he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Cor 5:15

Why did Jesus die?

I suspect the average Christian would answer “so I can be saved” or “so I can be forgiven” and those are good answers and definitely some of the purposes for which Jesus died. We could also say that Jesus died and rose again to defeat the power of evil or that Jesus died to demonstrate the depth of God’s love for us.

Paul in 2 Cor 5 reminds us of another reason why Jesus died for us, to allow us to live for a purpose greater than ourselves.

Reuben Welch, a preacher who never fails to help me and challenge me writes about this verse from 2 Corinthians 5

“Paul’s understanding of the death of Jesus led him to this clear consequence: Dying with Christ leads to living for Christ, which also means living for others as Christ did. This is the great reversal in our life brought about by the cross. The centre of my life can no longer be me. There is no room for “me” between “for and Christ”.”

I need constant reminding of this because my constant temptation is, in so many different situations, to live for me, my agenda, my needs, my preferences, and my prejudices and not for Christ and His purposes.

This is why I need to constantly come back to the cross and be reminded that Christ’s death must shape my life. His agenda must set my agenda in life.

Maybe you should come back to the cross with me and ask yourself in the light of the Cross who have I really been living for?