The saving works of Jesus
I understand that I deserve hell because I have sinned. I understand that there is no hope in being saved and going to heaven through works or good things that I can do. We are saved because Jesus has lived a perfect life, died in our place, and rose from the dead. But how exactly does that pay for our sins? If we deserve to suffer in hell for eternity, wouldn't Jesus have to be suffering in hell for eternity to pay for our sins? Did Jesus go to hell? I know that different people believe different things about where he went after he died and what he did there. Why did Jesus rise from the dead? Is this necessary for our salvation? Thank you.
You asked some very important questions about our salvation. You identified the all-important works of Jesus: his perfect life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
How did those works pay for our sins? God’s law demands that we be perfect in every way and at all times (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:48). Jesus lived life perfectly in our place (Hebrews 4:15). Because we also deserved punishment from God for not living perfectly as he demands, Jesus suffered that punishment in our place (Galatians 3:10-13).
On the cross, Jesus suffered what amounts to hell: he was punished for sin and forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46). Rather than suffering eternally, the eternal punishment all people deserved was compressed into a few hours of suffering on the cross.
Jesus’ resurrection was proof positive that his heavenly Father had accepted his perfect life and sacrificial death as the full payment for the sins of the world (Romans 4:25).
After Jesus’ body and soul were reunited in the grave, he descended into hell to proclaim his victory over sin, Satan and death (1 Peter 3:18-20). He did not descend into hell to suffer or to give people a second chance to believe in him.
Yes, we all deserved an eternity in hell because of our natural sinful condition and our actual sins. Praise be to God for promising and sending a Savior—his Son, Jesus Christ—to be our perfect substitute in life and our innocent substitute in death. Praise be to God for accepting his Son’s works as the full payment for our salvation, as evidenced by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.