5 Reasons Why Jesus was the Perfect Sacrifice (Part 3 of 3)
Jesus served as the ideal and perfect atonement sacrifice for our sins. There are at least five reasons why Christians believe these statements to be true. In part 1, we noted the law had to be followed. In part 2, we discovered that Old Testament prophecies had to be fulfilled and that Jesus was our intercessor. Let's look at and consider a fourth and fifth reason that makes Jesus the perfect sacrifice.
4. The Joy of Christ in Sacrifice
A lot of the time, the Old Testament talks about a priest or prophet who did not have a joy-filled life. For instance, Jonah didn't want to obey God because he thought the work would be hard, and he couldn't imagine God forgiving such bad people. One of Jonah's biggest problems was his pride. He thought he was better than the Ninevites because he was a priest of the Lord, but he wasn't right with God himself.
Even though his mission was a success, Jonah is very unhappy and frustrated. Jonah cried for the Lord to take his life. We read in Jonah 4:3, “Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” Even though his mission was successful, he was not happy with the outcome. The real problem was that he didn't want to give up his life as a sacrifice; he wanted to stay away from the place and work that God had planned for him. It was not his intention to be used to save Nineveh, and his biggest complaint is that they will be saved from destruction despite their bad reputation, which he felt was unjust given their history of wrongdoing and his desire for justice.
Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus "endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." The writer says that this is the basis of the Christian faith. The Son, who is One with the Father, saved everyone who confesses [agrees] that Jesus is Lord and Savior. We should be pleased that Jesus wants us to be His brothers and sisters so much that He died for us. He loves us and wants us to be with Him, and we are all sinners whose sins were paid for at Calvary's cross.
5. Jesus Went Willingly
Christ willingly offered himself as the flawless sacrifice, the unblemished Lamb. In John's vision, which is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle saw and heard "the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, 'worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.'" (Revelation 5:11-12).
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus shed blood in anticipation of what He knew was imminent. He would go through all the physical and mental torture that comes with being in jail. He knew the guards would beat Him, humiliate Him, and then put Him on a cross to die. The Romans thought He was a troublemaker, and the Jews thought He was a blasphemer who deserved to die. Jesus knew He was going to die, and now was the time, but He didn't change His mind.
In fact, His resurrection was the main goal of His whole earthly ministry. At one point, Peter tried to talk Jesus out of dying and rising from the dead. Telling Jesus, 'Never will this happen to you' (Matthew 16:22). But Peter didn't get it, and Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” In other words, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are in my way because you are not thinking about the things of God, but about the things of man' (Matthew 16:23). He had to die, for this is the reason He came to earth and became man.
Many people will angrily say they can't worship a God who would let his Son die the way Christ did. But this is how Christ loved: "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). We can only die to ourselves and come back to life because of what He alone did to save us. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
We can only be sure that this is true if Christ was the perfect sacrifice that God would accept. We know He was because God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22).
Jesus Is the End
The New Testament shows Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and the embodiment of the perfect sacrifice. John the Baptist knew it (John 1:29), Paul knew it (2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 5:8), and Jesus said it about Himself (John 3:16). He had to be perfect because only perfection would please God and pay for our freedom.
4. The Joy of Christ in Sacrifice
A lot of the time, the Old Testament talks about a priest or prophet who did not have a joy-filled life. For instance, Jonah didn't want to obey God because he thought the work would be hard, and he couldn't imagine God forgiving such bad people. One of Jonah's biggest problems was his pride. He thought he was better than the Ninevites because he was a priest of the Lord, but he wasn't right with God himself.
Even though his mission was a success, Jonah is very unhappy and frustrated. Jonah cried for the Lord to take his life. We read in Jonah 4:3, “Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” Even though his mission was successful, he was not happy with the outcome. The real problem was that he didn't want to give up his life as a sacrifice; he wanted to stay away from the place and work that God had planned for him. It was not his intention to be used to save Nineveh, and his biggest complaint is that they will be saved from destruction despite their bad reputation, which he felt was unjust given their history of wrongdoing and his desire for justice.
Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus "endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." The writer says that this is the basis of the Christian faith. The Son, who is One with the Father, saved everyone who confesses [agrees] that Jesus is Lord and Savior. We should be pleased that Jesus wants us to be His brothers and sisters so much that He died for us. He loves us and wants us to be with Him, and we are all sinners whose sins were paid for at Calvary's cross.
5. Jesus Went Willingly
Christ willingly offered himself as the flawless sacrifice, the unblemished Lamb. In John's vision, which is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle saw and heard "the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, 'worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.'" (Revelation 5:11-12).
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus shed blood in anticipation of what He knew was imminent. He would go through all the physical and mental torture that comes with being in jail. He knew the guards would beat Him, humiliate Him, and then put Him on a cross to die. The Romans thought He was a troublemaker, and the Jews thought He was a blasphemer who deserved to die. Jesus knew He was going to die, and now was the time, but He didn't change His mind.
In fact, His resurrection was the main goal of His whole earthly ministry. At one point, Peter tried to talk Jesus out of dying and rising from the dead. Telling Jesus, 'Never will this happen to you' (Matthew 16:22). But Peter didn't get it, and Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” In other words, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are in my way because you are not thinking about the things of God, but about the things of man' (Matthew 16:23). He had to die, for this is the reason He came to earth and became man.
Many people will angrily say they can't worship a God who would let his Son die the way Christ did. But this is how Christ loved: "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). We can only die to ourselves and come back to life because of what He alone did to save us. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
We can only be sure that this is true if Christ was the perfect sacrifice that God would accept. We know He was because God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22).
Jesus Is the End
The New Testament shows Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and the embodiment of the perfect sacrifice. John the Baptist knew it (John 1:29), Paul knew it (2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 5:8), and Jesus said it about Himself (John 3:16). He had to be perfect because only perfection would please God and pay for our freedom.