One aspect of Christianity I never understood?

Question

Ok, I understand you say Jesus died for our sins. But what I don't get is why he would have to do that. The bible says no man is without sin, and I totally agree, but if Jesus died for our sins then does it not even matter if we sin? Why do we have to ask forgiveness and all that if he already paid our moral "fines." If that is true than the only requirement to get to heaven is belief in Jesus and it doesn't matter whether you sin or not? Can someone tell me what part I'm missing? And please don't just quote 2/3 of the bible to avoid answering because I really want to know.

Alright, I didn't realize that everyone before Jesus went to hell? That seems odd, but that was the part I was missing I guess. Thanks

Answer 1

youre missing the other reason jesus died, and that was to open the gates of heaven. before jesus died everybody was going to hell wether they were good people or not, this was because the temples had become corrupt so god sent jesus down to set things right.

Answer 2

You, like many Christians, fail to understand what it was Jesus Christ did for humanity. The gates of heaven were closed to man because of the sin of Adam and Eve. You probably do not believe in original sin but Christians do. Because we are from Adam and Eve (like a copy of a copy) we inherit the sinful nature they had.

When Jesus died on the Cross he opened up the gates of heaven. All of the good souls that did God's will before Christ was crucified. went from Limbo, to heaven. Jesus and Mary started the NEW CREATION. Scripture says Jesus is the NEW ADAM. If you truly want to understand this look up SCRIPTURAL TYPOLOGY.

That is not how Christianity is. Jesus said, "Many shall say, 'Lord, Lord' but will not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt.7:21) So, we must do good and do God's will. It is also written that faith without works is dead. This verse contradicts what some of the answers you have gotten.

What everyone needs to realize is that as Christians we must do what Christ did: forgive sins, pray for our enemies, do not return evil for evil, etc.

Answer 3

He died to forgive humankind for "original sin" (Adam and Eve, the Apple, in Genesis, etc.)

It is a change in focus--Judaism is more focused on acts, where Christianity focuses more on beliefs. No this does not mean you are free to sin. If you believe, you are more inclined to naturally live a less sinful life. Islam (which claims that the apostles distorted the Prophet Jesus' message--one being that he was the son of God) merges together the focus on act and belief into the idea of submission, meaning you both believe and act correctly.

The Bible does not state that everyone before went to Hell, that's really silly BTW, in fact it still leaves it open for Jews to get into Heaven, but it's much easier for Christians, because having faith covers most of it.

Answer 4

Basically God's plan is this: we are God's children, made in His image. Jesus is His only begotten son. We came to earth to get a physical body and be tested, learn, progress and hopefully, if we choose, return to Him. The problem is, there's no sin allowed in Heaven, yet we will always fall short being human. We need to get rid of sin to return to him but we can't get rid of it ourselves. The other obstacle is death. Like sin, it is unavoidable but we can't overcome death either alone. The Bible says that God is both merciful and just. Mercy requires forgiveness, yet justice requires consequences both positive and negative. It would seem the two principles contradict, but that's where Jesus comes in. As the Savior, he paid the price of our sins with his sacrifice in Gethsemane and overcame death through his own death and subsequent resurrection (3 days later). If, and it's a big if, we decide to repent and follow Jesus, our sins are forgiven, meeting the demands justice. The price we pay is to start a new life living the God intended -- not easy. The mercy is the free gift of live-after-death that Jesus gives to everyone regardless of how they choose to live their life. In the end, after the resurrection, the judgment (done by Jesus) will decide whether we get to go to heaven (live with God & Jesus) or not.

Answer 5

Just one?

- why does god trade sacrifices for sins. the victim is the one to suffer, and the one who offered it benefits. Hardly seems just to me.

- if god knew all this in advance, why create such a stupid system in the first place?

- If I believed and the sacrifice was a lie, the result is the same. If the sacrifice was a lie and I fail to believe, the result is the same. If the sacrifice was real, my belief is still what determines the result. It is my belief that matters, not the 'sacrifice'. What then is the value of a sacrifice that changes nothing?

- considering I never knew Jesus and have nothing to lose from his death, in what sense is that a sacrifice as far as I'm concerned? He'd be dead by now anyway.

