This question thrusted me on a journey into the last supper Jesus had with the disciple. The crucifixion of Jesus is connected to the Jewish tradition of animal sacrifice for the atonement of sin. The atonement process in the Old Testament centered on the cleansing of impurity. There were numerous and tedious steps that needed to be followed for God's presence to remain in the temple.
I saw a teaching that presented 7 reasons Jesus had to die. I will list them without elaborating. I will then attempt to summarize why Jesus had to die in order for our sins to be forgiven with a single word.
Reason 1. Jesus had to die to fulfill all the types, promises, and prophecies of the Old Testament.
Reason 2. Jesus had to die to finish all the sacrifices and ceremonies of the priesthood.
Reason 3. Jesus had to die to completely identify with humanity.
Reason 4. Jesus had to die to complete His perfect obedience.
Reason 5. Jesus had to die to satisfy the justice of God.
Reason 6. Jesus had to die to defeat the power of Satan, sin, and death.
Reason 7. Jesus had to die to demonstrate the love of God.
And now, for the one reason Jesus had to die for our sins to be forgiven - covenant.
Hebrews 8:6-13 But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 8:7 implies if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. The issue with the first covenant wasn't the law but the people not being able to keep the law.
Hebrews 14:10 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
Let's look at some key differences between the old covenant and new covenant
Hebrews 8:6-13 But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 8:7 implies if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. The issue with the first covenant wasn't the law but the people not being able to keep the law.
Hebrews 14:10 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
Let's look at some key differences between the old covenant and new covenant
Old Covenant - Righteousness of Law
New Covenant - Righteousness of Christ
Old Covenant - Blood of animals
New Covenant - Blood of Jesus Christ
Old Covenant - Written on stone
New Covenant - Written on hearts
Old Covenant - Shadow
New Covenant - Substance
Old Covenant - Glorious
New Covenant - More glorious
Old Covenant - Had an expiration
New Covenant - Has no expiration
Old Covenant - Law of Moses
New Covenant - Law of Messiah
Old Covenant - Law of works
New Covenant - Law of faith
Old Covenant - Law of sin and death
New Covenant - Law of Spirit and Life
Old Covenant - Many sacrifices
New Covenant - One sacrifice
Old Covenant - Powerless to save
New Covenant - Powerful to save
Old Covenant - Annual atonement
New Covenant - Eternal atonement
Old Covenant - Earthly tabernacle
New Covenant - Heavenly tabernacle
Old Covenant - Ministry of death
New Covenant - Ministry of life
Old Covenant - Outer form- flesh
New Covenant - Inner reality - spirit
Old Covenant - Ministry of condemnation
New Covenant - Ministry of reconciliation
It is very important to understand the covenant which provides a complete picture of why Jesus had to die for our sins to be forgiven. This will be continued in another post.
A covenant is typically made between two different parties/people. There are a few types of covenants mentioned in the Bible. The covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (Genesis 21) was bilateral in which there are obligations and commitments from each side of the transaction. Marriage is considered an obligation type of covenant. The Old Covenant is termed a Mosaic Covenant and was bilateral and conditional. God blessed the people when they kept His covenant and cursed them when they disregarded it. (Deuteronomy 28)
There is another covenant which God binds Himself to do things, not based on the other. It is an unchangeable and irreversible covenant. Hebrews 6:13 says For when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no grater, he sware (made an unbreakable promise) by himself. Like the Abrahamic covenant, the new covenant consists of promises. Isaiah 61:8 says, For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them.
A covenant consists of 9 components:
1. A covenant promise - extends 7 generations (basically forever) and come with promises that need to be kept
2. A bloody sacrifice - a covenant gets its name from the cutting until blood flows. No blood, no covenant
3. A bloody path - traditionally, the animal is cut down the backbone and separated. The people making the covenant would walk down the middle of the animal on a blood “path”. Genesis 15
4. Blessing and curses - blessings abound when covenant was honored but if not, curses ensued (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
5. The mingling of blood - represents the giving of life (life is in the blood. When we take in their blood, we take in their life, their DNA, allows us to become 1 flesh (blood brothers))
6. Changing of name - when entering into a covenant, it is allowed to take on the other person’s name. Numerous examples in the bible when names were changed when the person entered into a relationship with God.
7. Exchange of gifts - 1 Samuel 18 Jonathon gave gifts to David when they entered into a relationship. David received Jonathon’s robe, garments, sword, bow, and his girdle. The robe represented the identity and authority of Jonathan. The sword and bow represented strength and protection being given to David. The girdle represented all Jonathan's possessions was given to David.
8. Covenant meal - the covenant partners typically shared a meal as part of cutting a covenant. Strangely enough, covenant meals often included bread and wine. The bread was symbolic of a person’s wealth, possessions, and all they had. When the bread loaf was broken and shared with others, it was saying everything at my disposal is yours. The wine signified a promise that a person would give their life in order to maintain the promise of the established covenant.
