Why Would God Sacrifice His Only Son?
What if your life on earth ultimately boiled down to one simple question? And what if a correct answer to that question made everything else come into focus? You do realize don't you that this is exactly what the Bible and Christianity teach about God. It all boils down to one question. If you get it right, you're home free.
Here is the question: Why would God sacrifice His only Son?
Take your time as you consider your answer. The ramifications are huge. Perhaps begin with this thought. Either God did it, or He didn't. It's either true or false. There is no third option, right?
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So it's not one of a thousand possibilities. It's one of two possibilities. And only two. Yet even at that, it's not a 50/50 proposition. It is either completely true, or completely false.
If you feel a little "boxed in" by this analysis, you are simply feeling what comes natural to man when he finally realizes that he cannot avoid this issue forever. God wants you to feel boxed in. Well, sort of.
God wants you to be confronted with the message of your sin, and His plan of salvation. God wants you to discover your guilt before your Creator, and how there is nothing you can do to wipe your slate clean. Only God can cleanse you, and He does it for the one who relies upon Christ's sacrifice alone for the forgiveness of sins.
Man has never enjoyed being confronted with his sin. At least not at first. It's only when we learn of God's remedy for our sin that we begin to breathe easier, and feel better about our situation. There is a peace which only God can bring to the human soul, and that peace is found in a personal relationship with Jesus.
But why would God sacrifice His only Son? Wasn't there some other way God could have achieved the same goal? Obviously not. If there had been, God would surely have gone that route. Instead, He did the only thing which could rescue us from our lost condition.
But why? Well, God did it because He loves us. And He did it because He wants an eternal relationship with us. He did it because our sin required a perfect payment. And the sacrifice of Christ on the cross was that perfect payment.
Who would ever imagine God doing such a thing? It goes completely against man's sensibilities. But God didn't do it so it would make sense to man. He did it to satisfy His justice and His love. Since God is perfectly just, He punishes sin. But He is also perfectly loving. God loves us even though we have rebelled against Him.
If you can wrap your heart and mind around the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, you will be well on your way to eternity in paradise. But if you can't, or won't, then you will miss out on enjoying an eternal relationship with your Creator.
It comes down to love. God's love for us. And man receiving that love and forgiveness through faith.
Millions of people have trusted Christ to save them. But why? Why trust God and what He says about your sin and your Savior? Because it's true. Of the two options I mentioned above, the message of Christ's sacrifice for the salvation of sinners is the truth. And because it's the truth, those who reject it continue to walk in falsehood and darkness. That is to say, they are deceived into thinking they are just fine without Christ or His cross. But nothing could be further from the truth.
The cross is either everything, or nothing. There is no third option. And God says it is everything. It was at the cross where Jesus bore God's wrath against sin. God hates sin, but He loves His Son. God hates sin, but He loves you and me. God hates sin, but He forgives the sins of those who repent and trust Christ as Savior. It is God's one and only plan of salvation, whether you realize it or not.
What if your life on earth ultimately boiled down to one question? And what if that question had nothing to do with what's happening in pop culture today, but everything to do with what's happening in the mind of God? You may not have God on your radar, but that doesn't mean you are not on His radar.
Your life. Your sin. Your future. Your eternity. Your soul. It's all part of a divine drama being played out today in front of angels and the God of heaven.
If your life ended tonight, would you be on the right side of God's grace and mercy, or on the wrong side of His justice and wrath? Don't be deceived my friend into thinking that God will let you off the hook regardless of what you do with His Son. Such deception stems from the devil, and we know where he ends up in the end. (In case you don't know, check out Revelation 20:10.)
But for us who trust in Christ, the end of our life on earth is the beginning of a glorious future in heaven. This is why God sacrificed His only Son. It's all about God's love for each one of us, and His desire to spend eternity with us.
Until you experience the comfort of being "boxed in by God's love," you won't appreciate why God sacrificed His only Son. You just won't.
