It is written in the prophets, "He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities." (Isaiah 53:5) And it came to pass some eight hundred years later, now almost two thousand years ago, as it is written, "when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs; but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear." (John 19:33, 34) Who was this man? What is the significance of this event in the great scheme of things? And why and how could one individual man die for the transgressions and iniquities of others?

The man in question was none other than Jesus, born in Bethlehem of Judah at the turn of the first century of our common era, whose anointing in the presence of witnesses caused him to be called the Christ, which means "anointed." (Matthew 3:13-17) On that account, he has come to be called by the name Jesus Christ. Until that time there is no record of any man being anointed by God with Holy Spirit for the purpose of providing himself as a sacrifice for transgressions. True, there are records of men being anointed by other men with oil to signify their appointment to some office or position of leadership. And there were occasions when God motivated certain individuals by means of his spirit for purposes other than that for which Jesus was anointed; but there is no record of any man being anointed by God with Holy Spirit for the purpose of providing himself as a sacrifice for transgressions until the time of Jesus Christ. From this it can be concluded that God himself had distinguished Jesus from other men. God recognized that only Jesus could provide the sacrifice necessary for forgiveness of transgressions.

Of all those held in high esteem by men - kings, prophets, priests and others of rank - none were free from transgressions. All at one time or another had committed some transgression or sin, which is an old word used to describe an act of wrongdoing. In modern times if a person commits an act of wrongdoing it is said that such one has committed a crime or an offense against law. Frequently the law for which one might stand accused of being in volition of is some written precept reflecting the will of the king or that of a majority of men appointed to make laws. Nevertheless, God is the supreme lawgiver, and his judgement is final when acts of transgression are assigned to men. He is not a respecter of persons in matters of judgment. When anyone is found in violation of his will such an individual is considered a transgressor or sinner.

Anyone found in violation of God's will is deemed guilty of sin. And just as one who has been found guilty of a crime is assessed a penalty, God, likewise, requires payment or compensation from those who have committed wrongs against him. The first case on record describing God's judgement against a human being for having violated his will is that of the man Adam. Adam had transgressed God's stated command against eating from a certain tree, a trial was held, and Adam was found guilty. The penalty assigned for Adam's transgression was death. God rightly required that Adam pay for his sin with his life. Adam had been forewarned that transgressing God's command would result in his death. Death was the payment or compensation God required in order to satisfy justice in that first case against a human being.

It is important to note that God did not afford Adam an opportunity to repent. God did not say, "Cease from your badness and turn to doing good." Once Adam had transgressed God's law it was not possible for him to undo what he had done. By his transgression Adam had put God to the test. In the commission of his crime he had challenged God to make good on his word. God is not one to be tested. When he says he will do something he does it. Otherwise he would not be fit to uphold absolute justice. He would be unable to set standards for right and wrong. Yet this does not mean that God took any pleasure in sentencing Adam to die. Adam was plainly told, "In the day of your eating of it (the fruit of the tree of good and evil) you will proceed to die." In the original language the verb is in the imperfect, which means that the action begins, and in this case that action was Adam's dying. Thus, in the day that Adam transgressed against the will of God he began to die. Death was not an instantaneous process; it took over nine hundred years in his case. This was because Adam was created in an undying condition. Prior to his sin he had been perfect and without flaw. The presence of the tree of life in the garden symbolized what Adam had lost, namely, the right to unending life.

After his sin Adam no longer existed in the undying condition in which he had been created; thus, he was driven from the home that God had made for him in Eden. He was no longer granted the opportunity to partake from the tree of life. It was never God's intention that Adam or his children live forever without their willfully recognizing that God alone has the right to decide what is good and bad. Their willful subjection to his superior authority was required in order for them to continue living. The arrangement in Eden afforded Adam the opportunity to demonstrate his recognition that God alone has the right to govern his creation. Nevertheless, Adam chose to challenge God's right to govern the earth; and his decision, with its consequences, has affected the entire creation ever since.

After his sentence and expulsion from Eden, Adam, with the help of his mate, proceeded to produce offspring or children. They were born, not in that undying condition in which Adam was created, but rather, in the same dying condition that Adam had brought upon himself as a consequence of his transgression or sin. Adam's children were defective in organism, conceived by parents who no longer existed in an undying condition; thus, they, like their parents, were born into a dying condition. Although the records show exceptionally long life spans for Adam's earliest descendants, gradually, over time, the average life span of a human being has declined and remained what it is today. Thus, it is easy to see why God did not anoint any of the descendants of Adam with Holy Spirit for the purpose of providing a human sacrifice for sins until the time of Jesus. None of Adam's offspring were free from a defective organism. All were born in the sinful dying image of their first father Adam.