9. Witness or Memorial event - a reminder created so everyone who saw it would remember that a covenant had been made (a tree planted, an altar made of stones, a pillar). The tree, altar, pillar reminded people every time they saw it of the covenant that was made. Genesis 9:13 I (God) have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. Genesis 21:32-33 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. In Genesis 31, Jacob and Laban created a pillar and a heap of stone. Labon said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today”.
Once we can get our head wrapped around the importance of the integral parts of a covenant, it will hopefully bring deeper understanding to why Jesus had to die in order for our sins to be forgiven. It is because of the covenant we are “atoned for” which allows us to be reconciled to God. When we are reconciled, we are moved from being an enemy to being a child. We are adopted into the family of which we were intended.
This answer ties into a topic to share later, what is the significance of communion?
New Covenant - Righteousness of Christ
Old Covenant - Blood of animals
New Covenant - Blood of Jesus Christ
Old Covenant - Written on stone
New Covenant - Written on hearts
Old Covenant - Shadow
New Covenant - Substance
Old Covenant - Glorious
New Covenant - More glorious
Old Covenant - Had an expiration
New Covenant - Has no expiration
Old Covenant - Law of Moses
New Covenant - Law of Messiah
Old Covenant - Law of works
New Covenant - Law of faith
Old Covenant - Law of sin and death
New Covenant - Law of Spirit and Life
Old Covenant - Many sacrifices
New Covenant - One sacrifice
Old Covenant - Powerless to save
New Covenant - Powerful to save
Old Covenant - Annual atonement
New Covenant - Eternal atonement
Old Covenant - Earthly tabernacle
New Covenant - Heavenly tabernacle
Old Covenant - Ministry of death
New Covenant - Ministry of life
Old Covenant - Outer form- flesh
New Covenant - Inner reality - spirit
Old Covenant - Ministry of condemnation
New Covenant - Ministry of reconciliation
It is very important to understand the covenant which provides a complete picture of why Jesus had to die for our sins to be forgiven. This will be continued in another post.
A covenant is typically made between two different parties/people. There are a few types of covenants mentioned in the Bible. The covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (Genesis 21) was bilateral in which there are obligations and commitments from each side of the transaction. Marriage is considered an obligation type of covenant. The Old Covenant is termed a Mosaic Covenant and was bilateral and conditional. God blessed the people when they kept His covenant and cursed them when they disregarded it. (Deuteronomy 28)
There is another covenant which God binds Himself to do things, not based on the other. It is an unchangeable and irreversible covenant. Hebrews 6:13 says For when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no grater, he sware (made an unbreakable promise) by himself. Like the Abrahamic covenant, the new covenant consists of promises. Isaiah 61:8 says, For I, the Lord, love justice and hate robbery and sin. I will repay them because of my faithfulness; I will make a permanent covenant with them.
A covenant consists of 9 components:
1. A covenant promise - extends 7 generations (basically forever) and come with promises that need to be kept
2. A bloody sacrifice - a covenant gets its name from the cutting until blood flows. No blood, no covenant
3. A bloody path - traditionally, the animal is cut down the backbone and separated. The people making the covenant would walk down the middle of the animal on a blood “path”. Genesis 15
4. Blessing and curses - blessings abound when covenant was honored but if not, curses ensued (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)
5. The mingling of blood - represents the giving of life (life is in the blood. When we take in their blood, we take in their life, their DNA, allows us to become 1 flesh (blood brothers))
6. Changing of name - when entering into a covenant, it is allowed to take on the other person’s name. Numerous examples in the bible when names were changed when the person entered into a relationship with God.
7. Exchange of gifts - 1 Samuel 18 Jonathon gave gifts to David when they entered into a relationship. David received Jonathon’s robe, garments, sword, bow, and his girdle. The robe represented the identity and authority of Jonathan. The sword and bow represented strength and protection being given to David. The girdle represented all Jonathan's possessions was given to David.
8. Covenant meal - the covenant partners typically shared a meal as part of cutting a covenant. Strangely enough, covenant meals often included bread and wine. The bread was symbolic of a person’s wealth, possessions, and all they had. When the bread loaf was broken and shared with others, it was saying everything at my disposal is yours. The wine signified a promise that a person would give their life in order to maintain the promise of the established covenant.
9. Witness or Memorial event - a reminder created so everyone who saw it would remember that a covenant had been made (a tree planted, an altar made of stones, a pillar). The tree, altar, pillar reminded people every time they saw it of the covenant that was made. Genesis 9:13 I (God) have set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. Genesis 21:32-33 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. In Genesis 31, Jacob and Laban created a pillar and a heap of stone. Labon said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today”.
Once we can get our head wrapped around the importance of the integral parts of a covenant, it will hopefully bring deeper understanding to why Jesus had to die in order for our sins to be forgiven. It is because of the covenant we are “atoned for” which allows us to be reconciled to God. When we are reconciled, we are moved from being an enemy to being a child. We are adopted into the family of which we were intended.
This answer ties into a topic to share later, what is the significance of communion?
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