Question 4: Why Did Jesus Die?

An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)

Question 4: Why did Jesus die?

Jesus died willingly on the cross to atone for our sins, satisfy God’s justice, defeat death and the devil, and reconcile us to God. His death is the once-for-all sacrifice by which we are forgiven and restored to life with the Father. (Isaiah 53:5, Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 10:17–18)

Full Scripture References

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5 (BSB)

“But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8 (BSB)

“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the spirit.” — 1 Peter 3:18 (BSB)

“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (BSB)

“The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord.” — John 10:17–18 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

Jesus died on the cross to accomplish the great work of salvation that only He, as the sinless Son of God, could complete. His death was not a tragic accident but a sovereign, willing act of obedience to the Father’s plan. He bore the punishment that we, as sinners, deserved so that we might be reconciled to God. As our substitute, He took upon Himself the judgment due to sin, making peace between God and man.

This atoning work is foundational to the Christian faith and Anglican doctrine. The Book of Common Prayer in its Eucharistic liturgy declares, “He made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.” His sacrificial death fulfills the Old Testament sacrifices and is the one true offering that secures our forgiveness and justifies us before God.

Jesus’ death also breaks the power of sin, Satan, and death. He triumphed over the forces of evil through the very means they sought to use against Him. As Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote: “His death was the life of the world; His crucifixion was His coronation; His wounds the healing of mankind.” In laying down His life, He destroyed death’s hold over humanity and opened the way to eternal life for all who believe.

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, Article XXXI, affirms: “The offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world.” There is no need for repeated sacrifices—His death is all-sufficient and eternally effective. The Anglican tradition emphasizes that this atonement is both a personal gift to every believer and a cosmic act of divine mercy and justice.

To receive the benefits of Christ’s death, we are called to repent, believe, and follow Him. The Collect for Good Friday prays, “Almighty God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ was content to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross.” His death is the gateway to our forgiveness, healing, and union with the Triune God.

Early Church Fathers On Catechism Question

St. Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373 AD) wrote: “He Himself took on him the burden of our iniquities, He gave His own Son to be a ransom for us—the Holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous… For by the sacrifice of His own body He did away with the death which had been occasioned by sin.” — On the Incarnation, 8

Athanasius highlights Christ’s death as a substitutionary act to abolish death and bring us life.

St. Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329–390 AD) said: “To ransom us from death, the Word of God humbled Himself to death, even the death of the cross.” — Oration 45, On Holy Pascha

Gregory connects Christ’s voluntary humility and death to our deliverance from death.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD) taught: “He stretched out His hands upon the Cross, that He might embrace the ends of the world; for this Golgotha is the very center of the earth.” — Catechetical Lectures, 13.28

Cyril poetically depicts the crucifixion as the cosmic act of redemption extending to the whole world.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) wrote: “God’s Son became man so that men might become sons of God… Christ died for us, that we might live in Him.” — Tractates on the Gospel of John, 84.1

Augustine emphasizes the transformative nature of Christ’s death: from sinners to sons, from death to life.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 AD) said: “By His Passion He destroyed death, dispersed error, strengthened truth, and gave man incorruption.” — Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching, 72

Irenaeus affirms that Christ’s Passion not only forgave sin but transformed the human condition itself.

An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)

An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.

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An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)