One of the most critical events in Christendom is the crucifixion AND the resurrection. If you ignore your heart posture, you will take the mindset that someone else crucified Christ, someone else died, and someone else was raised.
That is one of the most impersonal ways to view events from over 2000 years ago. So here is how you should look at it.
A theological phrase every believer should have in their vocabulary is substitutionary atonement.
According to Got Questions:
The substitutionary atonement refers to Jesus Christ dying as a substitute for sinners. The Scriptures teach that all men are sinners (Romans 3:9-18, 23). The penalty for our sinfulness is death. Romans 6:23 reads, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So, my logic is that Jesus Christ would not need to die without sinners. Because I am a sinner, I contributed to Christ's dying since he died for sins past, present, and future.
Without getting into the sin of Adam, the original sin, and the age of accountability, I genuinely view myself as a cause of the crucifixion. It needs to be that personal because only then can I appreciate what happened on Calvary 2,000 years ago.
Then, I can assume that if Christ died for me, I must repay him by also dying for myself.
If you read Matthew 16:21-28, you find Jesus beginning to teach how he is to suffer many things and be crucified.
Then, in verse 24, he says:
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
So, to continue making it personal, we need to experience death and crucifixion. We must realize that Christ was not the only one who died on Calvary; we also did. And if we died with Him, then we live with Him. We rose with Him. We are seated in heavenly places with Him.
I’ll leave you with this, study Romans Road and learn it well. Make it personal and use this road to lead others to the feet of Christ.
O.