Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?

If God is so loving, then why couldn’t He just say the word and “presto” all mankind is forgiven and everyone could spend eternity in heaven? That is a good thought, but God is not only loving, He is also holy. And in His holiness there has to be judgement. A holy God cannot overlook sin. No judgement, no holiness. God, being God, has the right to set the rules and then state and execute the punishment. When Adam and Eve disobeyed and rebelled against an almighty, holy and glorious God, the punishment for that sin was death.

Here is where a God of love comes in. Someone has to die as the punishment for the sin that Adam and Eve committed and thus brought to all mankind. God was willing to take the punishment for sin upon Himself, through His Son Jesus Christ. His horrible death on the cross appeased a holy and just God. Jesus took the penalty for all of us so we would not have to.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10

There was once a judge who was seated behind his bench when a teenage girl who committed a traffic violation came into his court. The girl was found guilty and had to pay a $150.00 fine. The judge then took off his robe, stepped down from the bench, reached into his wallet, took out $150.00 and paid the fine. You see, the judge was also the girl’s father. The daughter had no money and could not pay the fine. The father was also the judge and could not overlook the traffic violation.

So does that mean that everyone goes to heaven because of what Jesus did on the cross? No, it does not work that way. You need to believe that Jesus is God’s Son who died on the cross as penalty for your sins and rose from the grave the third day. Confess that you are a sinner that needs forgiveness and then ask to be forgiven. Ask Jesus to be part of your life. When you do this your sins become part of the sins that Jesus paid the penalty for.