23 Reasons Jesus Died

1) Jesus died to make us eager to do good

Titus 2:14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

2) Jesus died to defeat selfishness

2 Corinthians 5:15 he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

3) Jesus died to give us access

Ephesians 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

4) Jesus died to reconcile us to the Father by bearing our punishment in our place so instead of being estranged from the Father, we can draw near to him in worship.

Romans 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.

5) Jesus died to enable us to receive God’s love

Romans 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 1:4 …In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

6) Jesus died to enable us to grasp the magnitude of God’s love

It is only through the work of Christ dwelling in us that we can even have the spiritual power required to grasp God’s love.

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, being rooted and established in love, 18 in order that you may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

7) Jesus died to purify our consciences

Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

8) Jesus died to guarantee God will give us all good things

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

9) Jesus died to free us from the bondage of sin

Romans 6:6 our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin–7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin…. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

10) Jesus died to open our eyes

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel … 6 God … made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

11) Jesus died to make us bold in prayer

Hebrews 10:19 … we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus

12) Jesus died to become the Temple

John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” … 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

The Temple was the dwelling place of God. Jesus died and rose again in order to become the temple, the place where we can go to worship God. Instead of having to travel to a certain building in a particular city, anyone, anywhere in the world, can worship God through the temple, Jesus Christ. Jesus died so that we could worship God and enjoy his presence wherever we are.

13) Jesus died to give us confidence of his sympathy

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

14) Jesus died to give our lives meaning

Jesus died to free us from the emptiness and meaninglessness of life in this world.

1 Peter 1:18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

15) Jesus died so we might die to sins

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins

16) Jesus died to enable us to persevere

Hebrews 12:1 … let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

17) Jesus died to free us from the fear of death

Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

18) Jesus died to show the power and wisdom of God in the gospel

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

19) Jesus died to break down the wall of hostility and create unity in the Church

Ephesians 2:14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

20) Jesus died to become exalted and worshipped

Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

21) Jesus died to please the Father

Ephesians 5:2 live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

22) Jesus died to pay our debt

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

23) Jesus died that we might participate in his work

1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

If you would like to study this further, see John Piper’s book “50 reasons why Jesus died.”