A basic question about Christianity?

Question

First off, I mean no offense by anything I say. I'm not asking this question as a kind of challenge. To do as such would be pointless. I'm sure its been pointed out before and Christianity is still around, thus it wouldn't be effective anyway. And because doing so would be offensive to those reading.

Anyway, my question is this: Why did God have to sacrifice Himself, to Himself, to save His creations from Himself?

The way this is written sounds kind of demeaning and I don't mean for it to be taken that way. Its simply the first way I ever heard the question and I think its the most effective way to outline the basic question without weird sentences.

Without trying to offend, this seems kind of ridiculous to me. Why not just forgive? Why does He have to sacrifice His son to allow people into Heaven? I dont really understand

Keep in mind, I don't want answers such as "God created his son to save us, etc" I know this. Im asking why this was needed for an omnipotent God. Thanks a lot.

Ok, lots to respond to. First off, thanks to all that replied and thank you for being civil. Its nice to see this can be discussed without getting upset as long as everyone is dissrespectful. Keeping that in mind, Ill try to explain my objections in a respectful way. Keep in mind, Im not making the objections to offend, only to understand.

"But to bring us all back to our initial state of fellowship with Him, a sacrifice was needed."

This is the normal answer I receive, and it doesnt give an answer to my question. Why was a sacrifice needed for this? I dont see why it would be needed and that is what I am asking.

"Why are you asking a bunch of retarded humans to crawl inside the mind of God / Ask him yourself when you meet him"

Because these "retarded" humans claim to believe in the idea. One would only believe if they had reason to. Im asking what that reason is. And I will ask Him, along with many other more important questions that Im eager to know the answer to.

"it would be easier to sacrifice someone else but to sacrifice ones self is very difficult. To sacrifice yourself is the ultimate sacrifice."

This makes perfect sense to me. If one showed why a sacrifice was needed I would take your point to show why it had to be the son of God himself. However, this doesnt answer the question as to why this sacrifice was even needed in the first place. I really liked your point and Ive never thought of it before, but it doesnt really apply directly to my question.

"I'm not sure if it was absolutely necessary that he choose to do this, but I think he proved something. He proved that he would do anything for us, he proved that he cared enough for us to make such a huge and painful sacrifice."

This is definitely the best response I have heard. Seems to make sense. God didnt need to sacrifice Himself, it was just a way to show how much He cared and also almost remind us of what we need to do to be with Him in heaven. **see next detail**

Although I could then ask why an all powerful God couldn't come up with away to show all this without sacrificing Himself. It may have worked, but sure an all knowing and all powerful God could have thought of a way to show us all the same things with the same amount of impact without the sacrifice.

"God cannot just forgive, because altho He is a loving and forgiving God, He also has a heightened sense of justice, just like mankind."

Then would He not realize there is no justice in punishing a foolish man for making a simple mistake for which he had no idea of the consequences of such a mistake? And surely, since God knows all, He knew Adam would at from the tree before he created him. (God is all knowing) Where is the justice in creating a being knowing if given the chance that being will mess up, and then allowing that being the access to mess up, and then punishing him for it? Even to me, a mortal, this seems highly unjust.

Comments still welcome!

Answer 1

Please follow the argument below:

1. God exists.
2. God is infinite
3. God is holy
4. God is righteous
5. Therefore, God is infinitely holy and just.

6. Furthermore, God speaks out of the character of what He is.
7. God spoke the Law
8. Therefore, the Law is in the heart of God and is a reflection of God's character since it is Holy and good.

9. Furthermore, to break the Law of God is to offend Him since it is His Law that we break. This sin results in an infinite offense because God is infinite.
10. Furthermore, it is also right that God punish the Law breaker. To not punish the Law breaker (sinner) is to allow an offense against His holiness to be ignored.

11. God says that the person who sins must die (be punished). The wages of sin is death.
12. The sinner needs to escape the righteous judgment of God or he will face damnation.
13. But, no sinner can undo an infinite offense since to please God and make things right, he must obey the Law, which is the standard of God's righteous. character.

14. But the sinner cannot fulfill the law because he is sinful (in the flesh).
15. Since the sinner cannot fulfill the law and satisfy God, it follows that only God can do this.
16. Jesus is God in flesh.
17. Jesus was also a man under the Law.
18. Jesus became sin for us and bore our sins in His body on the cross, thus fulfilling the Law.
19. Therefore, salvation is by grace through faith since it was not by our keeping the Law, but by Jesus, God in flesh, who fulfilled the Law and died in our place.

Summary:

Basically, the reason Jesus had to die for our sins was so that we could be forgiven and go to be with the Lord. Jesus is God in flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9) and only God can satisfy the Law requirements of a perfect life and perfect sacrifice that cleanses us of our sins.

All people have sinned against God. But, God is infinitely holy and righteous. He must punish the sinner, the Law breaker. If He didn't, then His law is not law for there is no law that is a law without a punishment. The punishment for breaking the Law is death, separation from God. Therefore, we sinners need a way to escape the righteous judgment of God.

Since we are stained by sin and cannot keep the Law of God, then the only one who could do what we cannot is God Himself. That is why Jesus is God in flesh. He is both divine and human. He was made under the Law (Gal. 4:5-6) and He fulfilled it perfectly. Therefore, His sacrifice to God the Father on our behalf is of infinite value and is sufficient to cleanse all people from their sins and undo the offense to God.

Answer 2

I don't know that it's for Him so much as it's for us. I don't know that we would really "get" how serious sin is unless we had some idea of it's horrific nature.

What could be more horrific than a father sacrificing his son? I might lay my life down for someone else, but asking that I give my children for the life of another would be more than I could give. It's too much to ask. That illustrates both how voracious sin is and how much God gives in order to reconcile us to Himself.

