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As we rethink the cross and question the theological assumptions of Penal Substitutionary Atonement, the question \u201cWhy did Jesus have to die?\u201d begins to come into sharper focus for us. We can see how our sins did not truly separate us from God and how this separation was only in our minds, as Paul says:<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds<\/strong> because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ\u2019s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation\u2026\u201d (Col. 1:21-22)<\/em><\/p>\n Our realization is that, now, through Christ, we are all reconciled to God \u2013 and this reconciliation is on our side, not on God\u2019s side. God was always wanting us to come to Him, but we were the ones who believed that our sins made that impossible. Jesus shows us that we are forgiven by freely forgiving everyone he meets \u2013 even those unbelieving pagan soldiers who were in the process of nailing him to the cross.<\/p>\n We learn that God was, in Christ not <\/em>counting our sins against us, but reconciling us to Himself. [See 2 Cor. 5:19]\n<\/p> We learn that \u201cGod is love\u201d [1 John 4:8] and that \u201clove keeps no record of wrongs\u201d [1 Cor. 13:5], so we are \u201cloved with an everlasting love\u201d [Jer.\u00a0 31:3] which \u201ctranscends knowledge\u201d [Eph. 3:19] and \u201cnothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus\u2026[not] death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else\u2026\u201d [Rom. 8:38-39] and this love is \u201chigher, wider, longer and deeper\u201d than anything we can comprehend [Eph. 3:18].<\/p>\n Even so, we still haven\u2019t taken the time to listen to Jesus when it comes to answering the question: \u201cWhy did Jesus die?\u201d<\/p>\n This is part of our problem. We almost exclusively draw from the writings of the Apostle Paul to find answers to these questions about the crucifixion \u2013 not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that, per se \u2013 but if we fail to go to Jesus \u2013 the one who was actually crucified \u2013 for reasons why he died, we have failed in our quest for answers.<\/em><\/p>\n My friend Bruxy Cavey was the first person to help me identify this blind spot in our conversations about atonement theology. As he sees it, there are 4 specific reasons that Jesus gives us for why he died and what he accomplished for us through the crucifixion:<\/p>\n \u201cStarting with his own words, [Jesus identifies] these four reasons for his death. Those would be Healing, Freedom, Unity and to establish the New Covenant.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n To unpack that, Bruxy breaks it down this way:<\/p>\n Healing<\/strong><\/p>\n Just before John 3:16, Jesus leads into that by reminding Nicodemus of the serpent that was lifted up in the wilderness by Moses. [See John 3:14-15] This is a picture of how Jesus heals us from our sins. \u201cJesus first of all frames his own death within the context of healing. There\u2019s going to be something about Jesus\u2019s death that heals something deadly that\u2019s attacking us; that is the result of when people walk away from God\u2019s best for them,\u201d says Bruxy. \u201cJesus has come to heal that. He says, \u2018I\u2019m going to heal the poison that\u2019s killing you,\u201d and somehow his death is going to do that.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Freedom<\/strong><\/p>\n In Mark 10:45 Jesus says, \u201cFor even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.<\/strong>\u201d <\/em>So, the image is one where the death of Jesus secures our freedom from the bondage of sin and death.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the context of that verse,\u201d <\/em>Bruxy says, \u201cJesus is talking about how the World\u2019s way of getting stuff done is an authoritarian, top-down way marked by coercive power. But Jesus says, \u2018Not so with you!\u201d, that\u2019s not how it\u2019s supposed to be. Because \u201ceven the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve\u2026\u201d\u00a0 In other words Jesus says, \u201cI\u2019m going to do whatever it takes to get you free. That\u2019s not just about sin, that\u2019s also anything else that holds us down and keeps us in bondage; that\u2019s the ways of religion, legalism, addiction to that authoritarian top-down coercive power.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to heal you from what\u2019s killing you and I\u2019m going to free you up from what\u2019s oppressing you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Unity<\/strong><\/p>\n In John 12:32 Jesus says, \u201c\u2026when I am lifted up I will draw all people myself.\u201d The word for \u201cdraw\u201d in the Greek literally means \u201cto drag\u201d, so Jesus is saying that once he is \u201clifted up\u201d on the cross, his death will \u201cdrag\u201d all people to Himself. This is a picture of reconciliation, attraction, and unity between Christ and all of us.<\/p>\n As Bruxy elaborates:<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something about the crucifixion that is going to woo our hearts and draw us in. Not to push it too far, but there\u2019s something about seeing the crucifixion of Jesus; understanding it, leaning into it, meditating on it, that draws us to Christ. For example, I can see how Jesus does this by revealing to us a God who loves so much He prefers to die for His enemies rather than slaughter them. That woos my heart and draws me in.\u201d[3]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Drawing all mankind to Himself is not merely about bringing people to Jesus, or even about revealing God\u2019s true heart to us \u2013 although it most certainly accomplishes both of these things \u2013 but it is also about creating unity between individuals.<\/p>\n Jesus prayed that we \u201cwould be one as [He] and the Father are one\u201d [John 17:11] and that in our oneness with Christ and the Father, we would also be one with one another.<\/p>\n \u201cMy prayer is\u2026that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me, and I am in you. May they be in us so that the World may believe that you have sent me. <\/em>I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.\u201d (John 17:20-22)<\/em><\/p>\n The point, then, is for all of us \u2013 all of humanity \u2013 to be one with Christ and the Father (through the power of the Holy Spirit) and that unity with God makes all of us one with one another, in the same way the Spirit, the Son and the Father are One.<\/p>\n As astounding as this truth may be, it may be even more astounding when we begin to understand the implications of this oneness with God and with one another.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> From the video interview \u201cWhy Did Jesus [Have To] Die?\u201d, Bruxy Cavey and Keith Giles, Sept. 1, 2020: https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/posts\/bruxy-cavey-and-41129220<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> IBID<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> IBID<\/p>\n **<\/p>\n The 3 Biblical Views of Hell Examined Class starts Oct. 5<\/strong><\/p>\n What if Hell isn\u2019t an eternal torture chamber and God is better than you think? Join me for a 3-week online course to learn the historical origins of Eternal Conscious Torment and the other 2 Biblical views of Hell taught by the Christian Church from the very beginning.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n REGISTER TODAY><\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Keith Giles<\/strong>\u00a0and his wife, Wendy, work with\u00a0Peace Catalyst International<\/a>\u00a0to help build relationships between Christians and Muslims in El Paso, TX.\u00a0 Keith was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of several best-selling books, including\u00a0\u201cJesus Unexpected: Ending The End Times To Become The Second Coming\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>which is available now on Amazon.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 [NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the soon-to-be-published book Jesus Unforsaken: Substituting Wrath With Divine Love To Satisfy God\u2019s Atoning Nature by Keith Giles] As we rethink the cross and question the theological assumptions of Penal Substitutionary Atonement, the question \u201cWhy did Jesus have to die?\u201d begins to come into sharper focus for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3089,"featured_media":6026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[260,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cosmic-christ","category-following-jesus"],"yoast_head":"\n