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Questions Christians Ask
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?: And Other Questions About the Cross of Christ and Its Meaning for Us Today: Questions Christians Ask
Our culture ignores it. Many within the church seem to be almost embarrassed by it. Many others understand that the cross of Christ is at the very heart of Christian faith and life. This short, listenable book explains clearly and simply what the Bible and Jesus himself say about the cross and how Christians should understand it today.
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First published February 4, 2014
5 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Nodder
14 books2 followersMarcus Nodder is senior pastor of St Peter's Barge - a floating church in London's Canary Wharf. Based on a converted Dutch freight barge moored on West India Quay, the church has two main operations - a Sunday church for those who live in the Docklands area, and a midweek church for those who work in the Canary Wharf offices. He worked briefly in banking before training for Christian ministry at Oak Hill College. He is married to Lina and has four children and a beagle called Sally.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 22, 2014
The primary audience for this book is Christians, I wish the book was geared for non-Christians. It seems to me that with a little more thought both would benefit from the book.
November 1, 2022
I really like the structure of these books. Each chapter presents a certain question (what happened on the cross, why did Jesus have to suffer, etc), and tells you what scripture says about it.
Isaiah’s vision:
• Isaiah was given a vision of the true king, and what he felt in that moment was pure majesty, holiness, and righteousness. What he also felt was a deep awareness and exposure of his own sin. If we think of ourselves as basically good people, without looking upon the goodness of God, we will never see our need for the cross.
The cross:
• Jesus suffered more than we ever will - physical pain, exhaustion, shame, humiliation, naked exposure, mocking, insults, disappointment, isolation, rejection, betrayal, temptation, fear, and spiritual forsakenness from God. We are the sinners, not Jesus. And yet still, he substituted himself for us. “He took up our pain and bore our suffering” Isaiah 53:4.
Substitution:
• The idea of substitution had been at the heart of God’s people for centuries. What was new, was the sacrifice being a human. In the end it had to be a person. God had to become man. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death” Hebrews 2:14
• When we see our favorite team win, we share in their joy and victory, even though we played no part. Jesus is our conquering hero who represented us on the cross, and defeated sin and death. Because of this, we enjoy peace and are declared right before God.
Fairness:
• It would be unfair to punish Jesus if he were a poor, reluctant individual in the wrong place at the wrong time. By sending his Son, God himself was taking on the punishment. Jesus’ knowledge of what was to come, silence leading up to the cross, and rejection of the wine that would dull his pain, speaks volumes about him willingly laying his life down to fully endure the cross.
Eternity:
• If Jesus was not God, then his death would not save us. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” John 1:14. Because he has infinite worth, his suffering has infinite worth.
• Jesus paid the physical, social, and spiritual price of sin so we can look forward to eternal life in God’s kingdom. This tells us that we are more loved than we could ever imagine, and gives us a renewed determination to put sin to death in our own lives.
Isaiah’s vision:
• Isaiah was given a vision of the true king, and what he felt in that moment was pure majesty, holiness, and righteousness. What he also felt was a deep awareness and exposure of his own sin. If we think of ourselves as basically good people, without looking upon the goodness of God, we will never see our need for the cross.
The cross:
• Jesus suffered more than we ever will - physical pain, exhaustion, shame, humiliation, naked exposure, mocking, insults, disappointment, isolation, rejection, betrayal, temptation, fear, and spiritual forsakenness from God. We are the sinners, not Jesus. And yet still, he substituted himself for us. “He took up our pain and bore our suffering” Isaiah 53:4.
Substitution:
• The idea of substitution had been at the heart of God’s people for centuries. What was new, was the sacrifice being a human. In the end it had to be a person. God had to become man. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death” Hebrews 2:14
• When we see our favorite team win, we share in their joy and victory, even though we played no part. Jesus is our conquering hero who represented us on the cross, and defeated sin and death. Because of this, we enjoy peace and are declared right before God.
Fairness:
• It would be unfair to punish Jesus if he were a poor, reluctant individual in the wrong place at the wrong time. By sending his Son, God himself was taking on the punishment. Jesus’ knowledge of what was to come, silence leading up to the cross, and rejection of the wine that would dull his pain, speaks volumes about him willingly laying his life down to fully endure the cross.
Eternity:
• If Jesus was not God, then his death would not save us. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” John 1:14. Because he has infinite worth, his suffering has infinite worth.
• Jesus paid the physical, social, and spiritual price of sin so we can look forward to eternal life in God’s kingdom. This tells us that we are more loved than we could ever imagine, and gives us a renewed determination to put sin to death in our own lives.
October 10, 2019
In Why did Jesus have to Die? Marcus Nodder takes on the question of why it was necessary that the Son of God die on a cross for our sins to reconcile us to God.
Nodder begins answering this question by considering just who God is. Nodder believes that the understanding of why we would need God himself to die for us to reconcile us has to begin with a proper understanding of who God is. He says that God’s majesty and holiness confront our limited cultural understanding of God. But God isn’t a bigger version of ourselves. He is something completely other.
Nodder takes us to Isaiah, where Isaiah cries out, “Woe to me! I am ruined,” when he encounters God. Nodder says that once “I see God as he is, my self-delusion is blown away, and I know myself to be a sinner. Lost. Ruined. Without hope—apart from the cross.”
Nodder then examines what happened on the cross. He says that “Jesus’ suffering makes him able not just to relate to us, but to rescue us.” Nodder takes us back to the sacrificial system and considers why God set it up and that Jesus comes as the only one who can fulfill the sacrificial service. Jesus suffered physically, socially, and spiritually. Jesus was forsaken by God so that we would not have to be.
