Deuteronomy 24:16

[Omid]

Deuteronomy 24:16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

But didn't Jesus redeem us from our Sins, and died while we were still sinners. So how is this quote justified when it's mentioned that we should die for our own sins?

Thx in advanced for replying!

 

[Tami]

That verse is in the Old Testament. Jesus had not yet died for our sins at that time. Now that He has died for our sins, we do not have to die in our sins and can have new life in Christ if we repent of our sins and accept His gift of salvation.

 

[Protestant Minister]

God sent Jesus to earth to teach the new and improved version of Jewish law which God believed some people were ready to accept.The concept of Jesus dying for our sins was certainly a radical new teaching for the Jews.But Jesus really taught a major change in religious thinking,with much less emphasis on rule keeping and a great emphasis on love and forgiveness.For instance Jesus changed the Jewish law of "an eye for a eye and a tooth for a tooth" to "love your enemies" and "do good to those who hate you".Looking at the quoted verse from a different viewpoint however,it does not contradict anything Jesus taught.Hell was one of the topics Jesus spoke about most frequently.The New Testament makes it clear that if certain sins are not repented for they will result in death.And think about this bible teaching:God will not forgive those who do not forgive others.Hey wait a minute.How come psychiatrists keep trying to get us to blame our parents for almost everything that goes wrong in our lives?If I forgive my parents who can I blame?

 

[Omid]

Alright, let me understand this...Soooo,...this particular quote literally has been washed away with the blood of Christ and his gift of salvation through his death?

Therefore, should only be seen as a reminder of our fate, if he wouldn't been Soooo loving, and planning to save his children!

Am I on the right track?

 

[Crazy Liz]

No, not at all.

The point of this verse in Deuteronomy has nothing to do with this, but with the society inflicting legal punishment on one person for wrongs committed by another.

This verse in Deuteronomy distinguishes Mosaic Law from the laws of other ancient Near Eastern cultures. For example, the Code of Hammurabi provides:

116. If the prisoner die in prison from blows or maltreatment, the master of the prisoner shall convict the merchant before the judge. If he was a free-born man, the son of the merchant shall be put to death; if it was a slave, he shall pay one-third of a mina of gold, and all that the master of the prisoner gave he shall forfeit.

[...]

229 If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.

230. If it kill the son of the owner the son of that builder shall be put to death.

http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm

 

[Omid]

God sent Jesus to earth to teach the new and improved version of Jewish law which God believed some people were ready to accept.The concept of Jesus dying for our sins was certainly a radical new teaching for the Jews.But Jesus really taught a major change in religious thinking,with much less emphasis on rule keeping and a great emphasis on love and forgiveness.For instance Jesus changed the Jewish law of "an eye for a eye and a tooth for a tooth" to "love your enemies" and "do good to those who hate you".Looking at the quoted verse from a different viewpoint however,it does not contradict anything Jesus taught.Hell was one of the topics Jesus spoke about most frequently.The New Testament makes it clear that if certain sins are not repented for they will result in death.And think about this bible teaching:God will not forgive those who do not forgive others.Hey wait a minute.How come psychiatrists keep trying to get us to blame our parents for almost everything that goes wrong in our lives?If I forgive my parents who can I blame?

In regard with Forgiving, I would also like to share with you a quote by John Gray (Don't know if he's Christian or not?)

By forgiving those who have hurt us, we are then able to forgive ourselves for having hurt another.

The best way to be able to forgive is to explore how you contributed to the problem, and therefore free youselve from the attitute of reacting to blame.

 

[Crazy Liz]

It seems like you and I were posting at the same time. I hope you take a look at my post above, because this discussion misses the entire point of the scripture in question.

 

[ShetlandRose]

The Book of Deuteronomy contains Mosaic Law, in which man is directed to love and obey God. Chapter 24, Verses 16-18, concerns people-to-people relationships with fair, yet merciful justice. For an offense of breaking the law, the guilty individual alone was responsible and to be punished, not innocent members of his family.

ShetlandRose

 

[Omid]

It seems like you and I were posting at the same time. I hope you take a look at my post above, because this discussion misses the entire point of the scripture in question.

Yep, noticed that myself! So this doctrine has been misinterpretated in your oppinion! I'm glad you mentioned it, and have focused on it more clearly. Alright, let me believe it is a law, which is setup to ensure that ones blood would not be shed for the sin of another. And everyone would be judged according to his own sin inflicted to another, or oneself. So when Jesus died for us did he not undermine this assents, and not taken our punishment for us?

Sorry, Liz...if I'm a bit confused. It really takes alot of thinking

 

[Crazy Liz]

So when Jesus died for us did he not undermine this assents, and not taken our punishment for us?

I think this is a reasonable interpretation. The people of God are not allowed to use capital punishment except against someone who has personally committed an offense worthy of such punishment. Also, the lives of all human beings, whether they be slaves, women, minor children, or masters of houses, are equally valued by God, so the punishment for murdering a grown man, a woman, a slave or a child is the same.

OTOH, other laws, like that of Hammurabi, provide a precedent in human history for one person being put to death for the life of another. In such cases, the person wrongfully killed and the person suffering capital punishment are both of lower rank than the offender.

WRT the Atonement of Christ, of course, the ranks are in reverse.

 

[Yitzchak]

I think rather than contradicting what Jesus did this verse serves to actually emphasis what he did. The norm was and still is for each person to be held accountable for their sins. There are no excuses on judgment day. I answer for myself. This verse highlights the injustice that was done to Jesus in his suffering for sins which were not his own.
The point is that Jesus volunteered to take our place. We had no right according to this verse in Deuteronomy to expect or ask anyone else to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus suffered an injustice because he loved us enough to do something which he had no obligation to do for us. This verse only heightens my gratitude for what Jesus did for us when I see that he could have been 100% in the right to let us go to hell for our own sins. He was not obligated in the least to take even the smallest portion of our punishment.
By the way, another way of looking at this verse is on teh basis of finances or debt. If I incur a debt, the court system will not go after another person for that debt. I cannot place that obligation on anyone else. However, if a friend or relative wants to help me out and pay "MY DEBT" for me, that is not forbidden. It is my debt that is being paid and not theirs.
I hope this helps.

 

[ShetlandRose]

Excellent Yitzchak!

 

[Omid]

@Yitzchak, great way to explain it all!
Thank you guys a lot!!!
I'm grateful for what Jesus did for me, and you.