This presentation presents evidence for the death of Jesus Christ and the victories that it accomplished

1. I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker
The Creed
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
I BELIEVE in CHRIST‘S
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
SUBSTITUTIONARYholy
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the
DEATH
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen
Part 2

2. I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

3. Key Question…
―Why Did Jesus Have to Die?‖
…and what did it accomplish?
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

4. Aristotle on the Life of a Perfect Man
Aristotle asked the question
(hundreds of years before Christ
came), what would happen if a man
arose that lived such a perfect life
that people thought he was a god…?
Answer: He would have to be killed
because the perfection that shown
from his life would expose the
bankruptcy in the lives of everyone
around him.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

5. Dimensions of Christ‘s Death
Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross Jesus Christ died for me
VS.
History The Gospel
We need to examine both history and God‘s plan of salvation
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

6. Christ‘s
Death
From
History…
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

7. quot; Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying,
―Are You the King of the Jews?‖ And Jesus said to him, ―It is as you say.‖ And while
He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate
said to Him, ―Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?‖ And He
did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite
amazed. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any
one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner,
called Barabbas. So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, ―Whom
do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?‖ For he
knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the
judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, ―Have nothing to do with that
righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.‖ But the
chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put
Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, ―Which of the two do you want me to
release for you?‖ And they said, ―Barabbas.‖ Pilate said to them, ―Then what shall I do
with Jesus who is called Christ?‖ They all said, ―Crucify Him!‖ And he said, ―Why,
what evil has He done?‖ But they kept shouting all the more, saying, ―Crucify Him!‖
When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting,
he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, ―I am innocent of this
Man‘s blood; see to that yourselves.‖ And all the people said, ―His blood shall be on
us and on our children!‖ Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus
scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.quot;(Matthew 27:11-26)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

8. Pontius Pilate
Pilate, Pontius, Roman prefect of Judea, the fifth governor of the province and the
second-longest holder of the office (a.d. 26-36). His term included the time of John
the Baptist‘s activity, as well as that of the public ministry and crucifixion of Jesus. We
have information about Pilate and his rule in the historical writings of Philo Judaeus
and Flavius Josephus. An important piece of archaeological evidence is a dedication
inscription, found in Caesarea Maritima in 1961, where Pilate is given his correct title
of prefect.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

9. Pontius Pilate
quot;Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium,
and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ―Are You the
King of the Jews?‖ Jesus answered, ―Are you saying
this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about
Me?‖ Pilate answered, ―I am not a Jew, am I? Your own
nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what
have You done?‖ Jesus answered, ―My kingdom is not
of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My
servants would be fighting so that I would not be
handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not
of this realm.‖ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ―So You
are a king?‖ Jesus answered, ―You say correctly that I
am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have
come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone
who is of the truth hears My voice.‖ Pilate said to Him,
―What is truth?‖ And when he had said this, he went out
again to the Jews and said to them, ―I find no guilt in
Him.quot;(John 18:33-38)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

10. quot; And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they
gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.
And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by
casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above
His head they put up the charge against Him which read, ―THIS IS JESUS
THE KING OF THE JEWS.‖ At that time two robbers were crucified with
Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at
Him, wagging their heads and saying, ―You who are going to destroy the temple and
rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the
cross.‖ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were
mocking Him and saying, ―He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King
of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ―He trusts
in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‗I am the Son of
God.‘ ‖ The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the
same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ―Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani?‖ that is, ―My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?‖ And some of
those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, ―This man is calling
for Elijah.‖ Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine
and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, ―Let us see
whether Elijah will come to save Him.‖ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and
yielded up His spirit.quot;(Matthew 27:33-50)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

11. History from Josephus
Josephus: Born A.D. 37; Jewish historian;
wrote History of the Jewish War and
Antiquities of the Jewish People.
People mentioned by Josephus: The
Herods, Pilate, Felix, Festus, Annas,
Capiaphas, Ananias, James ―the brother of
the so-called Christ‖
Events mentioned by Josephus: famine in
the days of Claudius (Acts 11:28)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