Answer 6

this is only my Idea,

I read the entire Old Testiment of the Bible, because I had a lot of questions and wanted some answers. What I understood, is that during the time the Isrealites were rescued from Egyp God was very strict in regards to sin. Because God is Holy and can not accept sin, he let the Isrealies to sacrifice a Lamb and other animals (Splling the blood for the remission of sins)

I think that sice we are gentiles that God may have known that it would be difficlut for us to follow in the tradditions that he set forth for the isrealis so he gave his only begotten son as a final sacrifice (The Lamb of god) for the remission of our sins.

In the old Testiment, even after the sacrifice of the animal and the forgiving of their sins, the isrealies still had to come back to the temple once per year to repeat the process for their sins, so it was a process that never stopped.

I think that each time that we sin, we have to ask God to forgive us and that forgiveness comes from the Blood of Jesus, just as the isrealites had to go to the temple once per year to ask for forgivenes and offer a sacrifice.

But again, this is my opinion.

Take care

Gill

Answer 7

You're taking things too literally, that's why you're confused. It's symbolic.

He died to absolve humanity of past sins & to tell generations to come that they should love each other the way he loved them. Thru unconditional love, one cant sin. There's no way anyone could do anything wrong if they loved everyone and everything the way Christ loved us & I'm not talking about love the way we choose to understand it, but the way IT is.

So saying "the only requirement to get to heaven is belief in Jesus and it doesn't matter whether you sin or not" is a paradox in itself. If you TRULY believe in him, you would follow his example and practice the love i mentioned, and therefore never sin. If you do sin, then your love is not absolute, so you do not truly believe in him.

But, you might argue, we are human... well, that a whole dissertation all by itself.

Answer 8

First, I agree with Altouhe. But I'd like to add some things, too.

In the days of the law, when somebody sinned, they had to make a blood sacrifice (particular animal) in order to atone for them (atone: at-one... reconciling back to God). Nobody was able to fulfill the Law's commandments completely except for God (Jesus). And in order to atone for us completely, He had to die...be that one perfect sacrifice. But it wasn't only in His death, but in His resurrection that we're saved.

I know you asked that no scriptures be quoted, but I do suggest that you read Romans 6, for I believe that it explains the answer to your question about continuing to sin.

Why do we have to continue to repent?
B/c we still continue to sin, and sin separates us (not God) from God's immediate presence...it damges our relationship w/Him. So in order to reconcile that relationship, we need to repent our sins. (you know when you offend a friend, the relationship becomes distant. But when forgiveness/reconciliation occurs, the friendship is rejoined, and all's cool again). It's like that.

It's not just faith that's needed...it's also obedience. You've heard the scriputre, "faiths without works is dead?" We can't be idle Christians. We have to obey. Also, back to the relational aspect, Jesus said that if we love Him, we'll obey His commands. If we don't obey His commands, then it shows as us not loving Him (there's more to loving somebody than just telling them).

Answer 9

Great question!!!

If you read the Gospels, you'll see that Jesus' main concern was the "Kingdom of God." He wasn't just about saving people from their sins and making sure they go to heaven after they die, but bringing that heavenly kingdom to earth.

When man sinned and allowed Satan rule in the earth, this world became captive to the kingdom of darkness...sin. Moses, the prophets, the Law...all that was about living a life where God reigns, and so bringing His kingdom to earth. Jesus was the completion of all that. He lived a perfect life, teaching us what it means to live in God's ways both by example and in His words.

His death was the final sacrifice for sin...we no longer have to atone for sins by killing an animal. The Law was satisfied in Christ's death, and we simply must accept His life, death, and resurrection in our hearts to claim that atonement for ourselves. Accepting all of that means accepting God's rule in our lives, thus living for Him.

I wrote this really late at night, so I hope it makes sense and helps you. Thanks for the great question!

Answer 10

Because we could not save our self Jesus put aside his diety and came being fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life and died once for all mankind's sin. Our sins nailed him on the cross.
He has paid the cost but we are still in human form and still continue to commit sin (all of which were paid for). God wants us to acknowledge our sin and strive to live a life that is a witness for him. When we ignore our sin and brush it off it makes it a whole lot easier to continue in it rather than to recognize it and make effort to correct our behavior. We tend to forget what we do not acknowledge and history repeats itself.
Also, we tend to feel guilty when we sin and he knew that it would help us to seek forgiveness.