This was the question on everyone’s lips when a man chose to lay down his life for the people. Some he knew, majority he didn’t. The question of if he would be loved back was never answered but he still did what he needed to do. It is true that he was born for that purpose but he also had the choice of opting out but he stayed. The reason given was that he loved, so we ask, what manner of Love is this?
The general saying about Love not being enough used to resonate with me so much. I mean we humans are dynamic, shaped by our individual experiences. Good or bad, there are lots of things Love wouldn’t cover right? But is this true? Is love really not enough? What is love? Why would Jesus come into the world to die for love?
To answer these questions we must understand why Jesus came and why death was necessary. We see in scriptures that Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45), we see also in the book of Luke 5:31- 32 that he came to call the sinners to repentance which raises more questions about why must a ransom be paid and why are we sinners that we would need redemption. So let’s get to that as well.
In the book of Genesis we see the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and that has had unavoidable consequences for every human since then. Adam sinned and for that reason as descendants we are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), are evil from our youth (Genesis 8:21), and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Therefore, death reigns over all because of this sin (Romans 5:12) as the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). The good news is that Roman 6:23 does not end with the proclamation of death but a promise of life, the second part of that verse says that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).
So therein lies the answer for Why would Jesus come into the world to die. There was sin with a death punishment, but then God in love gave his son to die so that when we believe and accept that, we step out of death into the newness of life- Eternal life (John 3:16). When we believe that he died for our sins we can participate in his resurrection and be born into a new life.
“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”(Romans 10:10)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”(1 Corinthians 5:17)
Now I understand that my then definition of Love was shallow. Love isn’t the butterfly feeling I have on good days; that love definitely would not die for anyone so it’s flawed. The kind of love that God has for us that he gave his son Jesus to die for our sins is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
Judging Love by this standard, It can be said that Love truly covers it all. God gave his son Jesus Christ to die for us because he loves us, and it was and will always be enough as that love covers the sins of all who believe, calling them out darkness into his marvelous light, reconciling them to himself (1 Peter 4:8, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:19)
Here is your invitation to embrace this Love in this season. As we celebrate Easter in remembrance of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, step into that freedom today- believe in your heart, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and be saved!
