You killed Jesus Christ with your sins? Let’s examine that.

 

"You killed Jesus Christ with your sins" is a slanderous lie. It is one of those evangelical platitudes like many others that people say without thinking through Scripturally. One of those things that is so commonly repeated that people don't even realize what they are saying (though the trained pastors who say it should know better).

Firstly, to accuse someone of a sin they did not commit is slander, it is to lie and bear false witness. Now, think about this: were the disciples guilty of Jesus' death? Jesus said about the Romans who nailed his hands, "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing" (Luke 23:32-35). So, if he did not want to hold the Roman soldiers guilty who actually crucified him, why would the disciples, who opposed his death, be guilty? The disciples were guilty of cowardice, not standing with Jesus, and many other sins, but the 11 other than Judas were not guilty of his death. It was because Judas was guilty of betraying Jesus to death that he faced a specially harsh punishment from God, and was called the son of perdition.

Did the Apostles consider themselves guilty of his death? Think about it, they understood the gospel better than anyone else, anyone else, better than you and me, and they did not consider themselves guilty of it. They knew who was guilty for his death, and it was not them, it was the leaders of Israel, the Pharisees and others, and they considered themselves witnesses to this crime: 

"22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it" (Acts 2:22-24).

"13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:12-16).

Who do they consider guilty? "You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men..." They considered the leaders of Israel who opposed Jesus and had him killed to be guilty, because that is who was guilty. When Israel's leaders rejected their God, God enacted the curses of Deuteronomy 28, but he also made a way for all of them to escape from these curses. He did this for Jews and Gentiles, all who believe in him are freed from every curse. 

This is important, because you corrupt the gospel when you go beyond scripture. Jesus died for our sins, but we did not kill him. Those who killed him are the one that killed him. The gospel message is not that we all stood with the murderers and participated in the death of Christ. The gospel message is that we all deserved to be on that cross, and he took our place, willingly, of his own accord. He "was pierced for our transgressions", that is substitutionary atonement, he took our place:

"4 Surely he has borne our griefs

    and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

    smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5).

 

Church leaders who accuse someone of the murder of an innocent man they did not kill, because they are trying to be clever about who killed Jesus, are committing a grievous and evil sin; slander and false witness. We have enough guilt on our heads, without adding other guilt. And you know what, some of those who were responsible for his death were forgiven when they repented too. Such is the mercy of Jesus that he even redeems those who hated him while he was on earth:

"37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:37-41).

When people go beyond scripture, you know they have believed a lie and are being influenced by the chief of liars, beware of nice sounding lies.