Because Jesus is of infinite worth, “The ‘precious blood of Christ’ is of infinite value.” What does that blood accomplish? First, it accomplishes our justifications: our acquittal. Jesus’ account or righteousness has been transferred to us. Second, the cross brings peace between us and God. Third, it makes us adopted into God’s family.
Nodder tells us that our response to the work of Christ is to trust in the cross, wonder at the cross, take up the cross, live out the cross, and look to the cross.
Throughout Nodder gives great illustrative stories and his breakout sections on topics such as “Isn’t God unfair to punish Jesus in our place?” and “Did Jesus die for everyone?” are very helpful.
Nodder’s book is an excellent introduction to the cross. If you’re wanting more, particularly a deeper dive into the theology of the cross, I would commend Stott’s The Cross of Christ as a follow-up.
For more reviews see www.thebeehive.live.
Nodder begins answering this question by considering just who God is. Nodder believes that the understanding of why we would need God himself to die for us to reconcile us has to begin with a proper understanding of who God is. He says that God’s majesty and holiness confront our limited cultural understanding of God. But God isn’t a bigger version of ourselves. He is something completely other.
Nodder takes us to Isaiah, where Isaiah cries out, “Woe to me! I am ruined,” when he encounters God. Nodder says that once “I see God as he is, my self-delusion is blown away, and I know myself to be a sinner. Lost. Ruined. Without hope—apart from the cross.”
Nodder then examines what happened on the cross. He says that “Jesus’ suffering makes him able not just to relate to us, but to rescue us.” Nodder takes us back to the sacrificial system and considers why God set it up and that Jesus comes as the only one who can fulfill the sacrificial service. Jesus suffered physically, socially, and spiritually. Jesus was forsaken by God so that we would not have to be.
Because Jesus is of infinite worth, “The ‘precious blood of Christ’ is of infinite value.” What does that blood accomplish? First, it accomplishes our justifications: our acquittal. Jesus’ account or righteousness has been transferred to us. Second, the cross brings peace between us and God. Third, it makes us adopted into God’s family.
Nodder tells us that our response to the work of Christ is to trust in the cross, wonder at the cross, take up the cross, live out the cross, and look to the cross.
Throughout Nodder gives great illustrative stories and his breakout sections on topics such as “Isn’t God unfair to punish Jesus in our place?” and “Did Jesus die for everyone?” are very helpful.
Nodder’s book is an excellent introduction to the cross. If you’re wanting more, particularly a deeper dive into the theology of the cross, I would commend Stott’s The Cross of Christ as a follow-up.
For more reviews see www.thebeehive.live.
April 30, 2025
I liked this and the encouragement within for Christians to intentionally dwell on the cross frequently.
Read
January 17, 2022Great little book unpacking a questions that we all process. The death of Jesus was what had to happen for us to be forgiven, and is also sufficient to do so!
October 12, 2025
Another edition in the goodbooks series Questians Christians Ask.
This is a helpful addition to the series, especially since the author addresses common objections and questions about the death of Jesus, the Christ. The five short chapters seek to answer specific questions, such as 'Why do we need the cross?', 'What happened at the cross?', 'Why did Jesus have to suffer?', 'What did the cross achiere?', 'How should we respond to the cross?'
The author gives well-supported and direct answers to the questions posed, and in each chapter, augments the question by addressing other related questions. I applaud the author for dealing with the hot topic of general redemption against particular redemption in what is an evangelistic booklet!
A solid 4-star contribution to a good series.
This is a helpful addition to the series, especially since the author addresses common objections and questions about the death of Jesus, the Christ. The five short chapters seek to answer specific questions, such as 'Why do we need the cross?', 'What happened at the cross?', 'Why did Jesus have to suffer?', 'What did the cross achiere?', 'How should we respond to the cross?'
The author gives well-supported and direct answers to the questions posed, and in each chapter, augments the question by addressing other related questions. I applaud the author for dealing with the hot topic of general redemption against particular redemption in what is an evangelistic booklet!
A solid 4-star contribution to a good series.
October 9, 2021
Recently a colleague at work mentioned that they tended to feel guilty around Easter time because of the story of Jesus. (They had a Catholic education growing up.)
This got me curious to think about how we *should* view the story of Jesus. His sacrifice is for our sin, so there is a sense that we should have some conviction of our guilt.
But it is also a concept that is great news for the world and provides a way to take away all guilt from us.
This short little book manages to make those points very simply and concisely.
This got me curious to think about how we *should* view the story of Jesus. His sacrifice is for our sin, so there is a sense that we should have some conviction of our guilt.
But it is also a concept that is great news for the world and provides a way to take away all guilt from us.
This short little book manages to make those points very simply and concisely.
December 21, 2022
(3.9) A helpful read, outlining why Jesus had to die. Going in depth on long passages of scripture was helpful and the best sections for me were the answers to tough questions about Jesus’s death, at the end of each chapter.
August 30, 2023
Another solid book in the Questions Christians Ask series.
September 29, 2014
The cross is a symbol uniquely associated with Christianity. But how can an instrument of death convey a message of life? What is the significance of the cross to Christian faith and life? Nodder answers these questions, along with other important ones, in this brief survey of the work Christ accomplished via the cross. Thoroughly biblical, yet accessible at a popular level, this book explains the cross and what it means for followers of Christ today.
January 12, 2017
Small but powerful book. Learnt a lot of new lessons and even better yet, learnt a lot of familiar lessons explained and presented in a new way. Nodder's use of analogies and illustrations throughout the book was very useful and quite successful in driving his point home- that is the importance and significance of the Cross. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews