The death of Jesus Christ is the most remarkable event in all history.

In this chapter, Jerry Bridges asks one of the most important questions in the world: “Why did Jesus come to die?” He begins to answer this question under three important headings: Adam’s Sin, Our Sin, and God’s Holiness.

ADAM’S SIN

We will never understand the cross until we begin to understand something of the nature and depth of our sin.

Adam and Eve were created morally perfect. They were completely sinless and thus did not need moral restrictions placed on them.

[When they sinned,] in that instance they lost the moral image of God; they were no longer perfectly holy. They began to sin immediately.

The fall of Adam and the loss of God’s moral image resulted not only in guilt, but also in moral depravity or corruption… His fall brought guilt and depravity on all his descendants.

OUR SIN

Since we all have a corrupt sinful nature, we aggravate our condition by our own individual sins. Every day we sin, both consciously and unconsciously, both willfully and unintentionally.

We must realize that our fallen sinful nature affects and pollutes everything we do. Our very best deeds are stained with sin.

GOD’S HOLINESS

The basic meaning of the word holy is “separate,” and when used oif God it means, among other things, that He is eternally separate from any degree of sin. He does not sin himself and he cannot abide or condone sin in His moral creatures.

To put it plainly, God hates sin… God always hates sin and inevitably expresses His wrath against it.

The cross, then, is an expression of God’s wrath toward sin as well as His love to us. It expresses His holiness in His determination to punish sin, even at the cost of His Son. And it expresses His love in sending His Son to bear the punishment we so justly deserved.

We cannot begin to understand the true significance of the cross unless we understand something of the holiness of God and the depth of our sin.

Some questions for discussion around the dinner table tonight:

• Read Romans 5:12-14. How did Adam’s sin affect you?
• Read Romans 5:15-19. How did Christ’s death pay for your sin?
• Does it seem fair to you that Adam’s sin polluted you before you had a chance to do anything good or bad? Does it seem fair that Christ death cleansed you from sin apart from anything you’ve done? Explain.
• In light of what you’ve studied in chapters 1 and 2, what does, “Jesus dies for my sins” mean for you personally?

Categories: Summer Reading '07, five15 blog