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I don't want to question God's plan, although I seem to do that all the time, but why did Christ have to die to save us from Hell. Couldn't God have found another way to redeem us than making his Son suffer such a brutal death? My small mind cannot comprehend why he had to suffer, or why we have to suffer, to avoid Hell.
And 'we don't have to suffer to avoid Hell': there's no suffering for the child of God, only peace with God, joy & expectation that our sins have been dealt with & our destiny is in the presence of our Loving Father & His precious Son for all eternity.
Apologies for the lengthy answer - I just noticed that others have shared also. May the Lord guide you & bless you as you seek to understand the great cost of your salvation.
All this pointed to a time in the future when God would then "provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." ( Genesis 22:8). So the Old Testament showed the people their sin & need for a substitute sacrifice but all it did was to temporarily cover their sin (i.e. avert God's Anger against them) until the coming of "the better hope & the better Covenant" ( Hebrews 7:19,22). What was this new Hope & Covenant for Israel? Sin was still sin & the penalty then was the same penalty now, but the difference now was that God Himself would provide His Own sacrificial Lamb. All other sacrifices fell far short in God's justice system & could never deal with the sin issue - all people remained condemned before Him.
But the same love that God had for His people in those old days was still very much the same to be demonstrated in these last days. John 3:16 best describes that Love which not only was for Israel but through this special Sacrifice, would encompass all people that each one could be saved by it, simply by looking to Him in faith. And the only Sacrifice that could demonstrate that Love & fulfil His Holy demands was that God Himself would, through His Son (the Word given flesh), would lay down His Life for us all. There could be no other suitable or acceptable sacrifice for our sins & to divert God's Anger against us that would send us to Hell for eternity. No man or animal could fully pay the price - God willingly gave of Himself for us all. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" ( John 15:13 & 1 John 3:16 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because HE laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren). And the 'brutality of His Death' was because of the prevailing Roman form of execution, i.e. the release of Barabbas that Jesus might be crucified in his place.
Hello Randy. Looking at the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, from the human standpoint, I would agree with your question & it could also make me wonder also as to why God couldn't provide another way for our redemption. But with any biblical question that needs an answer, we have to find it by understanding God's Wisdom as seen in ALL of Scripture. Please bear with me.
In God's Justice system, if anything is done in opposition to His Law (whether verbal or written), the penalty for that disobedience is death: "For the wages of sin (breaking of the Law) is death" ( Romans 6:23) & "as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" ( Romans 5:12). We suffer death because we are all sinners - all have disobeyed God's Will (whether Jew or non-Jew). But was death the only punishment for sinners seeing that the spirit of man (our immaterial part that is really who we are) cannot die? The body has to die & return to dust but the spirit still has to face judgement for his disobedience & rejection of God: "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" ( Hebrews 9:27).
But God's people (Israel) still had to have a set of rules & regulations from God that they had to obey to have a right standing before Him & if they failed to do so, their sinful state remained & they would stand before the Great Judge. Of course, they failed, as we also do now, because those Laws only revealed to us our sinfulness & incapability to fulfil them. So God introduced the sacrificial system whereby Israel faithfully had various sacrifices performed so that God would be appeased by this act of payment of life for life. Rather than the Israelite being executed for his sin (which would mean that all would have been killed), God's Anger & Judgement against him was appeased by the sacrifice of an unblemished animal as his substitute (Leviticus chapter 1).
As this explains that even in the Old Testament there was no remission of sins without blood. Why they had to sacrifice animals for the sins they committed. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God and the perfect sacrifice or offering once and for all for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews 9
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you
Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily opposes us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who FOR THE JOY that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him (Jesus) that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
As a person of the Godhead ( Romans 1), the plan was already decided amongst them. Adam sinned and Jesus stepped in to become 2nd Adam. See Genesis 3:15.
This is how we know we can have great confidence in God, through Jesus Christ. He is worthy of our thanks, praise and honor. Salvation is a gift. A gift we have to receive.
Be at peace, that Jesus came to you because heaven would not be complete without you.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:47
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is THE LORD from heaven.
When I read your post, the Holy Spirit chose that scripture for you: "for the joy set before him".
That shows me that He has heard your question and He's going to open it up to you.
Myself and others were rescued out of impossible lifestyles and unbelief, to be here now. To gives a hand to someone else.
A lot of people are here to be of help, answering questions. We're all different, different backgrounds, education, life experiences, and more. We're all learning new things too. The greatest Teacher is the Holy Spirit. I found that the more scripture I pack into me, the easier I hear the Holy Spirit. He alone knows what we need. New relationships are sometimes slow to start, but after a while we almost know what the other person is going to say. That's cool when it happens.
