From “How to become a Christian”: Chapter 10 – Jesus’s death on the cross
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (NKJV)
5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 (RSV)
30“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Saviour, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 5:30-31 (NASB)
6While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man-though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. 8But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8 (RSV)
22To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23that the Christ must suffer, and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.”
Acts 26:22-23 (RSV)
21And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him,
Colossians 1:21-22 (RSV)
We now come to the crux of the matter. That is how Jesus’ death on the cross solved the problem of sin and made it possible for us to avoid Hell, judgment and the Lake of Fire. In this chapter we shall give a brief overview of what the cross was about and what Jesus achieved for us by His death.
