Death of one, the salvation of all

Martha Olawale

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 1 Peter 1:3-4

Mankind was doomed to the grip of hell when Eve took the first bite from the forbidden fruit and shared it with Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6). At that moment, we were left to wander through the roads of uncertainty to retrieve that which we lost when we were separated from God. Because sin took its toll on the human mind, instead of finding God, we moved farther away from Him.

The journey to the cross has captured the attention of humanity since Christ’s death and resurrection. Imagine knowing that the mission you are embarking on leads to crucifixion for sins you didn’t commit and payment of the debt you didn’t owe. Jesus knew exactly what He was getting into when He left Heaven to walk among us. He knew how the story begins and how it ends.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” His death was not an occurrence in the moment of weakness but an occurrence in the culmination of love. He was condemned that we might be justified; carried the cross, so our burdens might be light; died that we might live, and by His stripes, we were healed.

As He walked through the streets of Jerusalem with the cross on His shoulder, Jesus’s intent was clear—reconciliation of man back to God. For our salvation, He gave up His splendor and majesty, subjecting Himself to human treason and ridicule.  He carried a cross He didn’t deserve and died in the hands of those He loved beyond measure.

Despite His sufferings and the extent of the love demonstrated through the crucifixion of Jesus, many are still wandering, looking for answers to questions answered in Golgotha. Yes, God loves us, yes, we can call Him Father again, and yes, we get to spend eternity with Him. 1 Peter 3:18 states, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”