And 'we don't have to suffer to avoid Hell': there's no suffering for the child of God, only peace with God, joy & expectation that our sins have been dealt with & our destiny is in the presence of our Loving Father & His precious Son for all eternity.
Apologies for the lengthy answer - I just noticed that others have shared also. May the Lord guide you & bless you as you seek to understand the great cost of your salvation.
All this pointed to a time in the future when God would then "provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." ( Genesis 22:8). So the Old Testament showed the people their sin & need for a substitute sacrifice but all it did was to temporarily cover their sin (i.e. avert God's Anger against them) until the coming of "the better hope & the better Covenant" ( Hebrews 7:19,22). What was this new Hope & Covenant for Israel? Sin was still sin & the penalty then was the same penalty now, but the difference now was that God Himself would provide His Own sacrificial Lamb. All other sacrifices fell far short in God's justice system & could never deal with the sin issue - all people remained condemned before Him.
But the same love that God had for His people in those old days was still very much the same to be demonstrated in these last days. John 3:16 best describes that Love which not only was for Israel but through this special Sacrifice, would encompass all people that each one could be saved by it, simply by looking to Him in faith. And the only Sacrifice that could demonstrate that Love & fulfil His Holy demands was that God Himself would, through His Son (the Word given flesh), would lay down His Life for us all. There could be no other suitable or acceptable sacrifice for our sins & to divert God's Anger against us that would send us to Hell for eternity. No man or animal could fully pay the price - God willingly gave of Himself for us all. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" ( John 15:13 & 1 John 3:16 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because HE laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren). And the 'brutality of His Death' was because of the prevailing Roman form of execution, i.e. the release of Barabbas that Jesus might be crucified in his place.
Hello Randy. Looking at the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, from the human standpoint, I would agree with your question & it could also make me wonder also as to why God couldn't provide another way for our redemption. But with any biblical question that needs an answer, we have to find it by understanding God's Wisdom as seen in ALL of Scripture. Please bear with me.
In God's Justice system, if anything is done in opposition to His Law (whether verbal or written), the penalty for that disobedience is death: "For the wages of sin (breaking of the Law) is death" ( Romans 6:23) & "as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" ( Romans 5:12). We suffer death because we are all sinners - all have disobeyed God's Will (whether Jew or non-Jew). But was death the only punishment for sinners seeing that the spirit of man (our immaterial part that is really who we are) cannot die? The body has to die & return to dust but the spirit still has to face judgement for his disobedience & rejection of God: "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" ( Hebrews 9:27).
But God's people (Israel) still had to have a set of rules & regulations from God that they had to obey to have a right standing before Him & if they failed to do so, their sinful state remained & they would stand before the Great Judge. Of course, they failed, as we also do now, because those Laws only revealed to us our sinfulness & incapability to fulfil them. So God introduced the sacrificial system whereby Israel faithfully had various sacrifices performed so that God would be appeased by this act of payment of life for life. Rather than the Israelite being executed for his sin (which would mean that all would have been killed), God's Anger & Judgement against him was appeased by the sacrifice of an unblemished animal as his substitute (Leviticus chapter 1).
Just to add a little more to Mishael's relpy,
As this explains that even in the Old Testament there was no remission of sins without blood. Why they had to sacrifice animals for the sins they committed. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God and the perfect sacrifice or offering once and for all for the sins of the whole world. Hebrews 9
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you
Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily opposes us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who FOR THE JOY that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him (Jesus) that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
As a person of the Godhead ( Romans 1), the plan was already decided amongst them. Adam sinned and Jesus stepped in to become 2nd Adam. See Genesis 3:15.
This is how we know we can have great confidence in God, through Jesus Christ. He is worthy of our thanks, praise and honor. Salvation is a gift. A gift we have to receive.
Be at peace, that Jesus came to you because heaven would not be complete without you.
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:45
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:47
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is THE LORD from heaven.
Mishael
That shows me that He has heard your question and He's going to open it up to you.
Myself and others were rescued out of impossible lifestyles and unbelief, to be here now. To gives a hand to someone else.
A lot of people are here to be of help, answering questions. We're all different, different backgrounds, education, life experiences, and more. We're all learning new things too. The greatest Teacher is the Holy Spirit. I found that the more scripture I pack into me, the easier I hear the Holy Spirit. He alone knows what we need. New relationships are sometimes slow to start, but after a while we almost know what the other person is going to say. That's cool when it happens.
Keep coming back. I'll remember your name.
Blessings and Peace on you
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