What's the logic behind God sacrificing his son in exchange for our sins?

Question

God is kinda in charge of the whole transaction, so He could have set any terms He wanted. How did He tally up world sins for past, present, and future and decide the sacrifice of His own son was a good trade?
Seriously though, what's the logic here? Twelve years of Christian school never answered this. Why would God want us to believe something we don't understand? What benefit is that to Him? Or us?

Answer 1

I'm agnostic, but not for this reason. It's the same concept as a young child having faith in a parent (or not) when they think a rule is unfair. Parents know more but can't always explain so that a child can understand. It's the same concept with God. If there is a God out there, then he/she would be so advanced in comparison to us that we would have to trust him like a parent because we are not capable of understanding to his level.

But to me it seems from the way the story goes that he is going home to his father anyway and dying for our sins is punishment to us, not him. Jesus was taken away from us. It's the same thing if you lose someone you love. They are not in pain or misery anymore - you are. You always appreciate a person more when they die no matter how much you appreciated them when they were alive.

More people believe in and are comforted by Jesus after his death than during his life.

Answer 2

Ok, I don't totally understand this either, but here's my perspective, flawed as it may be (I'll walk you through my reasoning):

We are told repeatedly in the Bible that God is good, and can't be around evil because of it. God is light, and darkness cannot exist in the light. Okay.

Then we are told that the only way to atone for sin is by the shedding of innocent blood. (I don't completely understand why.) The people in the Old Testament would sacrifice innocent animals to cover their sins so that they could find favor with God. (Maybe the people's sins would be symbolically transferred to the animal and the animal would pay the price for it?) I guess this makes sense; even we agree that when bad is done, punishment is in order. So, the animal would pay for the people's sins, allowing God to look at them again. Okay.

So, we are also told in the Bible that God loves the whole world. In the past, the only ones who sacrificed animals for their sins were Jewish people. By itself, animal sacrifice was only a temporary fix because people keep on sinning all the time, so you always needed more sacrifices. So, God needed a way to cleanse everyone perfectly from sin.

In order to cleanse everyone completely from sin, we needed a perfect sacrifice. What is more perfect than God? Nothing, so that means only God would make a perfect sacrifice. But, payment for sin requires the shedding of blood. So, God would have to become flesh in order to shed His blood. So, Jesus was born, and died for our sins.

That's how I understand it, and I know it's not a complete explanation, but it's what I understand right now. I don't think anyone completely understands how this all works, but I think God gave us enough information so we could understand enough to believe in Him with confidence.

Answer 3

You recommend like the previous custom of offering to somebody you wronged. The grant had to journey the status of the indignant and pay for the offense. there is not something a finite being can grant to fulfill a wronged countless writer. hence, pronounced writer turns into guy (a human has to grant the sacrifice) and keeps to be God (so the sacrifice would be appropriate to the wronged). hence, this became the only way it could be finished, logically. If there is (and became) such concern as sin, Jesus, and a God that exists and works consistent with a feudal device of justice. None of those are the case.

Answer 4

Twelve years of Christian school is just getting started if you want those kinds of questions answered. I will answer the question, but you will have to continue your studies to verify what I tell you.
Christ was a Gnostic and was sent here to tell all of mankind the “Truth” about why he (man) is here. As the “Men of money” changed all of that, we no longer have even a glimmer of the truth. Father wanted us to know the “Truth”. The “Men of money” don’t. Christ died for that reason and he knew he would before he came here. (Your sins you see.)
The “Truth”? Man is here to make a choice between “Love” and the return to Father or “Dominion” and becoming a god (Little “g”). Man must come back again and again until he makes that choice with full knowledge of its meaning and consequences. Does that sound like anything you have heard lately?
Why would God want us to believe something we don’t understand? Father doesn’t, the “Men of money” do……. and they do all they can to keep you in the dark.

