God wanted Christ to die or Christ willingly chose to?

Question

Jesus was put on Earth to provide an example to the rest of humanity as to how to live their lives accordingly and, due to the fact many considered Him as such, He was reknown as the Son of God. People didn't like this. Just like now, if someone's fame starts to make an impact on society and changes things (even if they are GOOD changes) people don't like it. Someone else comes along, that is a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket, decides he REALLY doesn't like said changes that said famous person is making then said psycho pops him off (ie; Martin Luther King).

But the thing is, i wonder if maybe He knew about His fate before it happened and how early He might have known about it? Either way, if He did know and chose not to run, then isn't the sacrifice solely His own and not God's?

Answer 1

If your son willingly gave his life to save another....happens all the time with our military....would that not be a sacrifice for you, his dad, also? I believe Jesus offered to die for mankind, offered to be the sacrifice, and I'm sure it was a struggle for God to even let him do it, but "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him may have eternal life." From whichever way you look at it, it was a tremendous, amazing sacrifice for the Godhead,to say nothing of the risk involved...and yes, there was a risk of failure. The sacrifice is mind-bogging if you take into consideration that one word could have sent this world, and all others if need be, into non-existence. He could have just started over. How can we possibly understand such love. And yes, I believe Jesus knew his mission from "the foundations of the world"....as early as creation itself.....and he also knew it from a very tender age after his birth into this world since he certainly knew it when he visited the temple in Jerusalem when he was twelve. He said, "Don't you know that I must be about my Father's business?" His whole life was about his Father's business....getting the job done.

Answer 2

Christ willingly came to earth to be THE ONE AND ONLY SACRIFICE for mankind's sin. God the Son took the form of Jesus THE Christ to fulfill that purpose. It was known to God the Father,God the Son,and the Holy Spirit before the foundations of Earth.

Answer 3

You're right. Jesus did come to give us a perfect example. But the primary reason he came to earth was to die in behalf of mankind. He knew all along he would have to die and he chose to come to earth to do that. But God made a sacrifice also in sending the only creation in the universe that He made alone to the earth. Consider this: Jesus is the first creation God made, which is why he's called his only-begotten son. When he died, it was the first time since the beginning of creation God was without him.

Answer 4

My beliefs as a Roman Catholic:

There is one God in three Persons: The Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God as much as the Father and Holy Spirit are. Therefore God's plan for Jesus is really His own plan.

While Jesus did provide many great teachings, He was not put on Earth to set an example. He came to Earth to take on all of Man's sin, past present and future. His suffering and death on the cross were necessary parts of the plan to defeat sin and give us sinners a way back to God.

And yes, Jesus knew the plan, and willingly accepted it.

The assassination analogy does not really hold.

The best way to explore your questions about Jesus is to go to Church and/or find a believer who will share his or her beliefs with you directly. If possible, talk to people from several different denominations and see which fits you best.

Good luck!

Answer 5

The answer to your question is ... BOTH. God "wanted" in the sense that it was his will, for Jesus to die on our behalf. Jesus willingly accepted this mission from his Father.

But the premise of the rest of your statement is, with respect wrong. Jesus did not come to earth to set an example, although he did so. His purpose in life, as stated by Jesus himself: "Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.” - Matthew 20:28

Yes, Jesus knew he would die. Matthew 16:21 - From that time forward Jesus Christ commenced showing his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the older men and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised up. Yes, Jesus knowingly and willingly gave up his life on our behalf. But that does not mean that there was no sacrifice on God's part. Imagine. He was the Supreme Being, with the power to save his child's life if he chose to. But he let him die so that we might live. Was that not a sacrifice?

Answer 6

Yes the son's purpose and God's will were one and the same. But there is much more to this story than appears to the eyes, for example did Satan really know who Jesus Christ was, or did he assume he was just another prophet, my bet is this was the same story as the Garden of Eden where the Serpent tricked Eve into giving Lucifer all the power. Jesus was in a Garden when he was betrayed and Judas kissed him to tell the Roman soldier's which one was Jesus Christ. And Satan did not realize by taking Jesus into Hell he would lose all his power and authority to Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mark 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Answer 7

The answer to both is..."Yes"

Christ knew His mission from the very beginning. He is recorded in the Gospels several times predicting to His Apostles His end. He also said no man takes my life, but I freely lay it down...and I have the power to take it up again. He also told Peter at the garden the night He was taken prisoner, to put his sword away and stop fighting and resisting because if He chose to, He could call down a legion of angels to stop the fray. Christ allowed the crucifixion as part of God's overall plan for our salvation.

Answer 8

Yes, Jesus knew about His fate long before it took place. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me...but yet..not my will, but yours be done". Jesus was obedient even to death. If you are a parent, then you will understand what a sacrifice it was for God the Father.

Answer 9

Christ is God and Man, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one and yet different, the Triune God...it's a concept that is incredibly difficult, and virtually impossible to comprehend so I won't even try to pretend I know how to explain it...but Jesus was God and Man when He came...the only perfect human being as God made Adam to be before the fall. So as Adam was the fallen man, Christ was the righteous Man. Being sinless...and perfect, and God, Christ was the only one who could pay the price for the sins of the world perfectly as only God can do anything perfectly. It was a requirement that the laws of God were paid fully...that the penalties were paid for...and the law was fulfilled so there was no more requirement of a penalty for our sins if we believe in Jesus.

According to the Mosaic Law of God (Ten Commandments and all the statutes), a sacrifice must be made for the sins of the people...and this was a part of the law for the Jews lived by every day...a tedious and painful penalty where death was to be the atonement for our sins...They had to sacrifice their animals to pay for their sins...something would have to die if they did something wrong...very steep by our standards, but sin is a very serious issue and the penalty was also very serious.

God in His mercy and love, paid for the sins of the world, and ended the need for sacrifice by giving His only Son, God and Man, to be the last and perfect sacrifice to fulfill the laws and free us from being bound by the law...Jesus was the Lamb of God, the Holy and Pure sacrifice for mankind. If we believe in Him we are saved by His gift, the grace of God. A free will gift made for the world, than no one earned and no one deserved.

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before He was betrayed, prayed....

Mt 26:39 -
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Mt 26:42 -
He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

He knew what must be, yet He asked if it could be taken from Him...but in the end, the most important thing to Christ, was that God's will be done. He chose to obey God the Father...if as Man he would have denied God and sinned...we would all have perished. He died for all of us. His choice, God's command. It was God's sacrifice for us.

He obeyed and died for us on the cross. It was the most divine act of love ever seen on the earth. God giving His only Son so that we should have eternal life. Mercy and Grace and Peace be with you.

Answer 10

Both.

Jesus always knew who he was and what he came to do.

Our redemption is the result of God's (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) total self giving for our salvation.