Paul and the Death of Jesus the Messiah
When we read Paul’s letters in the New Testament, it’s important to know that Paul was fully Jewish. He believed the same things his fellow Jews did about God’s plan for the future: that one day God would raise the dead, bring judgment, and establish His kingdom through the Messiah.
But Paul taught something that was new and powerful: the Messiah, Jesus, died as a sacrifice for sins.
Sacrifice and the Cross
In the Old Testament, God gave Israel sacrifices. When people sinned, they brought an animal, laid their hands on it, confessed their sins, and the animal was killed. Its blood was shed as a substitute—life for life. It was God’s way of teaching His people that sin brings death, but that forgiveness is possible through the shedding of blood.
In the Old Testament, God gave Israel sacrifices and the Temple. But these things were never meant to be just about rituals or going through the motions. Their deeper purpose was to show that God Himself was dwelling with His people—the Temple was like God’s footstool on earth, a sign that His presence was among them.
The sacrifices pointed forward to something greater. They reminded Israel that sin separates us from God and that forgiveness always costs something—blood, life. But forgiveness wasn’t automatic. God wanted people to repent—to turn back to Him with sincere hearts—and then bring a sacrifice as an expression of that repentance.
Later, the prophets warned Israel that sacrifices without true repentance meant nothing. If people kept sinning without caring, but still brought animals to the Temple, God rejected it. What He wanted was hearts turned toward Him, not empty rituals.
So repentance and sacrifice were always meant to go together. The sacrifice showed the cost of sin, and repentance showed the heart’s desire to be made right with God.
And all of this was preparing the way for Jesus, whose death would be the final and perfect sacrifice.
The cross was not just a tragic event; it was a sacrifice. Jesus gave His life so that our sins could be forgiven. His blood accomplishes what the sacrifices in the Temple pointed toward—real forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
The Bigger Story: This Age and the Age to Come
Paul also explains this sacrifice inside a bigger story. The Jewish people believed history was divided into two parts:
This age—the present world, broken by sin and death.
The age to come—the future world when God will bring judgment, raise the dead, and restore His kingdom.
Paul says:
Jesus died in this age as a sacrifice for sin.
He will return in the age to come to bring resurrection, judgment, and the kingdom of God.
So Jesus’ death doesn’t mean the story is already finished. Instead, it’s the sacrifice that makes the final hope possible.
When Jesus rose from the dead, some of His followers were confused. They thought the Messiah was supposed to bring Israel’s redemption and glory right away. But Jesus explained to them that they hadn’t understood the whole picture.
Starting with Moses and the prophets, He showed that the Scriptures had always said the Messiah would suffer first, then enter into glory. The “glory” means the age to come: when the righteous are raised, Israel is restored, and God’s kingdom is established.
Jesus wasn’t changing their hope for redemption—He was clarifying the order: first suffering, then glory.
The Old Testament sacrificial system already showed that sin needed blood and atonement.
The prophets (like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22) added that the Messiah Himself would suffer, like a lamb led to slaughter, taking on the guilt of His people.
Only after this suffering would He be exalted as King.
So, Jesus’ death wasn’t a mistake or a contradiction of Israel’s hope. It was the necessary step that makes Israel’s future hope—and ours—possible.
In short: The Messiah came first to bear sin through His sacrifice on the cross, and He will come again in glory to bring the kingdom in full.
When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he explained what was happening: God had poured out His Spirit, just as the prophets had promised would happen before the final “Day of the Lord” (the day of judgment).
Peter reminded the people that Jesus had shown Himself to be from God through miracles and wonders. But their leaders rejected Him and had Him crucified. Yet God raised Him from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand, fulfilling Psalm 110, where the Messiah is told: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The people were deeply convicted—not because they had misunderstood their Scriptures or their hope for the future, but because they realized they had crucified the very Messiah who would one day return to judge the world. That’s why thousands repented and turned to Jesus.
Peter’s point was clear:
Jesus is both Lord and Messiah.
He is now seated at God’s right hand.
He will return to bring judgment and establish God’s kingdom.
Later, when Peter preached to Cornelius (Acts 10), he said the same thing in another way: Jesus is the one chosen by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. But here’s the good news—everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
So, the message is both sobering and hopeful:
Jesus is the Judge who will come at the end of the age.
But He is also the Savior who offers forgiveness right now because of His sacrificial death.
Why This Matters
When Paul talks about the blood of Jesus, he always means one thing: sacrifice. Just like in the Old Testament, blood meant life poured out to deal with sin.
Paul explains four main things that Jesus’ sacrificial blood actually does for us:
Reconciliation – Sin separated us from God. Through the blood of Jesus, we are brought back into relationship with Him. We go from being enemies to being friends of God (Colossians 1:19–22).
Propitiation – God is holy, and sin brings His judgment. Jesus’ blood turns away that wrath by paying the price for our sins (Romans 3:25). In other words, Jesus took the judgment we deserved.
Justification – Picture a courtroom. We stand guilty before God, but because of Jesus’ blood, God declares us “not guilty.” Paul talks about this more than any of the other terms—justification means we are legally cleared and counted righteous (Romans 5:9).
Redemption – Sin holds people captive like slaves. Jesus’ blood “purchased” our freedom, breaking sin’s power and giving us a new inheritance and future in God’s kingdom (Ephesians 1:7).
In short: The death of Jesus is a sacrifice for sins, and it fits inside God’s bigger plan to one day raise the dead, bring judgment, and establish His kingdom forever.