Did He Have To Die?

My all-time favourite Christian band is Jars of Clay. There are a lot of other good bands out there but this one ranks as my over-all favourite. In their song Worlds Apart they ask: "Did you really have to die for me?"

There is an inescapable angst in their voice as they cry out those lines. We too cry out those lines. Perhaps we shouldn't, or perhaps we don't do it enough. We don't do it enough because we are prone to take this great gift - God's grace - for granted. We overlook the immensity of reality by carrying on in our selfishness, but the reality is that we live and breathe only because of His sacrifice and grace on our behalf. Yet perhaps we shouldn't ask that question because it can show a lack of faith or gratitude. I don't know.

But there is one thing I do know and that is the answer to the question. Did He have to die? Yes. He did. He had to die. There was no other way. He couldn't have abandoned us, or given up on us. He is love. He can't do that. He couldn't have rescued us by any other means than death. He had to die. The Bible teaches that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Some might say that it would only have required "one drop of blood" then to achieve redemption. Not so. If that had been all that was necessary Jesus could have ended the business with a simple nick by shaving His beard. I mean, why go through an entire crucifixion when a simple drop is all you need. No, it needed more. It also needed His death. Some say that Jesus shed all of His blood on our behalf. By releasing water and blood when speared someone once suggested that all His blood was shed and so He also began to shed water. I'm not a doctor so I don't know how valid that argument really is. But I do know that it was a sacrifice that cost Him something. Or rather everything. It cost Him His life. Yes, is the answer to the question. Yes, He did have to die.