A detailed Bible-study infographic explaining why Jesus Christ was crucified. It examines sin and death through Adam, animal sacrifices, Jesus as the Lamb of God, Christ dying for our sins, his resurrection by God, and the biblical promise of forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life. Research by Simon Brown.
QUICK FACTS: WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?
Why Did God Allow His Son Jesus Christ to Suffer and Die for Our Sins?
Research by Simon Brown
WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?
Nearly everyone knows that Jesus Christ was crucified.
But perhaps the far more important question is:
WHY?
Why did Jesus have to die?
Why was his blood shed?
Why does the Bible connect his death with our sins?
And why does Scripture say that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we can receive forgiveness and eternal life?
To understand the crucifixion, we first have to understand the problem that entered the world through:
SIN AND DEATH.
WHAT IS SIN?
The Bible defines sin very simply:
“Sin is lawlessness.”
1 John 3:4 — BLB
Sin is rebellion against God's righteous will.
It includes our actions, our words and even the intentions of our hearts.
Paul writes:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23 — BLB
That means the problem is universal.
It is not merely about murderers, thieves or people whom society considers especially wicked.
ALL HAVE SINNED.
Every one of us needs God's mercy.
SIN ENTERED THE WORLD THROUGH ADAM
The Bible takes us back to the beginning.
Adam disobeyed God.
Paul explains:
“Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death passed to all men, because all sinned.”
Romans 5:12 — BLB
Notice what entered because of sin:
DEATH.
Adam's disobedience brought sin and death into the human story.
This is essential to understanding why Jesus came.
Paul later contrasts:
ADAM
with:
JESUS CHRIST.
Adam's disobedience brought condemnation and death.
Christ's obedience opens the way to righteousness and life.
THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH
Paul writes:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 — BLB
Notice the contrast:
SIN → DEATH
but:
GOD'S GIFT → ETERNAL LIFE.
This is important.
The great biblical problem produced by sin is death.
And God's answer is:
LIFE.
That life comes through His Son.
WHY WERE ANIMAL SACRIFICES OFFERED?
Long before the crucifixion of Jesus, blood sacrifice formed an important part of Israel's covenant worship.
Leviticus says:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls…”
Leviticus 17:11
On the Day of Atonement, sacrifices were offered for Israel.
We also see the significance of a lamb's blood at the Passover.
God commanded Israel:
“They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel…”
Exodus 12:7
The Passover lamb became part of the great biblical background through which the death of Jesus would later be understood.
BUT ANIMAL BLOOD WAS NOT GOD'S FINAL ANSWER
Hebrews tells us:
“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”
Hebrews 10:4 — BLB
Those sacrifices pointed beyond themselves.
They were not the ultimate solution.
Something greater was coming.
And when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared:
“Behold the Lamb of God, the One taking away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29 — BLB
JESUS WAS GOD'S PROVIDED LAMB.
The earlier sacrifices pointed forward to the greater sacrifice accomplished through God's Messiah.
GOD GAVE HIS SON
Perhaps no verse explains God's motive more beautifully than John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone believing in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life.”
Notice carefully who does what.
GOD GAVE.
And:
HIS SON WAS GIVEN.
God did not abandon humanity to sin and death.
Because God loved the world:
HE GAVE HIS SON.
This distinction is crucial.
The one who gave the Son is God, and the one whom God gave is His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
JESUS WILLINGLY GAVE HIS LIFE
Jesus was not merely a helpless victim.
He understood his mission.
He said:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 — BLB
Jesus gave:
HIS LIFE.
And he gave it:
“AS A RANSOM FOR MANY.”
At the Last Supper Jesus likewise spoke of his blood being poured out for many.
His death was therefore not a meaningless execution.
It stood at the very heart of God's saving purpose.
JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS
Paul summarizes the Gospel:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:3 — BLB
That is one of the clearest answers to the title of this article.
WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?
CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS.
Peter similarly writes:
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree…”
1 Peter 2:24 — BLB
Our sins deserve judgment.
Yet through Jesus Christ, God has provided forgiveness and reconciliation.
JESUS WAS OBEDIENT EVEN TO DEATH
There is another side to the cross that should never be overlooked:
JESUS OBEYED HIS GOD AND FATHER.
Paul says:
“He humbled Himself, having become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Philippians 2:8 — BLB
Jesus' obedience reverses the pattern begun by Adam's disobedience.
