The salvation of mankind was dependent on Jesus coming to earth
and living a perfect life, then dying as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of
the whole world—for every disobedience, by every man and woman who has ever
lived, to God’s righteous laws.
All
of this is another way of saying that Jesus had to be born because He is our
Redeemer. God in His infinite mercy foreordained His plan of redemption for
sinful mankind through Christ (1 Peter 1:20). Jesus was declared to be “the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” to redeem humanity (Revelation
13:8).
But
why does sin require a redeemer? The Bible shows us that “the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans
6:23), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Therefore, all have earned the death penalty for sin. People speak of human
“rights,” yet the only real right anyone has earned is the right to
eternal death.
But
God has made allowance for sinners to be redeemed, or bought back, from the
death penalty by a redeemer. Romans 5 call Jesus “the second Adam,” in contrast
to the first, the original man. The first Adam brought sin into the world (Romans
5:12). The second Adam—Jesus Christ—brought redemption, reconciliation and the
hope of eternal life (Romans 5:6-10).
Since
the wages of sin is death, redemption requires the sacrificial death of
the Redeemer. This sacrificial death will lead us to heaven where we will
spend the rest of our life with God (Jesus).
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