Scripture clearly states that Jesus died for our sins.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

But how is this in “accordance with the Scriptures?” In the Old Testament, there are many examples of giving a life in place of a life. For instance, in Genesis, we read,

“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)

The Old Testament, with its sacrificial system, forms a seamless continuum with the New Testament. Some theologians assert that Paul’s reference to the Scriptures was to this sacrificial system. In the Old Testament, in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, God speaks to the required sacrifices. For this discussion, the point to be made is that the New Testament writers frequently referred to the Old Testament when they described the Gospel. The Gospel Paul preaches in the New Testament, for example, is intricately tied to the Old Testament, underscoring the coherence of the biblical narrative and plotline.