Our Muslim friends are having a hard time accepting the sacrificial death of Christ, they always quote verses from the Bible which say NO ONE WILL DIE FOR THE SIN OF OTHER!
To answer this we have to clarify what kind of death is being discussed in the context. We have three kinds of death:
1). PHYSICAL DEATH is the separation of the body from the spirit and soul – James 2:26
2). SPIRITUAL DEATH:
When Adam and Eve sinned, God said they will SURELY die in the day that they eat of the fruit. But they did not die PHYSICALLY in fact Adam lived up to 930 years before dying – Gen 5:5. Obviously, God had a different meaning in mind than physical death. What God meant is Adam and Eve died SPIRITUALLY. The moment they disobeyed God their sin had separated them from God and they died spiritually!
3). SECOND DEATH OR HELLFIRE/lake of Fire:
The SECOND DEATH is a permanent separation from God. One where there is no return to life:
Revelation 20:11″15
The Great White Throne Judgment
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, …… 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 …….And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Muslims are using Ezekiel 18:20-21 as evidence that Jesus did not die for our sins because the Scripture says that a person cannot BEAR the sins or INIQUITY of other persons.
Ezekiel 18:20-21
20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right,he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Ezekiel 18:20-21 is about SPIRITUAL DEATH which is further punishable by second death if the person physically died without repentance. Ezekiel 18:20-21 means the person who sins shall die SPIRITUALLY. Your father or anybody else will NOT DIE SPIRITUALLY because of your sins. This does not contradict Jesus’ PHYSICAL DEATH, Jesus did not die spiritually, He was sinless. Verse 21 says that if a SPIRITUALLY DEAD PERSON REPENT(TURN AWAY) from all his sins he will live; that though he would die physically he won’t be punished with the second death (Hellfire).
However, we must understand that repentance and forgiveness were made possible only by the PHYSICAL death of Christ. Without the atoning death of Christ that covers the sins of mankind a person who sins cannot call on God and make petition for his sins. The death of Christ gives mankind opportunity to appeal to God for forgiveness when condition is met. The CONDITION is to BELIEVE in the Son (John 3:16). “Believe” here is comprehensive; the person must obey and do Christ’s commandments.
Hebrews 5:9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation FOR ALL WHO OBEY.