Lord’s Day 16
Q40. Why did Christ have to die?
Because God's justice and truth required it. Only the death of God's Son could pay for our sin.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Genesis 2:17
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Romans 8:3–4
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Philippians 2:8
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Hebrews 2:9, 14–15
Parent Guide
Discuss this question together
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why did Christ have to die?
- 2
What does it tell us about God that his justice required death for sin?
- 3
How does Christ's death show both God's justice and his love at the same time?
Illustration
If a judge let every criminal go without any consequence, people would say he was not a good judge. God is perfectly just, so sin must be punished. But God is also loving, so he sent his own Son to take that punishment for us.
Application
Talk with your family about why God's justice matters. Thank God that he did not leave sin unpunished but sent Jesus to satisfy his justice for you.