Mike Novotny - Why Did Jesus' Blood Save Us?
Why does Jesus' blood and death save us from hell? Why such suffering to save us and how does this allow us to have a relationship with God? Perfect ending. The short answer is, all right, let's pretend for a second that I'm God and that the sinner is here and the person they've sinned against is over here. And I'm the judge and this person says, "Oops, sorry. Sorry for my anger, sorry for my alcoholism," and I said, "Okay, cool. Go in peace." What is this person going to do? "What? Do you know what they said to me? Do you know how complicated they made my day? You're just going to let them go? Do you not, like, I'm a human and I take that sin seriously. Do you not take sin seriously?"
So the Bible's answer, how can God take sin seriously and yet, forgive sinners, is the cross of Jesus. Romans 3 is the best thorough description and answer to this issue. So Romans 3, let me get there real quick. The apostle Paul is talking about how all people have sinned and it's only through the sacrifice of Jesus that God can justify us and be just himself.
So verse 25 of Romans 3 says, "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood. He did this," let Jesus shed his blood, "to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance, he had left the sins committed before him unpunished." He did it to demonstrate his righteousness so to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. So it is only the cross of Jesus where God can say, "I take sin so seriously. When you were hurt, I was even angrier about that than you were and my Son, on a cross, being tortured and bleeding without me, that's the proof."
And when you fix your eyes on Jesus and have faith in him, my anger's gone away, I smile upon you in faith, I give you my blessing and you get to go in peace. So how does it allow us to have a relationship with God? Only the gruesome death of Jesus on the cross is a way to take away the gruesome, disturbing sins that we commit in our life. They're gone, we're cleansed, God takes sin seriously and we end up saved.