Answer 5

It is easy to understand such things with research. Lots of Christian apologists and theologians can answer this better than I. But here I go...
The fact of the matter is, we live in a fallen world. Humans cannot be perfect or anywhere near perfect. God may be "in charge of the whole transaction", but He cannot deny his character. God is holy and perfect - it would be impossible for Him to live with humans unless they were cleared of their sins.
The Old Testament foretells the coming of Jesus, introducing the idea of sacrifices. One clean can sacrfice for others who can never in a million years be clean. Jesus, being the only perfect and holy person, willingly chose to sacrifice himself in exchange for our sins. (God did sacrifice him, but I'm making the point that it was Jesus' choice) His sacrifice covers for the past, present, and future. The OT and NT come together to tell this.
It's like a good justice system. I have commited terrible crimes. Being a good justice system, it can't just ignore all the crimes. But I can't pay for them; it would cost so much! And the judge looks down at me, decides that he wants me out of jail because he loves me. So he comes down and takes my place, paying the huge amount of money that I could never afford.
I'm sorry if I haven't explained this well enough. Try looking at some Christian websites if you honestly want to know.

Answer 6

It's like Oprah Winfrey sacrificing herself for us, giving away all her money and taking a part-time job at McDonalds. Jesus had a love for mankind the same way we love our children and pets. He was the right hand man of God in the Heavens and he "lowered and humbled" himself to become a man. Jesus out of love, may have bartered with his father to be a ransom sacrifice in our behalf. Otherwise we would still be trying to keep the Law Covenant. Jesus is the New Covenant and his burden is light.

Jehovah the Father is perfect in all his ways, he is the epitome of justice, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooh, an eternal life for an eternal life. What do you think would have happened if Jesus had backed down from his mission.? Where do you think we would be today? Food for thought.

Answer 7

When people sinned, they had to sacrifice a perfect animal to atone for that. They had to do it over and over, every time they made a mistake.

God decided to end it all. His Son Jesus, a perfect human, would be the ultimate sacrifice, once and for all.
Jesus's death covered all sins for all of Humanity.
God set it up that way.
See? Easy to understand.

Christian schools are definitely not all that if they could not even explain this to you.
Sad......

Answer 8

Christ came among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and to atone for the sins of the world...
It was necessary that an atonement be made, because we were in the presence of God before this life, and in order to progress, we needed to be seperated from Him. But, by our sins we could not return to His presence, thus necesitating the atonement. If no atonement were made, all mankind must unavoidably perish.
We learn; "it is expedient that there should be a great sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast... but it must needs be an infinite and eternal sacrifice."
Only Jesus Christ could make that infinite and eternal sacrifice on our behalf, and in the process, he proved to the Father that he is willing to be obedient to him always, in all things and at all costs.

Answer 9

The logic is His great love for us. We are His children, His creation. What parent, who has a child sick with cancer or some other disease, wishes he or she could take his/her child's place so that they wouldn't have to suffer so much pain. That parent would suffer for the child rather than to see the child suffer. Love that is willing to sacrifice is the greatest love there is. That's why God, the Father, sent His Son, Jesus to die for our sins. To give us hope.

Answer 10

wow that is a really good question. well as you know in the old law ppl had to sacrifice animals for remission of sins. the point of jesus coming to die was that he was the Holy Lamb of God.. dumb non-speaking animals could only give one person rmission from some sins but to clense the entire world of the sin the son of God had to shead his blood for us. now instead of going around killing animals we are baptized in His blood and forgiven each time we ask for it. noo animal could have done this, but you have a point. he could have changed things but then we couldnt go to heaven. we have to turst in God that this was the only real thing to save us from hell. he realized that putting a goat or a dove on the cross would not be enough. he had to kill the only perfact one in the world. jesus became the sin of us all right befor he died. im sorry i know this didnt completely answer the question. some things are just out of my mind reach. i will ask around at chruch and try to find a better answer and if i find you again i will tell you what ive leaned.