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The significance of Christ's sacrifice

Riven

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Why was it necessary for Christ to be sacrificed when God could just forgive us? Was it not possible to forgive humanity without cost?
 
Why was it necessary for Christ to be sacrificed when God could just forgive us? Was it not possible to forgive humanity without cost?
The way I understand it is that God is a just God and demands justice. Being God, He determined that the price for our sin is death. This led to the requirements of various sacrifices using unblemished males as a reminder and pointer to the true perfect sacrifice to come. None of us due to our sinfulness are qualified to fulfill that requirement. Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, came to be that human sacrifice for us.
 
Why was it necessary for Christ to be sacrificed when God could just forgive us? Was it not possible to forgive humanity without cost?

WIP's answer is the basis of the story. On a deeper level as to why God the Father set up this scenario, He has called for complete devotion between Christ and His Bride, the church, so He set up a situation which would ensure it. Scripture says, "Greater love has no man than to die for those he loves," as it's love's ultimate expression, so God the Father asked His Son to pay make the ultimate sacrifice to save His Bride from the Underworld. She in turn is now called to give her life for Him, and the Day is coming when He will return in power, and the two will be together forever in eternity.

It's the ultimate love story, really, and unlike sanitized Disney renditions of legends like Hercules (Heracles) that romanticize Greek mythology into something less brutal than the original legends, in the case of Christ descending to the Underworld to deliver the Old Testament saints, the story is actually true (Matthew 27:52-53), and the basis of numerous New Testament teachings.

Heretics teach otherwise, but this is because they throw out virtually all orthodox Christian traditions and replace them with false doctrines instead.
 
Why was it necessary for Christ to be sacrificed when God could just forgive us? Was it not possible to forgive humanity without cost?
Our Lords' sacrifice is his greatest example of how he endures sin against himself, not willing that sinners should perish, but come to repentance.
Jesus can and did forgave repentant sinners Even the people who conspired to kill him will be forgiven if they repented.
 
Our Lords' sacrifice is his greatest example of how he endures sin against himself, not willing that sinners should perish, but come to repentance.
Jesus can and did forgave repentant sinners Even the people who conspired to kill him will be forgiven if they repented.
But why was it necessary? Why didn't God just forgive humanity? If you have a child and that child does wrong, you don't sacrifice an animal or cut off one of their fingers as payment for forgiveness.
 
But why was it necessary?
Because his word needed to be fulfilled,

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Mt.26:53-54

Jesus defeated not only Israels' enemies, but all mankinds' enemy, death and without his witness, most gentiles would never have heard about Israels' God.
Why didn't God just forgive humanity?
He does if they repent,

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psa.51:16-17
If you have a child and that child does wrong, you don't sacrifice an animal or cut off one of their fingers as payment for forgiveness.
No but we do correct our children. Childern become adults and God says,

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Pro.29:1

Hopefully it won't come to that.
 
In mirroring WIP's reply to your post, Jesus was, is, the only perfect Lamb, the holy sacrifice, that would be worthy enough for God. No other alternative would do.

Imagine if you owed somebody 100 Trillion dollars and the only way to repay that debt would be for you to pay them back the exact amount, down to a penny. Jesus is like that 100 Trillion dollars you, me, and everyone else in the world cannot ever repay out of our own pockets.

You could ask, why didn't God just forgive everyone by snapping His fingers? He certainly could have done so if that is what God wanted to do, but the fact that He didn't do it that way is quite revealing of His character! Our God is not the God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33), and I think it is safe to say that God is the God of order and orderliness. If you look at the Bible closely, you'll notice that God is meticulous every single time. As THE Author of the greatest narrative, God infused His creativity into the art of storytelling, and decided to write the most amazing epic tale by sending the prophets first and then later, Jesus, His one and only Son, to save the world (John 3:16).

His ways and methods are often mysterious and we may not fully understand them until we are in Heaven, but I believe that by sending Jesus into this world, God purported to reconcile sinners to Himself in the greatest fashion possible.
 
Hi Riven

Jesus is God's testimony to us, as to how He has asked us to live. Jesus is God's testimony to us, that He can do what He has promised He will do. Yes, Jesus died to pay the price for sin and he could have gone to stand at the right hand of God at that moment and that would be the end of the story...but it isn't. Praise God!!!!

He raised Jesus from the dead to show us that He can do for us what He has promised He will do, if we will believe and trust Him. Jesus came out of that grave and appeared to the disciples and over 500 people as a testimony from God of His power. Then, after God gave us that final proof, Jesus gave some last instructions and left us. He now waits patiently with the Father, until the Father raises his hand and shouts, "Enough!!! Son go Get your children!!!"

We could all read the Scriptures and read of the promises of God and the life of Jesus and how He honored the Father in all that he did. We can then scratch our heads and wonder, "Gee, I wonder if this is true and God can really do that for me if I trust what this book says about Him and the Son?" Well, friend, that's what the resurrection is! It is God's glorious testimony. "Behold, I will make everything new again." Jesus is the firstborn of that crop that is growing upon the earth.

God bless,
Ted
 
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