Executive Summary
The Gospel Explained in Under 5 Minutes
Every thinking person eventually asks the same question: If God loves us, why did Jesus have to die? Couldn't an all-powerful God have found an easier way? The answer is more brilliant than you might expect — and it all starts with understanding the difference between a nice judge and a good judge.
The Perfect Judge
Imagine the best, most perfect judge in the world sitting on the bench.
A man walks in who has committed unspeakable crimes—he sexually abused a child and then burned her home down with her family inside. The evidence is irrefutable. The courtroom is silent, waiting for the verdict.
The judge smiles at the man and says, “Hey, I’m a loving guy… so I’m just going to let you go free. No punishment at all.”
Ask yourself: Is that judge good… or is he wicked and corrupt?
The answer is obvious. He is corrupt. A good judge must punish evil. If he lets a monster walk free, he becomes a monster himself.
God is the perfect Judge of the universe. That means He must punish evil, or He would be corrupt, too. He cannot look at the lying, hatred, selfishness, and immorality in our own lives—the damage we have done to others and to Him—and simply say, "No big deal, come live with Me forever." That would make God unholy and unjust.
The Death Sentence (We Are Bankrupt)
So, God the Judge looks at the evidence of our lives and says, “Guilty. The sentence is death—eternal separation from Me and from everything good, forever.”
But then, He offers an alternative: “You can pay the penalty yourself right now… but the price is your own eternal death. Do you have the currency to pay that?”
The answer is no. We are spiritually bankrupt. We have nothing to offer that can pay for a lifetime of sin against an infinite God. We deserve to be separated from Him. That is perfectly just. We earned it.
The Judge Pays With His Own Life
You are standing there trembling, about to be dragged away to the sentence you deserve.
Suddenly, the Judge stands up. He takes off His robe. He walks down from the high bench and stands right beside you, not as a magistrate, but as a brother.
He looks at the guard and says, “Take Me instead. Execute Me in his place. Put the full punishment on Me.”
He stretches out His arms and allows them to nail Him to a cross and execute Him. The sentence is carried out. The justice is satisfied.
Now… can you walk free? Yes.
That is exactly what Jesus did. God Himself came down, became fully human, and took the death we deserve.
The Legal Defense: How Can a Judge Die for a Criminal?
Some skeptics might pause here and say, "Hold on—that’s not legal! A judge can’t just take a criminal's place. No court on earth would allow a random judge to go to the electric chair for a stranger."
That is a valid objection in a human court, but it fails with God for two specific reasons:
1. He is the Victim.
God is not just the Judge; He is also the Injured Party. Every sin you have ever committed was ultimately against Him. He is the One we have lied to, ignored, and rebelled against. In law, the victim has the absolute right to say, "I choose to absorb the cost of the damages Myself to forgive you." God, as the Victim, has every right to pay the price Himself.
2. He Became Our Co-Signer.
Think of it like a bank loan. You owe the bank $10 million, and you are bankrupt. You are going to prison. A total stranger cannot walk in and say, "I'll take his jail time." The law forbids it because there is no legal connection.
BUT—if your own father had co-signed the loan with you at the beginning, the bank could legally demand payment from him when you defaulted. He would have the legal right to pay your debt and set you free.
Jesus did exactly that. By becoming human—by taking on flesh and blood and becoming our Brother—He "co-signed" for the human race. He made Himself our legal Kinsman-Redeemer. That gave Him the full legal standing to step in and pay the debt with His own life.
The Moral Defense: Why Couldn't God Just "Snap His Fingers"?
This leads to the most important question people ask: “But why couldn’t God just forgive us without the death? He’s God! Couldn’t He have chosen an easier way?”
Listen closely, because the answer reveals the heart of the Gospel.
Go back to that courtroom with the man who hurt the little girl. Imagine the monster says, “Sorry, judge.” Now imagine the judge says, “No problem! Forgiven! You’re free!” and lets him walk out smiling.
What would that little girl’s mother do?
She would scream, “That’s not justice! My child suffered unimaginable pain, and this man gets to go free?! You are a wicked judge!”
She would be absolutely right.
When we sin, we cause real pain. We damage people. We offend God. If God simply snapped His fingers and said, "Poof, forgiven," He would be telling every rape victim, every murdered child, and every person who has ever been abused: “Your pain doesn’t matter. Justice doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”
That would make God the most evil being in the universe.
But God is not evil. He is perfectly holy and perfectly just. Therefore, the only way He can forgive us is if the full punishment is actually carried out—every ounce of wrath, every drop of blood must be paid.
So He came Himself and took it all for you.
This was not weakness. This was not a lack of options. This was the most glorious, wise, and loving act in history. Because of the Cross:
- Justice is completely satisfied (The penalty was fully paid).
- Love is perfectly demonstrated (God took the bullet Himself).
- You get to go free, forever.
Any "easier" way would have made God unrighteous. The Cross is the greatest demonstration of love and justice the world has ever seen.
The Receipt: The Resurrection
There is one final piece of evidence. If the Judge dies in your place and stays dead, how do you know the payment was accepted? You don’t.
That is why, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead.
The Resurrection was God stamping the receipt: PAID IN FULL.
The check cleared. The debt is canceled. Death is defeated. And He's alive right now, ready to save you today. This isn't ancient history—it's a present reality.
A dead man cannot save you; only a risen King can.
The Verdict
So we can stop asking, "Why didn't God find an easier way?" The real question is this:
The price has already been paid.
The receipt has already been shown.
Will you receive the gift Jesus bought for you with His own blood…
or will you say, “No thank you — I’ll pay it myself”… and spend eternity separated from God?
Jesus already did the impossible.
All that is left is for you to say yes to Him.