since this is now a fun muffin Q&A, i've always wondered why jesus had to die "for our sins". if god is all powerful, can't he just be like "bros, you guys are cleaned of sin now" and skip killing his son that is also himself?
eagerly awaiting the answer, it's something i've been stuck on for a while.
Sin is like an insurmountable debt that must be paid. Jesus did not commit any sin, therefore He is eligible to bear our sin in our place.
Sin like any other debt must be paid i.e. punished, otherwise God would not be just. If he just handed out forgiveness and everyone was clean, without the penalty being paid- justice would not be carried out. In the old testament, the system of atoning for sin is that sin would be transferred into an animal (goat or lamb). And then it would be sacrificed. but this process had to be done continuously. The priest would have to atone for the sins of the people in this way over and over.
Jesus, the 'Lamb' of God, was the ultimate sacrifice for sin. He absorbed sin, into himself and laid his life down as the perfect atoning sacrifice. because he is God, this sacrifice was good enough to be perfect and absorb the punishment for sin, fully, finally and forever. And then in Jesus's resurrection the victory over sin was/is completed.
Not trolling - serious question. Do you feel obligated to convert someone or preach to or anything like that if a person, such as myself, doesn't believe in hell or sin, but still sees value in the bible from a historical perspective. And really only sees "sin" as something that really doesn't bring fulfillment to your life - therefore it's a waste of time.
I mean, I would imagine in your eyes, I'm guilty of the sin of not worshipping and maybe occasionally lustful or prideful - but for the most part, my moral compass would not interfere with anything or anyone within society including yourself.