12. History from Josephus
―At this time there was a wise man who was
called Jesus. And his conduct was good and
was known to be virtuous. Many people
among the Jews and other nations became
his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be
crucified and to die. And those who had
become his disciples did not abandon his
discipleship. They reported that he had
appeared to them three days after his
crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly,
he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom
the prophets have recounted wonders. ‖
– Antiquities 18.3.3 (undisputed rendering)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

13. History from Tacitus
Senator and Roman historian
―Nero substituted as culprits and
punished with the utmost refinements
of cruelty, a class of men loathed for
their vices whom the crowd styled
Christians. Christus, from whom
they got their name, had been
executed by sentence of the
procurator Pontius Pilate when
Tiberius was emperor.‖
– Annals, Book 15.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

14. History from Lucian
2nd Century Greek writer and critic
of Christianity (enemy attestation)
―The Christians, you know, worship
a man to this day – the distinguished
personage who introduced their
novel rites and was crucified on that
account… these misguided creatures
… deny the gods of Greece and
worship the crucified sage and live
after his laws‖
– The Works of Lucian of
Samosata.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

15. History from the Talmud
―On the eve of Passover
Yeshua was hanged … since
nothing was brought
forward in his favour he was
hanged on the eve of the
Passover!‖
– Sanhedrin 43a.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

16. Did Jesus Really Die?
• The nature of the wounds brought
about death (scourging, crucifixion,
spear)
• Witnessed by close friends
• Roman executioners acknowledged
death
• Confirmed by Pilate
• Wrapped in 75 pounds of grave
clothes
• Sealed in tomb for three days
• Non-Christian historians recorded
death
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

17. Was Jesus Really Buried?
• Burial recorded in all gospels
• Joseph of Arimathea
petitioned Pilate for body
• Joseph put Jesus in his own
tomb
• Burial witnessed by close
friends
• Tomb guarded by soldiers
• Jews never denied that Jesus
was dead and buried
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

18. Christ‘s
Death From
God‘s Plan
of
Salvation…
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

19. The Substitute Sacrifice
quot;Then they came to the place of which God had
told him; and Abraham built the altar there and
arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and
laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham
stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay
his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him
from heaven and said, ―Abraham, Abraham!‖ And
he said, ―Here I am.‖ He said, ―Do not stretch out
your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him;
for now I know that you fear God, since you have
not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.‖
Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and
behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by
his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and
offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of
his son.―
(Genesis 22:9-13)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

20. quot;He who did not spare His own
Son, but delivered Him over for us
all, how will He not also with Him
freely give us all things?‖
- Romans 8:32
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

21. The Substitute Passover Lamb
quot;Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of
Egypt...they are each one to take a lamb for themselves,
according to their fathers‘ households...Your lamb shall be
an unblemished male a year old...the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover,
they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat
it...For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night,
and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I
will execute judgments—I am the Lord. ‗The blood shall be
a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see
the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you
to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.‖
- Exodus 12:1-13
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

22. quot;The next day he saw Jesus
coming to him and said, ―Behold,
the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world!‖
- John 1:29
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

23. The Substitute Sin Offering
quot; Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ―Speak to the sons of Israel,
saying, ‗If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the Lord has
commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, if the anointed priest
sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord a bull
without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. ‗He shall bring
the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the Lord, and he shall lay
his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the Lord. ‗Then the
anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent
of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of
the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
‗The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of
fragrant incense which is before the Lord in the tent of meeting; and all the
blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering
which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.‖
- Leviticus 4:1-7
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

24. quot;For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He
comes into the world, He says, ―Sacrifice and
offering You have not desired, But a body You
have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices for sin You have taken no
pleasure. ―Then I said, ‗Behold, I have come (In
the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do
Your will, O God.‘ ‖
- Hebrews 10:4-7
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

