Why would you want someone else to pay for your sins? Why is that payment death?

Answer 1

I know! Sounds a little anti-social, doesn't it? I'll be bad and let someone else go down for it... how christian!

Answer 2

That is based on a mistranslation of Romans 5:12 in the Vulgate, coupled with Augustine's defense against Pelegius and Anselm's doctrine of satisfaction.

The view of the early Church was that no sin was imputed to the Gentiles to begin with. Salvation was accomplished through a sacramental union with the resurrection of Christ, and not by a substitutionary atonement. See Romans 4:25: "[Jesus] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Also Romans 5:13, "...sin is not imputed when there is no law." And the New Testament constantly affirms that the Gentiles were never under the Law.

The idea of original sin and substitutionary atonement is unique to Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. It is not found in the theology of the Eastern Orthodox, Monophysites, Melkites, Maronites, Malabarians, Uniates, Old Calendarists, Nestorians, etc.

Answer 3

Adam was a perfect man created by God and had the chance to live forever. Because he sinned he died and thus sin and death spread to all mankind. So according to God's law it would take the death of another perfect man to rectify the affects of Adamic sin on the rest of mankind. God gave his son to make that happen and his son willfully chose to give his perfect life as a human so that mankind could have the same chance as Adam and Eve had before they sinned. The bible tells us that the wages of sin is death , but even though we all are imperfect, God loves us so much that he is going to give us a fresh start in the resurrection that Christ spoke of while he was on earth.

Just because Adam's sin spread death to mankind doesn't Mean that God's purpose changed for man kind or for the Earth.

Isaiah 55:10-11:
10"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Answer 4

I didn't, I could have cared less but it was the other way around. God love and care for me so He send His Son Jesus to pay for my sins so I could be set free - the price was death to Jesus - the gift was eternal life for me. All I can say is thank you Lord.