b.PO@@cCB@ R@ @i@b










God hates sin but He is also a God who still loves sinners and is willing to forgive. Since God's law declares spiritual and physical death to all sinners, there is no other means by which we can escape
this death than through God Himself.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life.

In this way, Jesus Christ, who is fully God @and who was with God
before creation and engaged Himself in creation, came as a full man
to bear the sins of the world.

The focus of all the teachings in the Bible is on Jesus' death,
burial and resurrection. The saints in the Hebrew Bible had been
looking forward eagerly to the coming of the Saviour while those
Christians who lived in the New Testament age and Christians living in this present age could and can look back to what the Lord has
achieved on the cross for the salvation of human beings and hold on
to their faith.
So, why is the cross of Christ, which is to those who do not believe detestable and is
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
the power of God to Christians?
The following three factors draw up the background as to why
Jesus had to die on the cross;
1) There was no other way of appeasing the wrath of a holy God
who never winks at evil than the cross which demonstrated God's love and grace.

Jn.3:16
Col.1:15-17
1Jn.4:9
1Co.1:18,:23
Ro.3:23-25, Heb.10:22



2) There was a limitation to the animal sacrificial system.
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, man's sins were redeemed by the
blood of spotless animals, without blemish. But such sacrifices
could only redeem unintentional sins.
3) Everything was under God's plan and initiative and Jesus willingly
fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies as a Lamb of God bearing man's sin according to God's will.

However Jesus, by being raised from His shameful death which at first appeared to display defeat, has brought victory to those who believe. He has delivered us not only from the power of law as well
as sin, but also from the power of evil which ruled over us, as it is
written,


Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Therefore those who believe in Jesus Christ have now been
reconciled to God through Christ and have returned to a right
relationship with God, completely released from His wrath, sin, law
and death. Jesus has accomplished the salvation of sinners, something
that could not be achieved by animal sacrifices in the Hebrew Bible by offering Himself as a sacrifice once and for all!
If this wasn't gospel (good news) for sinners doomed for
destruction, what is?
The reason why Christians look up to Jesus Christ is that none other than Jesus is the true Saviour.

Lev.chs.1-7&16, Nu.15:22-31, Heb.9:7
Ac.2:23,3:18,13:29-30, 1Co.15:3-4, Ga.1:4
Col.2:15
Ro.chs.5-8, 2Co.5:17-21
Heb.9:12,:25-26