Christians know why Jesus died: He died for our sins. That’s what we’re taught from the earliest days of Sunday school.
And we all know how he died: A particularly gruesome form of public execution known as crucifixion.
But many Christians are less sure of how it works. How is it that Jesus’ death accomplishes the forgiveness of my sin? By what cosmic mechanism does that take place?
In other words, there comes a time in every Christian’s life when the Sunday School answer, “Jesus died for my sins,” falls short. We want to know how it works.
You’d think that this is among the most central of all Christian doctrines to work out. And, indeed, much ink has been spilled, and many pixels typed, regarding this doctrine, called the “atonement” by theologians. But it’s also worth noting that never in the 2,000-year history of the church has one’s take on the atonement been a matter of orthodoxy versus heresy. Never was it the subject of an ecumenical council, nor was it ever enshrined in an early church creed.
Editor’s note: One of the comments on this article
I’m sorry Tony but, none of these explanations make any sense. Both Jesus and John the Baptist were already preaching the forgiveness of sins through repentance and baptism before the death and supposed resurrection of Jesus. After the supposed resurrection it is still required that one repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Before Paul the resurrection was preached as a proof that had God had made Jesus Lord and Messiah and that he would judge all men on the last day according to their works; but it was only with the coming of Paul and his teaching that the law is a curse, instead of a blessing as the bible says, that some Christians came to see the death and resurrection as something that was needed in order for God to forgive the sins of man.
Categories: CHRISTIANITY, Faith, Religion, Spirituality
In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious Ever Merciful
Good, brief and comprehensive comment above by The Friendly Atheist, but the Christians have been brain-washed from the infancy continuously poring in their mind the concept of son-ship of God, and divinity of Jesus that they are deprived of Rationale thinking on logic.
There are many angles to analyze this dogma, however I will briefly discuss the following few points.
If we accept as the Christians say that Jesus gave his life for the forgiveness of our sins, then:-
1) How God would forgive 6,000 years of generations before the birth of Jesus, God does not love them and he had no mercy for them? Would that be fairness of God with them?
2) How I am responsible 6,000 years back for the sins of Adam and Eve, did I insight them to commit sin/s, the Holy Quran teaches us, “No soul would be burdened for the sins of others so I could not be punished for the crimes of even my immediate relations, not to speak of generations of 6,000 years back.
3) If a son of God is needed to be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin committed by a couple 6,000 years ago, otherwise their progeny would stay sinful, then, now, how many sons of God are needed to be sacrificed to deliver the present generation who is dipped into the ocean of sin from top to toe. The Statistics of illegitimate children in Christian kingdom depict a picture.
4)By believing in this dogma, whether, the Christians are delivered from the poison of sin, or they found a license to commit whatever fouls or blunders they want to do.
For further knowledge on this topic a very good book on this topic is, “Christianity: a journey from facts to fiction, by Late Mirza Tahir Ahmad (Khalifa tul Messiah the IV)
http://www.alislam.org on google.com Shroud of Turin Jesus in India (BBC documentary and Government of India documentary)
Zarif Ahmad
In reality, original sin was not inherited by mankind, it was the punishment that was inherited. In a nutshell, women were to conceive and bare children in pain, and men were to work for a living. If belief in the atoning death of Jesus was to have any positive effect, it must have removed the inherited punishment. Christian women should bare children with no pain, and Christian men should not have to work for a living. But, alas, the punishments are still in effect, and the atoning death of Jesus becomes an empty myth entrenched in the simple minds of those who suscribe to it.
Although this discussion may look one sided as this is a predominantly Muslim site, I would like to mention a point in the Bible that Luke and John write about: They say that Satan/devil got into Judas Iscariot and he went to the Jewish Chief Priests and offered to sell Jesus to them. They were very happy to hear this offer and immediately counted 30 silver coins and gave to him for his role. As much as I would like to believe that master Jesus died for my sins, now I am worried why would Satan participate in the plan to have him killed for my sins and thus have them cleared. Was the devil part of the original grand devine plan or was he a small time criminal who saw an opportunity to promote commission of murder and was used by God to do it?