The crucifixion and death of Christ are essential teachings in Christianity. Christians teach Christ died as a propitiation for the sin of His people in order to reconcile us to God and redeem us from our sin. Jesus dying for the sin of His people was prophesied by Isaiah in the Old Testament. Isaiah wrote,
“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? (Isa 53:5-8 NAS)
The Apostle Philip taught in Acts that this Isaiah quote was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The book of Acts says,
“Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. “In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who shall relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.” And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself, or of someone else?” And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.” (Acts 8:32-35 NAS)
Death is the penalty for transgressing God’s law.
The law teaches that a sacrifice must be made in order for sin to be forgiven. Hebrews says,
“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Heb 9:22 NAS)
God requiring a sacrifice for the sins of the people is the theme throughout the entire Bible. In Genesis, Abel offered the first of his flock as an offering. This pleased God.
“And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;” (Gen 4:4 NAS)
Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son Isaac. God sent angels to stop him. Abraham offered a ram in Isaacs place.
“Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son.” (Gen 22:13 NAS)
When the Israelite’s were slaves in Egypt, God sent a “destroyer” to kill the Egyptian children. God commanded Moses to tell the Israelite’s to slay a lamb and put the blood on the doorposts. When the “destroyer” saw the blood on the posts, the family was passed over. This is called “the Passover.” The Bible says,
“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb…”And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. “And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever…And it will come about when your children will say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ …That you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.'” And the people bowed low and worshiped.”
(Exo 12:21-27 NAS)
Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb.
The Passover is when God freed Israel from slavery and spared their children from death. This event that is to be celebrated forever. Christ fulfilled this in sacrificing Himself as our Passover lamb in our place.
“Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed.” (1Co 5:7 NAS)
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1Pe 1:18-19 NAS)
The Passover is prophecy of what Jesus Christ would do for His people. Christ was put to death on the Passover.
“Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.” (Luk 22:1-2 NAS)
“And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luk 22:15 NAS)
Jesus is the lamb of God.
Jesus is called the lamb of God because he fulfilled the law that required a sacrifice for the people’s sin. The gospel of John says,
“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NAS)
In the Old Testament, the priest had two goats. One goat as a sin offering and the other to let free into the wilderness. The goat set free was called the “scapegoat.” The goat that was killed as an offering signified that it paid the penalty for people’s sin. The goat that was set free signified that the people’s sins were forgiven.
“And he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. “And Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. “Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering. “But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.” (Lev 16:7-10 NAS)
The law of releasing the “scapegoat” was prophecy of what would happen with Christ. The governor named Pontius Pilate gave the people the option to release Jesus or the murderer named Barabbas.
“Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the multitude any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they were holding at that time a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”… Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner. But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” (Luk 23:15-18 NAS)
The people chose to release Barabbas making Jesus the sacrificial lamb. Jesus Christ is the lamb that was slain and Barabbas was the scapegoat.
“Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he delivered Him to be crucified.” (Matt 27:26 NAS)
And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. (Luk 23:33 NAS)
Christ was crucified for the sins we committed.
The purpose of Christ’s death was to act as a substitutionary atonement for our sins. Christ was innocent and did no wrong. He paid the penalty required by God in our place.
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”
(1Pe 3:18 NAS)
God in the Old Testament made it clear that a sacrifice had to be made as a substitute for the sins of the people. Because a lamb, bull or goat is not equivalent to a human, only a human could pay the penalty for sin. Animals cannot make atonement for sins.
“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
(Heb 10:4 NAS)
Only Jesus Christs one time sacrifice of Himself can sufficiently forgive the sins of the people.
“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,”
(Heb 10:10-12 NAS)
Christ Himself made the propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means “satisfaction.” In this case, satisfying the legal requirement each person owes to God for breaking Gods commandments.
“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Heb 2:17-18 NAS)
“He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1John 2:2 NAS)
“Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Eph 5:2 NAS)
Christs death on the cross reconciled us to God. Because we are incapable of coming to God on our own behalf, Christ repaired our relationship with God for us.
“For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom 5:10 NAS)
“He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” (Col 1:22 NAS)
Simply put, everything we owe God, Christ paid on our behalf, so we can have a relationship with God the Father. The phrase in the Apostles’ Creed “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried”—is central to the Christian faith. It affirms that Christ’s suffering and death were not accidental, but divinely ordained to fulfill God’s plan of redemption. From the foreshadowing sacrifices in the Old Testament to the fulfillment in Jesus’ crucifixion on the Passover, Scripture consistently reveals that Christ died as a perfect, sinless substitute to atone for the sins of His people. Through His death, He satisfied God’s justice, became our Passover Lamb, and reconciled us to the Father.