believes in him. He bore our sins in his own body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). By his freedom of will he gave up his life for us. He willingly endured the pain of the cross and death for all men. We must understand, however, that it was not God who was responsible for Jesus’ death. Note the following verses:

1 Corinthians 2:7 and 8
(7) No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
(8) None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The “rulers of this age” are Satan and his evil-spirit sidekicks (the disobedient angels that were cast down to earth with him). God’s Word plainly says that it is the Devil who was responsible for killing Jesus Christ.

Once the dominion of the world was given to Satan, and mankind was ruined by sin, God has had to ask people to step into harm’s way so that His redemptive purposes could be accomplished. Jesus Christ is the chief example of this, and there are many others (see Hebrews 11). Jesus suffered so that those who believe on him can one day have peace and joy forever, and a taste of it even in this life. In Jesus, we see the epitome of the redemptive value of suffering, a subject we will discuss later.

Hebrews 5:7-9 (Moffatt)
In the days of his flesh, with bitter cries and tears, he offered prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save him from death; and he was heard, because of his godly fear. Thus, Son though he was, he learned by all he suffered how to obey, and by being THUS PERFECTED he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, being designated by God high priest with the rank of Melchizedek.

We feel the Moffatt translation (e.g.,“thus perfected”) best represents the truth of the Greek text that Jesus attained moral perfection through suffering and death. It was God who totally “perfected” Jesus by raising Him from the dead with a glorious new body and exalting Him as Lord, as the following verses make clear:

Hebrews 2:9-11
(9) But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(10) In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
(11) Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

Jesus Christ is the Last Adam, the fulfillment of God’s prophecy in Genesis 3:15. As our Redeemer, Jesus purchased our salvation with his own blood. He provided, and is, the way back to God that Adam had lost. Those who confess him as Lord and believe in his resurrection are saved, fully equipped to live in this corrupted world and guaranteed ultimate and everlasting victory over sin and death, as we shall see.

MEEEEEEEEEEEET SHAWNA STAR GET PUT OUT A LEFRACK VIEWING IT WAS A PRIVATE VIEWING THE MADDA AND THE BABY MADDA NEVA A GUH IN A DI CHURCH TILL SHE COME OUT MI SEH THE WHOLE A NASSAU COUNTY POLICE COME TEK HAR OUT A DI WAKE U WOULDA THINK A BIN LADEN GYAL SHAME LIKE DAAAAAAWG

Shanakay Reid

If you eat, sleep, shit, and bathe with the phone why wouldn’t I think you cheating??!

• • 
    Georgiana Godfavorsme Hammitt Clear cut case of a “CHEATING BASTARD”

    57 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike · 2
  • 
    Bernice Isbeautiful Insideinout You have a point Shana!

    50 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike · 2
  • 
    Kanisha Stone They phones be they giveaways I swear smh

    47 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike · 1
  • 
    Kelly Stars Seek & you shall find….lol

    44 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike · 2
  • 
    Shanakay Reid Kelly me nah look but when u a protect it suh doe

    39 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike · 1
  • 
    Julia Swack I do with my Phone doesn’t mean I’m cheating. Stop worrying about Phones. Don’t search pockets or cars. Sis learn to trust someone. If He’s “Cheating” you’ll find out. You know the saying “What you do in the Dark, will come to light”

    36 minutes ago · LikeUnlike · 2
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    Julia Swack We have 10 yrs in this November ;-). Most of your friends won’t agree with me.. Thats fine. Not a Doctor. lol

    34 minutes ago · LikeUnlike
  • 
    Bernice Isbeautiful Insideinout Lol @ Kelly

    31 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike
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    Kelly Stars Mi wi look, that’s why Owen phone lock over 8years now, more times mi argue over it but know mi just leave him cause weh eye nuh see heart nuh grieve….lol

    29 minutes ago via mobile · LikeUnlike · 1

JULY 11, 2012GREENBELT, MD
9 charged in alleged $950,000 marijuana distribution and money laundering conspiracy
GREENBELT, Md. — A federal grand jury has indicted nine individuals charged with conspiring to distribute more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana and with conspiring to conduct financial transactions to conceal the source and ownership of the proceeds of the drug distribution, following an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with the Prince George’s County Police Department.
“Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations special agents executed seven arrest warrants in Maryland and two in Arizona resulting in the dismantling of a suspected drug trafficking and money laundering organization,” said William Winter, HSI special agent in charge in Baltimore. “This is an excellent example of how teamwork between HSI and the Prince George’s County Police Department benefits our communities. HSI works aggressively to keep illegal drugs out of our communities, and to dismantle the criminal networks that profit from drug trafficking and the crime that surrounds it.”
The two-count indictment filed in the District of Maryland was returned July 9 and unsealed Wednesday upon the HSI arrests of the following defendants:
Jose Valenzuela, 58, of Nogales, Ariz.;
Beatriz Valenzuela, 55, of Nogales;
Antonio Hill Jr., aka NuNu, 32, of Largo, Md.;
Erico Hill, aka Rico, 31, of Hyattsville, Md.;
James Lewis Jr., aka Little Man, 22, of Hyattsville;
Kenneth Davis, aka Benny, 24, of Hyattsville;
Ernest Rawlings Jr., aka Junior, 29, of Riverdale, Md.;
Errol Comma, aka E, age 30, of Lanham, Md.; and
Jane Nkemateh, aka Jayne Nekematah, 28, of New Carrollton, Md.
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of $950,000, believed to be the value of the cash and property involved in the conspiracies. The defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the drug conspiracy and 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy. An initial appearance has been scheduled for the Valenzuelas June 11 in U.S. District Court in Tucson, Ariz. The remaining defendants will have an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt this afternoon.
“I am proud of the efforts put forth by the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Division investigators. Their work at combating this elaborate criminal scheme will prevent untold amounts of illegal drugs from spreading across communities in our county,” said Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark A. Magaw.
The indictment alleges that from at least June 6, 2011 to the present, the defendants conspired to transport marijuana from Arizona to Maryland. The indictment further alleges that Jose Valenzuela and his wife, Beatriz Valenzuela, shipped marijuana from Arizona to Maryland and received proceeds in return, while Antonio Hill Jr., coordinated the shipment of drugs from Arizona to Maryland and managed the laundering of the proceeds to the sources of supply in Arizona, with the assistance of his brother, Erico Hill, who, according to the indictment, also coordinated the distribution of the marijuana in Maryland. The indictment further alleges that James Lewis Jr., Ernest Rawlings Jr., Errol Comma and Jane Nkemateh all assisted in the receipt of packages containing marijuana from Arizona; and that Lewis and Kenneth Davis further assisted in the repackaging of marijuana for distribution in Maryland, and the laundering of the proceeds to the sources of supply in Arizona.
According to the indictment, it was part of the conspiracy that the co-conspirators structured financial transactions, keeping the transactions to less than $10,000 to evade IRS filing requirements for transactions involving more than $10,000 in cash, and conceal from the government large cash transactions by narcotics dealers. The indictment further alleges that the co-conspirators used third parties to open bank accounts at multiple financial institutions to promote the distribution of marijuana and conceal funds that were derived from drug proceeds.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
The investigation was conducted by HSI Baltimore, HSI Phoenix and the Prince George’s County Police Department and is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force case.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mara Zusman Greenberg and Christen A. Sproule.
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