Why was Jesus a Sacrifice
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Why was Jesus a sacrifice?
Multiple reasons exist for Jesus Christ's sacrifice of Himself on
Calvary. This answer will use the book of Hebrews to explain only a
few of the major reasons why Jesus was a sacrifice.
Jesus was a sacrifice because human beings sin against God's
holiness.
Sin must be and is punished. There is no exception to this rule.
Anyone with unforgiven sin in his life faces the horrifying prospect
of eternal separation from God. No forgiveness exists unless someone
capable of forgiving our sins pays the penalty of shedding his blood.
Hebrews 9:22 says, "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything
be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness."
The blood shed by bulls and goats under Moses delayed God's wrath
against sin (Hebrews 9:6-10). An animal's blood had to be endlessly
and repeatedly shed because it couldn't once for all remove sin
(Hebrews 10:1-4, 11). Their blood could cleanse the instruments and
symbols of forgiveness, but only human blood could cleanse human
beings (Hebrews 9:18-23).
Christ, however, singly, solely, by himself alone had sufficient
worth
to die in place of every mortal in history. Everything prior to Him
was preparatory to His perfect sacrifice. This is true by virtue of:
His deity (Hebrews 1:8-9).
His acceptance of suffering to be made perfect (Hebrews 2:10, 5:8-9).
His personal superiority to Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6).
His ability to provide an eternal Sabbath rest for God's people
(Hebrews 4:9). God's call of Him as a priest in the order of
Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:1-6, 7:1-22).
His establishment of an eternal priesthood (Hebrews 7:23-28).
His presence at God's right hand as eternal priest, after offering a
perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 1:3, 8:1-2)
His superiority to the Aaronic priesthood of animal sacrifices
(Hebrews 8:3-13).
His ability to carry the results of his sacrifice into Heaven itself,
not merely into the Holy of Holies (Hebrews 9:11-14, 23-25).
His once-for-all-perfect sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 9:25-10:4).
His willingness to be the sacrifice, not merely to offer one (Hebrews
10:1-10).
Jesus was a sacrifice because only His blood could roll backwards to
the first sinner and forward to the last. Whatever tem****ary measure
God used before Christ in history to secure forgiveness, He alone was
eternally slain in God's mind as the perfect sacrifice for sin.
That's
why death exalted Jesus from being a mortal Jew, to being the
universal Lord.
Jesus was a sacrifice because - when God tore the veil in two from
top
to bottom when Jesus died - it meant that Christ's death opened an
unobstructed way to God (Matthew 27:51). Before, only the high priest
could enter the Holy of Holies (only once a year), and never without
blood to cover his personal and national sins. Hebrews 9:7 says, "But
only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a
year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for
the sins the people had committed in ignorance."
Jesus was a sacrifice because God honored it alone - of all the
sacrifices ever offered - with the victory of bodily resurrection.
That single success illuminated the cross as an object of pleasure
for
us and victory for Christ. That's why Paul noted that Christ's death
made a spectacle of all opposition to God (Colossians 2:15). The
Roman
conquest of Antonia fortress in late July, A.D. 70, and the entire
city a month later, eliminating the daily sacrifice, made no
difference whatever to God's will. No further sacrifice was needed.
Christ's own perfect sacrifice forty years before not only eliminated
the temple's relevance, but received God's imprimatur three days
later.
That's also why we need neither trust our righteousness, nor fear our
sins. Christ's resurrection guaranteed our emancipation from sin
while
it obligated us to his grace. Since His sacrifice was all sufficient,
there is nothing we can do to deserve it. Since His resurrection
verified His sacrifice's sufficiency, there is NOTHING we won't do
for
Him in appreciation.
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