Yes, Jesus was innocent, and (humanly speaking) He did not deserve to die. Even the Roman governor, Pilate, admitted, “I find no basis for a charge against this man” (Luke 23:4). But Pilate gave in to the crowd and became responsible for sentencing Jesus to death.

Jesus willingly went to the cross for one reason: because it was God’s plan for Him to die as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. You see, our greatest problem is not political, economic, or sociological. Our greatest problem is spiritual: We are separated from God. And the reason we are separated from Him is because of our sins. Our greatest need is to have our sins forgiven and taken away, for only then can we be restored and reconciled to God.

But how is this possible? We can’t remove our own sins–only God can. And this is why Christ came into the world. When Jesus died on the cross, all our sins were taken from us and placed on Christ. He was innocent and without sin–but He died in our place.

Now God offers us salvation as a free gift–a gift that is only possible because Christ was willing to die for us. Have you received this gift? The Bible’s promise is for you: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Why not welcome Him into your life today?