In John 12:24, Jesus indicates the absolute necessity of His death if there is to be a church. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone” (emphasis added). The implication is clear. If Jesus does not die, there will be no church; but He does die, and so He brings forth His church, in which He reveals His glory.

“The Fruitful Grain of Wheat” by Brian Vos in Planting, Watering, Growing: Planting Confessionally Reformed Churches in the 21st Century, eds. Daniel R. Hyde and Shane Lems, 11.