Romans 5 makes this contrast explicit:
“For as through the disobedience of the one man the many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be constituted righteous.”
Romans 5:19 — BLB
Look at the contrast:
ADAM — DISOBEDIENCE.
JESUS — OBEDIENCE.
ADAM — DEATH.
JESUS — LIFE.
This is one of the great themes of the Gospel.
GOD DID NOT DIE ON THE CROSS
This is another distinction that deserves to be stated carefully.
Scripture says:
CHRIST DIED.
And Scripture says:
GOD RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD.
Peter preached:
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, having hanged Him on a tree.”
Acts 5:30 — BLB
Paul says:
“Christ died for our sins…”
1 Corinthians 15:3
Yet God is described as:
“the King of the ages, immortal…”
1 Timothy 1:17 — BLB
The biblical language therefore distinguishes:
GOD, WHO RAISED JESUS,
from:
JESUS, WHO DIED.
The crucifixion demonstrates not that God Himself died, but that God gave His Son, and His Son faithfully surrendered his life.
GOD'S LOVE WAS REVEALED AT THE CROSS
The death of Jesus reveals not only the love of Christ but also the extraordinary love of God who sent him.
Paul writes:
“But God demonstrates His love to us, that of us being still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 — BLB
Notice again:
GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS LOVE.
How?
CHRIST DIED FOR US.
John expresses the same truth:
“In this the love of God has been revealed among us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.”
1 John 4:9 — BLB
God:
SENT HIS SON
so that:
WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM.
THE CROSS WAS NOT THE END
Christian hope does not finish with a dead Messiah hanging on a cross.
GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD.
Peter proclaimed:
“This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.”
Acts 2:32 — BLB
Paul says:
“But now Christ has been raised out from the dead, the firstfruits of those having fallen asleep.”
1 Corinthians 15:20 — BLB
This is tremendously important.
Jesus' resurrection is God's great demonstration that:
DEATH WILL NOT HAVE THE FINAL WORD.
DEATH CAME THROUGH ADAM — RESURRECTION COMES THROUGH CHRIST
Paul makes the comparison:
“For since death came by a man, also by a man has come the resurrection of the dead.”
1 Corinthians 15:21 — BLB
And then:
“For as indeed in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:22 — BLB
This gives us another major answer to our question.
Jesus died and was raised so that the curse of sin and death would ultimately be defeated.
ADAM BROUGHT DEATH.
CHRIST BRINGS RESURRECTION AND LIFE.
WHAT MUST WE DO?
The Gospel calls us to respond.
Peter preached:
“Repent therefore and turn back, for the blotting out of your sins…”
Acts 3:19 — BLB
John writes:
“If we should confess our sins, He is faithful and just, that He may forgive us our sins and might cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 — BLB
God's grace is not permission to continue deliberately living against Him.
We are called to:
REPENT.
BELIEVE.
FOLLOW JESUS.
OBEY GOD.
And trust in what God has accomplished through His Son.
JESUS IS THE WAY TO THE FATHER
Jesus said:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, if not by Me.”
John 14:6 — BLB
Notice where Jesus leads us:
TO THE FATHER.
Jesus is God's appointed Messiah and the way through whom we are reconciled to God.
THE STORY ENDS WITH LIFE — NOT DEATH
The Bible's message does not end at Calvary.
It ends with:
RESURRECTION.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE RESTORATION OF CREATION.
ETERNAL LIFE.
Revelation gives us this magnificent promise:
“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain; they will be no more, because the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4 — BLB
Imagine that world:
NO MORE DEATH.
NO MORE MOURNING.
NO MORE CRYING.
NO MORE PAIN.
This is the future toward which God's plan of salvation is moving.
QUICK FACTS
Sin entered the world through Adam's disobedience.
Death came through sin.
All humanity has sinned.
Israel's sacrifices formed part of the biblical background to atonement.
John identified Jesus as “the Lamb of God.”
God loved the world and gave His only begotten Son.
Jesus willingly gave his life as a ransom for many.
Christ died for our sins.
Jesus was obedient even unto death.
God raised Jesus from the dead.
Through Christ comes the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
And therefore:
THE CROSS WAS NOT GOD'S DEFEAT.
IT WAS PART OF GOD'S PLAN TO DEFEAT SIN AND DEATH.
WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?
The answer can now be stated simply:
BECAUSE GOD LOVES US.
God's creation had become enslaved to sin and death.
Humanity could not rescue itself.
So:
GOD SENT HIS SON.
Jesus obeyed his Father.
Jesus proclaimed God's Kingdom.
Jesus gave his life.
Jesus bore our sins.
Jesus died.
And:
GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD.
Through Jesus Christ, God has opened the way to forgiveness, reconciliation, resurrection and eternal life in His coming Kingdom.
Paul summarizes the contrast beautifully:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 — BLB
DEATH CAME THROUGH ADAM.
LIFE COMES THROUGH CHRIST.
And Jesus tells us:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, if not by Me.”
John 14:6 — BLB
WILL YOU FOLLOW HIM?
Research by Simon Brown
wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com
Quick Facts: John 3:16 — What Does “God Gave His Only Begotten Son” Really Mean?
John 1:1
- John 1:1 — Does "The Word Was God" Mean Jesus Is Almighty God?
- IS THE WORD JESUS IN JOHN 1:1?
- What Is the Truth About John 1:1 to 5?
- WHY John 1:1 is not about Jesus!
Hebrews 1:10 – Did God Really Say to the Son, “You Laid the Foundation of the Earth”?
- WHO IS THE ONE TRUE GOD? New video!
- The Greatest Commandment Ever Given — Who Is the One True God?
- Mark 12:29 — Why Did Jesus Quote the Shema?
- Deuteronomy 6:4 — The Shema: "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh Our God Is One"
- John 10:30 — What Did Jesus Mean by "I and the Father Are One"?
- John 8:58 — What Did Jesus Mean by "Before Abraham Was, I Am"?
- John 20:28 — Did Thomas Really Call Jesus Almighty God?
- John 14:9 — "He Who Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father" Explained
- John 17:3 — Jesus Confirmed That the Father Alone Is the Only True God
- John 17:5 — Did Jesus Exist with the Father Before the World Began?
- 2 Peter 1:1 — Another Trinitarian Misunderstanding?
- Colossians 1:15–17 — Does "Firstborn of All Creation" Mean Jesus Was Created?
- Hebrews 1:2 — Did God Create the Universe or the Ages Through His Son?
- Who Is the Alpha and the Omega?
- Did the Doctrine of the Trinity Originate with Jesus Christ and His Apostles?
- Is Jesus God, or the Son of God? What Does the Whole Bible Teach?
- Scriptures Proving Yahweh: The One True God of Israel Is the Creator Alone.
- John 6:38 — How Did Jesus Come Down From Heaven?
- John 1:1 — Does "The Word Was God" Mean Jesus Is Almighty God?
- IS THE WORD JESUS IN JOHN 1:1?
- What Is the Truth About John 1:1 to 5?
- WHY John 1:1 is not about Jesus!
Hebrews 1:10 – Did God Really Say to the Son, “You Laid the Foundation of the Earth”?
- WHO IS THE ONE TRUE GOD? New video!
- The Greatest Commandment Ever Given — Who Is the One True God?
- Mark 12:29 — Why Did Jesus Quote the Shema?
- Deuteronomy 6:4 — The Shema: "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh Our God Is One"
- John 10:30 — What Did Jesus Mean by "I and the Father Are One"?
- John 8:58 — What Did Jesus Mean by "Before Abraham Was, I Am"?
- John 20:28 — Did Thomas Really Call Jesus Almighty God?
- John 14:9 — "He Who Has Seen Me Has Seen the Father" Explained
- John 17:3 — Jesus Confirmed That the Father Alone Is the Only True God
- John 17:5 — Did Jesus Exist with the Father Before the World Began?
- 2 Peter 1:1 — Another Trinitarian Misunderstanding?
- Colossians 1:15–17 — Does "Firstborn of All Creation" Mean Jesus Was Created?
- Hebrews 1:2 — Did God Create the Universe or the Ages Through His Son?
- Who Is the Alpha and the Omega?
- Did the Doctrine of the Trinity Originate with Jesus Christ and His Apostles?
- Is Jesus God, or the Son of God? What Does the Whole Bible Teach?
- Scriptures Proving Yahweh: The One True God of Israel Is the Creator Alone.
- John 6:38 — How Did Jesus Come Down From Heaven?

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