Have you ever considered what actually killed the Lord Jesus Christ? This is a very interesting question. If your answer is; "He died because he was crucified", you are correct. But the answer is not quite that simple. The Bible testifies that "... the wages of sin is death ..." (Rom. 6:23). However, the Scriptures also reveal that Jesus Christ is "... holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ..." (Heb. 7:26). If Jesus could not earn the "wages of sin", HOW COULD HE HAVE DIED?

    Through the disobedience of Adam, sin entered into the world. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Rom. 5:12) In other words, death exists because sin exists. Without SIN, there would be NO DEATH. Because of sin, you begin to die from the very minute you're born. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and IN SIN did my mother conceive me." (Psa. 51:5) Sin is not simply a failure to do right, but THE CURSE of DEATH upon the entire creation (Rom. 8:22-23). You don't simply encounter sin when you break one of God's laws. Because the entire universe is under the curse of sin, you're constantly living in it and surrounded by it - its presence is inescapable. What this means is that sin not only affects your spirit, but it affects your physical body also. You get sick because sin exists. Because of sin your body wears out. Because of sin you have to wear glasses (bad eyesight). Because of sin the sun is burning out. Because of sin the rotation of the Earth is slowing down. Sin is a CURSE upon ALL creation. However, the King James Bible states that Jesus Christ "... did no sin ..." and that "... in him is no sin." (1 Ptr. 2:22 & 1 John 3:5). This means that not only did the Lord Jesus Christ never commit an act of sin, but he was never physically effected by it's curse upon creation. Even if you were to drive a nail into the flesh of a sinless man, you CANNOT KILL HIM! How can a man be killed whose not subject unto death? How was it possible for the Lord Jesus Christ (God manifest in the flesh) to collect the "wages" of a life which he never earned? How do you kill Someone that is ETERNAL?

    Since Jesus Christ had no sin in his Spirit or his physical body, how was it possible for him to die on a cross, when death itself is a fruit of sin? "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. NO MAN TAKETH IT FROM ME, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my father." (John 10:17-18) "Christ hath redeemed us from the law, being MADE A CURSE for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree". (Gal. 3:13) "For he [God] hath MADE HIM [Jesus Christ] TO BE SIN for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Cor. 5:21) "Who in HIS OWN SELF bare OUR SINS in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Ptr. 2:24) In other words, the Holy Bible reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ took YOUR SINS, and placed them UPON HIMSELF; he then willingly collected the wages of a life that you had earned. Your sins killed the Lord Jesus Christ! It is impossible for a sinless man to die, unless that sinless man freely chooses to bear the sins of another. That sinless Man was the Lord Jesus Christ. He bore the sins of the entire world in his own body upon the cross (see 1 John 2:2), he then died, and then raised Himself from the dead under His own power. You can't do that, so Jesus did it for you.

    Death eventually comes as a result of sin. The Apostle Paul died because of his own sin. Mohammed died because of his own sin. Buddha "kicked-the-bucket" because of his own sin. Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons, is "pushin' up daisies" because of his own sin. Mother Theresa "croaked" because of her own sin. Mary, the mother of the man Christ Jesus, died because of her own sin. All the Roman Catholic Popes died (and will die) because of their own sin. All the hot-shot "television evangelists" will "buy the farm" because of their own sins. Ghandi died, Elvis died, JFK died, Martin Luther King Jr. died, Hitler died, Stalin died, Ronald Reagan died, Michael Jackson died, John Q. Citizen died and YOU WILL DIE - all because of YOUR OWN SIN. Even if it were possible for you to never commit an act of sin, the death of your physical body still proves that you're under it's curse. Only ONE MAN ever conquered sin and death, and that Man is the Lord Jesus Christ. He willingly died because of YOUR SIN. Yes, the wages of your sin is death, but it's the Lord Jesus Christ who paid your debt. It is now up to you to accredit His payment to your account.