We have already established, on solid historical grounds,
that Jesus of Nazareth taught that His death on the cross has a unique relation
to human salvation. Through that death, God receives into His favor, in spite
of their past sins, all who believe the good news Christ proclaimed. Christ
chose to die for this purpose, and the need for so costly a means of salvation
arose from human sin. Paul drew from Christ's teaching the further conclusion
that this necessity rested in the justice of God, and we have found that this
conclusion best explains the teaching reflected throughout the New Testament.
In the future, we shall consider historical evidence that the Crucified One
claimed to be, in a sense shared by no other, the Son of God, the eternal
companion of the Father's glory, the possessor of divine attributes, and the
Creator and Judge of the world. And further, we shall consider historical
evidence that this Savior of the world rose from the dead. Teaching about His
own death, coming from such a Teacher and supported by such credentials,
carries an authority we cannot dismiss. When our argument is
complete, it will yield a settled conclusion to our theological inquiry.
