>>13205131Jesus was the last. Jesus died so that humans could have their sins forgiven and receive endless life. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:7) Jesus’ death also proved that a human can remain loyal to God even when faced with the severest of tests.—Hebrews 4:15.
Consider how the death of one man could accomplish so much.
Jesus died for “the forgiveness of our sins.”—Colossians 1:14.
The first human, Adam, was created perfect, without sin. However, he chose to disobey God. Adam’s disobedience, or sin, profoundly affected all his descendants. “Through the disobedience of the one man,” the Bible explains, “many were made sinners.”—Romans 5:19.
Jesus was also perfect, but he never sinned. Therefore, he could be “an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 2:2; footnote) Just as Adam’s disobedience contaminated the human family with sin, so Jesus’ death removed the stain of sin from all who exercise faith in him.
In a sense, Adam sold the human race into sin. Jesus, by willingly dying in our behalf, repurchased humankind as his own. As a result, “if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one.”—1 John 2:1.
Jesus died “so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.”—John 3:16.
Although Adam was created to live forever, his sin brought upon him the penalty of death. Through Adam, “sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”—Romans 5:12.
In contrast, Jesus’ death not only removed the blemish of sin but also canceled the death sentence for all who exercise faith in him. The Bible sums up matters this way: “Just as sin ruled as king with death, so also undeserved kindness might rule as king through righteousness leading to everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”—Romans 5:21.
