Week Two

Welcome to week two of What You Need to Know to Know Jesus Better. Last week we covered one title about Jesus. Do you remember what it was?

It is essential to know that Jesus is the Son of Man because it helps us understand the intimate and personal nature of Jesus. When Jesus walked this earth, He was not a human being removed from physiological needs, emotional burdens, and cultural relations. He ate, drank, slept, cried, lost His temper, and dealt with temptations the same way we do. Jesus had family (mother, father, and siblings), friends (the 12 disciples, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, etc.), and a community that He dearly loved. Jesus was a man living a common human life just like you and me. But Jesus did not just come as the Son of Man. Jesus came as the once-and-for-all sacrificial offering for sin.

The Main Thing

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

God made him (Jesus), who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Matthew 27:46 ESV

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

When Jesus died on the cross, He took on all the sins of humanity so sin would not have power, authority, or control over us. The most important thing you must know about Jesus is that He did not just come to the earth to die for our sins; He came to die as sin. [5] Jesus died as sin so sin would not have dominion over our lives. Sin is defined as anything that misses the mark of God and separates us from God’s perfect plan, standard, and will for our lives. Sin is perversion, immorality, guilt, shame, brokenness, depravity, and ultimate judgment. God did not want this for our lives, so He sent His Son, Jesus, to be the once-and-for-all sacrificial offering for all people (John 3:16). Now, through Jesus, perfection, holiness, morality, wholeness, beauty, creativity, intimacy, and redemption are the final answers for our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:21 reveals that God made His Son, Jesus, to be sin so we could be free from sin.

Matthew 27:46 reveals that God forsook His Son, Jesus, because when Jesus died on the cross, He became sin, and God could not be in the same presence as sin because of God’s perfect nature. This is why Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God forsook Jesus because Jesus was our sacrificial offering who died as sin so we did not have to deal with the consequences of sin.

The Why?

The main thing to understand is that Jesus died as our sacrificial offering. Jesus died as sin, so sin would not have POWER over our lives. We do not have to settle for the shackles of sin. We have another choice, and the choice is found in Jesus. Because of Jesus, we do not have to be controlled, condemned, or conditioned by sin (Rom. 6:1-12). Because of Jesus, we have freedom from sin, hope for tomorrow, and everlasting life (Gal. 5).

I have more questions

The why answered the question of the purpose of why Jesus had to be a sacrificial offering. But you may have more questions as to how Jesus could be our sacrificial offering. In the first week, we discussed how Jesus is 100% man, and when He walked on this earth, He faced the same emotions, suffering, and temptations that we face. But when you read scripture, even some of the scripture in this guide, you read that Jesus never sinned (2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:22). So, you may be confused as to how Jesus can be fully human and not sin. Every human, including yourself, sins. So, how could Jesus walk this earth and live sinless? A sacrifice is only legitimate when the offering is perfect and without flaw. So, how was Jesus able to be our once-and-for-all sacrificial offering if He is fully man? Well, stay tuned because these questions will be answered in the final week of this curriculum.

Questions

Look up the words “sacrifice” and “offering” and write down the definitions. How does defining these words help you understand what Jesus did on the cross?

How does it make you feel that Jesus is your sacrificial offering?

How does this activate your faith in Christ?

How does this prepare your heart for Easter Sunday?

Bibliography

“The I AM Changes Who I Am.” Liberty University, 2015. https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/689133/pages/watch-the-i-am-changes-who-i-am?module_item_id=77212365. 

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

Fox, Gary A. Understanding Atonement: Maybe It’s Time to Rethink Atonement without Giving Up Jesus. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2019.

Johnson, Adam. “Jesus as Substitute.” In St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. University of St Andrews, 2022–. Article published July 27, 2023. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/JesusasSubstitute.

Mason, Eric. Urban Apologetics: Cults and Cultural Ideologies: Biblical and Theological Challenges Facing Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2023.

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[5] Ibid.

[6] Adam Johnson, “Jesus as Substitute.” In St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. University of St Andrews, 2022–. Article published July 27, 2023. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/JesusasSubstitute.