Forgiveness doesn't really mean anything unless it costs the person doing the forgiving. To forgive an affair is not to say that it's okay. But it relieves the spouse from trying to undo it. It can't be undone, but there is damage. Not only can it not be undone, it can't be repaired without the injured party working toward reconciliation. That's not really fair to our sensibilities. The offender should be the one saddled with the work. But real forgiveness requires a certain amount of sacrifice and goodwill from the one doing the forgiving.

The cross illustrates the cost of forgiveness.

Answer 3

God can do anything except fellowship with sin. He is kind of strange that way. I don't know whether it is because he is pure goodness or if there is another reason, but he can't stand being around people (even those he loves) if they are sin filled.

It is for that reason that he wanted to destroy all of mankind in the flood but Jesus (who was in heaven at the time) talked him out of it because it was said that Noah was still righteous. God relented and allowed Noah and family to live. God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gemmorah because they were filled with sin but again saved one righteous man from its midst. This could have gone on and on over the centuries but God finally decided that only by using part of himself as a scapegoat (Jesus) could sin finally be wiped away forever for those that would believe. I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I am not God and can find no other explanation. God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three seperate entities in my opinion who however think as one.

Thus the trinity example you gave. Jesus was already alive spiritually before he became man and according to scripture, so was the Holy Spirit as it was the one that caused the conception of Jesus in a physical body. Three of one mind.

Answer 4

That's a good question, I've never thought about that before. I'm not sure if it was absolutely necessary that he choose to do this, but I think he proved something. He proved that he would do anything for us, he proved that he cared enough for us to make such a huge and painful sacrifice. He did this so that we would be saved. God created us as "perfect" human beings. Adam and Eve screwed that all up, so maybe it was necessary for another human being to come, and make it possible for salvation. I hope this helps...thanks for being respectful!! :)

Answer 5

The only response I have to this is that Christianity is based on faith, not on KNOWING all the answers. I am a Christian and have wondered the same thing myself. Why did an omnipotent, omniscent, omnipresent God have to do that?

It doesn't make sense. It does seem ridiculous. But, I take it in faith, and have a feeling in my heart that there must be some reason for it that is beyond my comprehension from my humanly knowledge and understanding. I believe 100 percent in it's truth.

That isn't much of an answer, but I don't believe anyone can say they have a better one.

Answer 6

I think the problem lies in you definition of omnipotence.God is omnipotent, but God is also unchanging. And His unchanging character is both just and loving.

A just God requires punishment for sins (such as us, His creation, rejecting Him and turning to sin). If God ignored the need for justice, He would not be perfect (a paradox). Thus we are all sentenced to death. A loving God, came to take the punishment for us.

I hope this helps. I know it is a difficult thing to wrap your head around!

Answer 7

The concept behind the sacrificial death of Jesus:

We in and of ourselves are flawed by sin. Adam and Eve aside, everyone of us has sinned. No sacrifice we can make can cover that. He could forgive, in fact He did forgive before Jesus death (many points in scripture reference Jesus forgiving sins during His ministry).

But to bring us all back to our initial state of fellowship with Him, a sacrifice was needed. The entire law of the old testament is summed up in a single thought - we cannot do it ourselves. We try, but fail. The penalties in the law were not meant to be punitive, but were protective of the people. God is not interested in how well you fulfill the law, He is interested in your realization that you are flawed.

So God sacrificed the perfect so that we could use that substitutionary sacrifice as our own. All he requires (sounds like a bad word) is that we accept the sacrifice.

Answer 8

God cannot just forgive, because altho He is a loving and forgiving God, He also has a heightened sense of justice, just like mankind. Jesus left heaven to come to earth, knowing He would be scorned, ridiculed, mocked and put to death. He did this to pave the way, show us the way back to God. He also ate of the "tree of life" enabling mankind to also do so. Adam was created the perfect man, but sinned. Jesus was, or is the 'second Adam' who did not sin. People cannot find their way to God on their own. Jesus is the advocate who pleads with God on our behalf for forgiveness of sins and it's because of his Life, and His sacrifice by coming to earth that we have right standing with God.

Answer 9

Adam and Eve brought the curse of sin onto the earth with the apple and the snake in the garden of eden. That curse is still upon the earth. We are still fighting the curse yet today.
If you look back into the old testament men made animal sacrifices to God to repent of their sins. There were people that were killed for punishment for their sins. There was no forgiveness or a lawyer back in the day to save your life if you were guilty of sin.
I think that God was hurt and not satisfied with the fact that his creation of man was having to make a sacrifice for himself or lose his life for his mistakes. God gave us his son as a sacrifice for us. We no longer have to sacrifice ourselves for our sins. We are now sacrificing ourselves for Jesus and the fact that it is his blood and his sacrifce that saves us from death and from pershing by our own mistakes. Jesus' death has given us more than one chance to try and get things right. As where before we were only given one chance to get things right or else we had to sacrifice for our mistakes. Jesus was pure and holy. He made no mistakes, he was sent here to earth to teach us how to live in the will of God and how to get ourselves to heaven. He was here to show us what life was about and that we have been given a second chance at life through his death to find our salvation and to learn from our mistakes and to try again rather than to fail and to die for them and never getting the second chance to fix them and get them right the second time to stay alive. I am not sure that you will find anyone else that will ever be willing to give their life up for you the way that he did. I think that is the only definition that I have found of true love.

Answer 10

God does not work in this world, Christ died to show that there is no such thing as death, not to die for sins or any other reason, he chose it on his own . And yes ..his main lesson was forgiveness, to see the lie of what we believe to be reality, the church put the guilt trip in , Jesus message was never to start a religion, but to absolve the sin we believe in, all that is perfect has no sin.
I AM