25. The Substitute Criminal
quot;Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And
our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves
esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God,
and afflicted. But He was pierced through
for our transgressions, He was crushed for
our iniquities; The chastening for our well-
being fell upon Him, And by His scourging
we are healed. All of us like sheep have
gone astray, Each of us has turned to his
own way; But the Lord has caused the
iniquity of us all To fall on Him.quot;
(Isaiah 53:4-6)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

26. quot;and He Himself bore our sins in
His body on the cross, so that we
might die to sin and live to
righteousness; for by His wounds
you were healed.―
-1 Peter 2:24
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

27. Theories of Christ‘s Death
• Recapitulation – Christ went through all the stages of human
life, resisted all temptations, died and arose a victor over death
and the devil, making all benefits of His victory available to us.
• Ransom – Christ‘s death was paid to Satan to purchase
human beings who were captive in sin and set them free.
• Moral example – Christ‘s death provided an example of faith
and obedience that inspires others to be obedient to God.
• Necessary-satisfaction – it was necessary for God‘s offended
justice and honor to be satisfied by a penalty that only Christ
could pay. Anselm proposed this.
• Moral influence – Christ‘s death was not a moral example to
us, but as a demonstration of God‘s great love for us. We
have a spiritual sickness from which we must be healed.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

28. Theories of Christ‘s Death
• Optional-satisfaction – allows for but does not require
satisfaction of God for the sinner. God could have freed man
in another way for nothing is impossible with God.
• Substitution – builds on Anselm‘s necessary-satisfaction
theory, but adds that because God‘s absolute justice has
been violated, a substitution for our sins had to be made by the
sinless Son of God. Calvin gets credit for this.
• Government – stresses law of God and says God has right to
punish sin but it is not mandatory that He do so since Love is
His main attribute.
• Mystical – God became man so that man may become God.
God and man become mystically united in the Person of
Christ.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

29. Support for Substitution Position
• God‘s absolute justice demands a perfect substitute for us since He
cannot overlook sin
• Our total depravity demands a sinless substitute because we cannot
measure up to God‘s standards
• The Old Testament sacrifices implied a substitutionary atonement as the
one offering the animal laid his hands on it to symbolize a transfer of guilt
• Isaiah 53 uses the word ―for‖ many times indicating that someone took the
place of someone else; Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 53
• Jesus was presented as the Passover lamb
• Jesus presented his death as a ransom, which means a deliverance from
bondage in exchange for a payment or substitute for something
• Christ presented Himself as a consecrated priest and sacrifice
• The word ―for‖ is used many times in the New Testament to indicate an
exchange for something
• Appeasing God‘s wrath implies a substitutionary death
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

30. What did Christ‘s Death
Accomplish?
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

31. Justification…?
Redemption…?
Reconciliation…?
Propitiation…?
Atonement…?
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

32. Justification
Act of God by which we who are unrighteous in
ourselves are nevertheless declared righteous
before God while still in the sinning state.
―So then as through  transgression 
one there
 
resulted condemnation to all men, even so
through one  of righteousness 
act there
 
resulted 
justification of life to all men.‖

- Rom 5:18
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

33. Redemption
To buy back, redeem, ransom
―Christ 
redeemed us from the curse of the Law,

having become a curse for us—for it is written,
―
Cursed is everyone who hangs on  atree‖‖
 
-Gal. 3:13
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

34. Creation Redeemed Also
―Cursed is the ground ―And they clothed him in a
because of you; In toil you purple cloak, and twisting
will eat of it All the days of together a crown of thorns,
your life. ―Both thorns and they put it on him.‖
thistles it shall grow for - Mark 15:17
you;‖ – Gen. 3:17-18)
quot;And he . . . showed Him all ―One like a Son of Man
the kingdoms of the world . was coming . . . And to Him
. . And the devil said to was given dominion, Glory
Him, ―I will give You all this and a kingdom. . . . His
domain and its glory; for it dominion is an everlasting
has been handed over to dominionquot;(Daniel 7:13-14)
me, quot;(Luke 4:5-6)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

