What Christ's Death Meant to Him
"Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:14)
If one were to ask why Jesus died, the average
evangelical would usually say that He died to
save us from our sins. It is true that "Christ died
for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3), but this is not
the whole answer, by any means. Too many
Christians think of the death of Christ only in
terms of what it means for them--not what it
mean to Him.
Our text says that He died for us and redeemed
us from iniquity, not just to keep us from going
to hell, but to "purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works." Paul says:
"For to this end Christ both died, and rose,
and revived, that he might be Lord both of the
dead and the living" (Romans 14:9). He wants
a people who will have Him as Lord of their lives.
"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for
it; . . . That he might present it to himself a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish"
"He died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him
which died for them, and rose again"
"How much more shall the blood of Christ . . .
purge your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14). Finally, the apostle
Peter reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ "bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto righteousness"
(1 Peter 2:24), "that henceforth we should not serve
sin" (Romans 6:6).
We who have been saved by the redeeming death of
Christ for our sins often thank Him for what He has
done for us--and we should. But we also should praise
Him for what He has thereby done for Himself, and
then seek always to live in such a way that His holy
purpose is accomplished in our lives. HMM
Institute for Creation Research | 1806 Royal Lane | Dallas | TX | 75229
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