The situation with Jesus was different. Although he was born of a woman who was defective in organism, he did not inherit any of her defects or share her sinful condition. Jesus' father was God himself, which is why Jesus was born of a virgin. Thus, he was born in and remained in the same condition in which Adam had been created; thus, Jesus continued to be without defect or sin. For this reason, God anointed him with Holy Spirit and proclaimed that he was well pleased with him on account of his sinless condition. Although many accused Jesus of wrongdoing, no one was able to produce a single piece of evidence that he had committed any sin. The ones who accused him were none other than the religious leaders of the time, who were bound to the terms of the law covenant between God and the nation of Israel. Those religious leaders knew that the law was good and right, and that it was able to expose the sins of the people. The law had also called for animal sacrifices as a means for the people to express their sorrow for their sins; yet these sacrifices were unable to remove the sentence of death from upon the people. Thus, the animal sacrifices pointed to the need for a greater sacrifice, one that could permanently erase sin and its inevitable result - death. In their vain attempt to use the law to find fault in Jesus the religious leaders had only succeeded in exposing themselves as murderers; for it was they themselves that caused the death of Jesus by means of their lies to the Roman authorities. Consequently, Jesus was put to death without just cause.

Since God had found Jesus to be without sin at the time of his death he could not allow him to remain in death. God was justified in allowing Adam to remain dead since Adam had sinned against him from a condition of perfection. Jesus, however, had done no wrong, and God's own standards required that he enter into judgement over the matter of Jesus' death. For this reason, God resurrected him from the dead and called him home to heaven to live with him forevermore. It is important to note that God did not resurrect Adam, this is because Christ did not die for Adam. So the question remains "Why and how could one individual man die for the transgressions and iniquities of others?" The answer is simple, Christ, in coming to the earth, being born of a women, in human form, had within himself the same potential that Adam had lost, namely, the ability to produce children without defect. These children could then exercise their own will as to whether or not they wanted to obey God as the supreme ruler over creation. In effect they would be in the same condition that Adam was in before he sinned against God. In his declaration of independence from God Adam lost what Jesus maintained the right to have - unending life in subjection to the will of God.

Had God taken a rib from Jesus and made a sinless human wife for him, as he had done for Adam, then Christ could have fathered a whole race of sinless human beings. However, in his death Jesus lost this right unjustly. Therefore, God, in keeping with his standard of justice, has allowed for Christ to give to those of the children of Adam, who are willing to repent of their sins and believe in him, the same opportunity that had been given to Adam. They can choose for themselves as to whether or not they are willing to accept God as the supreme ruler of creation. This they do by repenting of their sins and following the commands of Jesus Christ, who will deliver them from sin and eternal death. In this way Christ receives from the children of Adam those who are willing to accept him as their new father. Such ones have forsaken the path of independence from God, which leads to death, and have chosen Jesus Christ as their guide to eternal life and happiness under the rule of his father, Yahweh God. Yahweh is the name of God, but it is in little use today due to ignorance. Thus, Yahweh, as the supreme judge, has provided the means for Jesus Christ to be compensated for his loss of a family when he was unjustly put to death.

In consideration of the last remaining question, "What is the significance of this event (the death of Christ) in the great scheme of things?" we can conclude that Yahweh God, by means of the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ, has provided the means for creation to be set free from sin and death. Soon Jesus Christ will do the following: 1) return as he promised, 2) put to death all those living at the time of his return who do not repent from their sin and accept his rule as king over creation, 3) resurrect the dead so that they too will have the opportunity to accept for themselves the free gift of eternal life, and 4) release Satan, who started the rebellion in the first place, at the end of his prison sentence of 1000 years (which begins at Christ's return), to draw away into eternal destruction those who have no love for God and Christ. When these things have been accomplished, Jesus will return the creation to Yahweh God in that condition in which it was created. Adam, Eve, Satan, and all those who oppose the rule of God over creation will have been factored out and eliminated for good.

The Apostle John explained that God created all things by means of his Word, which Word was Jesus, and that Jesus was transferred from heaven, where he lived as a spirit being, to come to the earth to die for sinners. In this way Jesus Christ is the means by which Yahweh God accomplishes his original purpose for individuals to have eternal life in peace and happiness under his rule.