35. Reconciliation
To bring together; restore a broken relationship
―For if while we were 
enemies we were reconciled

to God through the death of His Son, much
more, having been reconciled, we shall be
saved  His life.‖
by


- Rom 5:10
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

36. Atonement
The means by which the guilt-punishment chain
produced by violation of God‘s will is broken, as
well as the resulting state of reconciliation
(‗at-onement‘) with God.
―And not only so, but we also joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonement.‖
- Rom. 5:11 (KJV)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

37. Limited Atonement?
The concept: The ―L‖ in the Calvin TULIP, it means that
Christ‘s death was only for the elect of God and not for all
mankind.
• Isaiah 53:6 – ―the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all‖
• Matthew 23:37 – ―…how often I have longed to gather your
children together as a hen gathers her chicks…‖ He wanted all
of them.
• John 1:29 – ―…Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world.‖
• John 3:16.
• Romans 5:18-19: ―also the result of one act of righteousness
was justification that brings life for all men.‖
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

38. Limited Atonement?
• 2 Corinthians 5:19 quot;namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world
to Himself,‖
• 1 Tim 2:3-4: quot;This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.quot;
• Hebrews 2:9 ―…so that by the grace of God he might taste death for
everyone.‖
• quot; But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be
false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies,
even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon
themselves.quot;(2 Peter 2:1)
• 1 John 2:2: Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours
but for the sins of the whole world.
• Either God is all loving and loves all people (omnibenevolence) or he only
loves some with a salvific love.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

39. Propitiation
To satisfy God on behalf of the sinner
―and He Himself is  
the propitiation for our sins;

and not for ours only, but also  those of the
for

whole world.‖
- 1 John 2:2
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

40. Jesus had to
Jesus had to be God to
be man to carry the
represent qualities of an
mankind as its infinite,
substitute perfect, and
eternal Being
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

41. quot;Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his
friends.quot;
(John 15:13)
―No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what
his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that
I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.quot;
(John 15:15)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

42. … He descended into Hell
quot;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; in which also He went and made proclamation to
the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient,
when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of
Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few,
that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the
water.―
(1 Peter 3:18-20)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

43. … He descended into Hell
quot;When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a
public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.quot;
(Colossians 2:15)
quot;And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned
their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness
for the judgment of the great day,quot;
(Jude 6)
quot;Therefore it says, ―When He ascended on high, He led captive
a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.‖quot;
(Ephesians 4:8)
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

44. ―For three days Jesus fought with the
enemy. It was the battle of the ages. Light
versus darkness. Good versus evil. Satan was
no match for our Champion. Jesus crushed
Satan‘s head with His foot. He bruised his
head. And He once and for all, forever
defeated and dethroned and demoralized our
enemy. One translation says, ―He paralyzed
him and rendered him powerless. He didn‘t
even stop there. He went over and ripped the
keys of death and hell out of Satan‘s
hands. And He grabbed Satan by the nap of
his neck and He began to slowly drag him down
through the corridors of Hell. All beat up and
bruised because He wanted to make sure that
every single demon saw very clearly that Jesus
was indeed the undisputed Champion of all
time!‖
- Joel Osteen
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

45. … He descended into Hell
1. Christ offered a second chance at salvation to those
who lived before Noah
2. Christ simply announced His victory over sin to
those in Hades, specifically fallen angels who sinned
in Genesis 6 and were confined in Hades (see Jude
6)
3. This is a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ
preaching through Noah to those who, because
they rejected that message, are now spirits in prison
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

46. If all religions lead to God …
… then explain the cross.
The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Substitutionary Death

47. I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker
The Creed
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
I BELIEVE in CHRIST‘S
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
SUBSTITUTIONARYholy
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the
DEATH
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen
Part 2