An important part of being an American is knowing our country’s history. As a people, we have endured attacks, fought bitter civil and foreign wars, and watched American leaders fall. We have also enjoyed unmatched prosperity and liberty. All of these struggles and blessings have shaped us and our country. That is why it’s so important to study history—not just to memorize names, dates, and facts, but to learn who we are, where we come from, and where we’re heading.

Consider some defining moments in American history: the signing of the Declaration of Independence; Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation; the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; the September 11 terrorist attacks. Each of these events has left its mark on the pages of American history and in the minds of the American people. When studying each event we can clearly observe its effects rippling through our history.

But there is one defining moment in the history of mankind that affects everyone—not just Americans, but every human being that has ever been born and ever will be born. It was the moment when, 2,000 years ago on a hill in Jerusalem, a man named Jesus breathed His last breath and surrendered His spirit to God.

Why was this a pivotal moment, and why should we remember it? Why was it so faithfully recorded by multiple authors and preserved in the Bible these two millennia? More importantly—what does Jesus’ death mean for us, today?

To understand why Jesus’ crucifixion was so important, we need to first understand that we are not perfect. We are, by nature, imperfect beings who are incapable of always doing the right thing. There is no exception—“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

If we fall short of God’s glory, then how can we ever hope to be reconciled with Him? How can we hope to go to Heaven someday, if not based on our own works? God has taken care of this. From His gracious provision He designed a way to bring us back to Him, to cleanse us of our sins and make us holy in His sight.

That’s where Jesus comes in. He was more than just a man; He was the sinless, perfect Son of God, sent to earth “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). But not everyone believed that. “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).

For many centuries the people of Israel had awaited their Savior—their Messiah, whom God had promised to send to them. Prophets spoke of Him and how He would redeem His people. So the people had high expectations. They hoped for a mighty king who would crush their enemies. So in the time when the Roman Empire ruled over Israel, when a small-town carpenter’s son began to teach that He was the promised One—the Son of God, the long-awaited Savior—many of the Jewish leaders were outraged. Jesus was not what they had been expecting their Messiah to be like. They watched Him closely, just waiting for Him to do something wrong so they could arrest Him and end His ministry. But Jesus only did good things while He was on earth—He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, and taught people to love God and others.

It all led up to the day when Jesus was betrayed by one of His followers and arrested. Though He had committed no crime, Jesus did not protest, offering Himself to be tortured and killed. He was whipped mercilessly, beaten, mocked, spit upon, forced to carry a heavy wooden cross uphill, nailed to it, and left to die an excruciating, humiliating, criminal’s death.

But the story doesn’t end there. Three days later, Jesus’ followers were overcome with joy to learn that He had risen from the dead—fulfilling the prophecies and proving that He was exactly who He said He was: the Son of God, the long-hoped-for Messiah.

If you’re still wondering what Jesus’ death and resurrection have to do with you, listen to this Bible verse: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9). If you believe that you need a Savior, and you ask Jesus Christ to be Lord of your life, you will be forgiven for all your sins—past, present, and future—and He will grant you salvation.