Straggler writes:
1) What exactly was sacrificed? - Sacrifice normally implies loss or denial of some sort. I am not clear as to what exactly it is that was sacrificed or lost by God as a result of the physical death of his son? If I were to physically sacrifice my son, for example, the gaping void in my life caused by his absence and the knowledge that I would never again be with him would indeed probably be more painful than I can imagine. That would indeed be a sacrifice on my part. However in the case of Jesus a place at God's side in heaven was presumably guaranteed. Surely death in this instance was more of a homecoming than a loss of any sort at all?
Hi Straggler. Happy New Year! Your understanding of the doctrine is correct as per the fundamentals of scripture on this.
1. The OT animal sacrifices for the sins of humans involved a monetary loss to the humans offering. Those sacrifices sufficed until the once for all perfect sacrifice of God's son was accomplished. This effected a transfer of energy from Heaven to earth, from heaven to earth, so Heaven gave up something for the sins of men on earth.
2. Jesus, the sacrifice suffered an extraordinary suffering of pain and death, a penalty only attributed to earth man, so Jesus paid dearly for our sins. He paid dearly also in that he left a prefect splendorous abode to be a rugged earth man deprived of a home and sleeping in places like the wilderness all the while continually evading men who wanted him dead. He left Heavenly bliss to pay this penalty.
3. It's a big deal because he, being a deity humbled himself to the status of the mortal creature.
4. God and Jesus knew that by doing this the creature's sin would be paid for and the creature could become sons of God somewhat like Jesus.
5. Yes he was raised up but that doesn't diminish the fact that he died a physical death and for the time he was on the cross God actually forsook him as is to turn his back on his son and disown him while he was being made
sin for us on the cross. Thus Jesus cried, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" This was a terrible thing for him to have to do. We humans would be hard pressed to fully understand that anguish!
Straggler writes:
4. Why sacrifice? - Why was any of this sacrifice stuff even necessary? If God wants to give man an opportunity for salvation, the opportunity to repent for his 'original sin', then surely he can just do this without any need for the whole sacrifice thing. Why the convulted and unnecessarily brutal path to redemption? If any sacrifice has actually been made why was any of it necessary in the first place?
So I am basically suggesting that the crucifixion of Christ was not a sacrifice of any particular substance and that if there was a sacrifice of any sort it was all very unnecessary anyway.
I remember asking this very question at about age 9 to my friend as we walked to school one day. A year or so at about age 10, I began to understand why and received him as my personal savior.
1. The sacrifice was declared necessary in Genesis when God told Adam that if he sinned, i.e. took the forbidden fruit,
that day he would die.. Did Adam die a physical death the day he partook? No. Adam lost his immortality, lost his spiritual status with God, and began to age and die.
2. So what did God do for Adam's dilemma? He killed an animal and clothed him. He also instituted the animal sacrifice to cover the man until the ultimate final and perfect sacrifice, Jesus paid the once and for all price
which satisfied God's justice..
3. When Jesus died on the cross, the heavy veil between the people and the Holy Place where the Arch Of the Covenant were
was torn open from the top to the bottom by God Why? because the animal sacrifice Levitical priesthood ended with the Jesus sacrifice. Thus the temple was soon destroyed and the priesthood with it never to be installed again. Now Jesus is our high priest, the sacrifice and the resurrection of us to be forever reconciled back to God's kingdom, redeemed/ransom us from the death curse pronounced by God upon mankind in the Garden of Eden.
4. This is why Jesus could authoritatively insist that he was the door to God and the only way, the truth and the life, no man coming to God but by him. This is also why, in order to get through to God with out prayers Jesus instructed us to pray through him (high priest) to the Father/God. Thus we fundamentalists should end every prayer with "in the name of Jesus we pray."
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS AND SALVATION COMES!!! :cool;
BUZSAW B 4 U 2 C Y BUZ SAW.
The immeasurable present eternally extends the infinite past and infinitely consumes the eternal future.
™ Version 4.2
