Got another one :)

[ChristianPilot]

Why did we need Jesus to come to earth so we could be forgiven?  Why doesn't God just forgive us off the bat?

 

[adam332]

The only thing that can redeem man-kinds life, is sinlessness. The problem is that everyone is a sinner, and none of us are spotless. So Christ needed to be born into the same sinful flesh we have, yet without sinning.

This was needed because the wages of sin is death and only blood can atone for the soul. This brilliant plan weeds out those who are not His from those who are. We all have the offer to let Christ's perfect price of His spotless blood and innocent death, pay our sinners debt. But, it is not forced upon us, we are given the freedom to choose Him.

This is a testimony to God's Love and longsuffering, not only because He gave Himself for us, but also because He let's us choose to begin with. Sadly the flip side is; those who don't accept His blood and death, must then pay the debt themselves. But, without God there is no glory, and certainly no glorification or eternal life. They must pay the price....blood and death.

This is not a new doctrine, there has always been one path to the father and it always pointed towards Christ and His work. The sanctuary service and many other OT symbols points to the same process of Justification, Sanctification and Redeemption we see in the NT. The earthly sanctuary is closed for business, but all the items and processes therein have NT relevance and symbolic counterparts. Matter of fact the spotless lamb is now intercessing for us in the original heavenly sanctuary, which the earthly one was only a likeness thereof. Hope that helped....

Ultimately, throughout the Bible the concept is the same, the choice over Christ or not, will ultimately rid the universe of sin. And God will once again return the heavens and earth to their former state fulfilling the scripture that the children of God would inherit the true promised land. And the redeemed will live in the true manner for which was intended before the fall, glorified and eternal. Imagine watching creation again!

 

[Outspoken]

"Why doesn't God just forgive us off the bat?"

Hmm...well ask God.

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by ChristianPilot
Why did we need Jesus to come to earth so we could be forgiven?  Why doesn't God just forgive us off the bat?

The answer to this is pretty simple when you consider the attributes of God.  God is just.  Therefore, whatever He does must be just.  It would not be just to say, "the wages of sin is death" and then not punish sin with death.  So, for God to justly be merciful to His children He must execute the penalty for their sins upon a worthy propitiatory sacrifice.  As there were no sinless people on the earth He had to send us One.  For Jesus to be a worthy sacrifice it required more than just His death.  If it was only the provision of His death He would have just came and died right away.  What He had to do was what Adam didn't do.  He had to keep the Law at every point.  Then, He had to die as the spotless lamb.  God imputed (gave the credit for) the sins of His elect to Jesus and punished Him with the legal punishment, death.  Then, upon Jesus' resurrection He had put sin to death in the flesh.  That is, He defeated death by His resurrection.  Death no longer had any sting.  It was swallowed up in the judgment of the righteous Lord.  God then imputed (gave the credit for) the righteousness of Christ upon His elect.

Hope that helps.

God bless

 

[ChristianPilot]

Thanks! You've helped a lot.

 

[ChristianPilot]

Ok, I've come up with a question.
Death is the payment for sin. So once we die our sins are paid for. So why do some people still have to go to hell?  Is it death as a punishment, like being hung or stoned?  Or just any death.

Or by "death" do they mean seperation from God, if so, why did Jesus have to die a human death?

 

[adam332]

reform guy,
good and important points about God being just, which also has ramifications for both the righteous and the wicked's fates.

 

[EPHRIAM777]

Originally posted by ChristianPilot
Why did we need Jesus to come to earth so we could be forgiven?  Why doesn't God just forgive us off the bat?

Eph writes...

Well if he wanted o do it that way he could...

..But God set down bunch of rules HE goes by...and the way he's doing this is fulfilling them all...one after the other...!

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by ChristianPilot
Ok, I've come up with a question.
Death is the payment for sin. So once we die our sins are paid for.

Uh...no.  The wages of each of your sins is death.  That's why no one could serve as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of God's people.  If I said, "Hey, I'll pay the price" well, I could have paid for one of my sins, but then I'd be dead.  I couldn't have even paid for all of my own sins, much less all mine and yours and everyone else who God had decided to save.

So why do some people still have to go to hell?  Is it death as a punishment, like being hung or stoned?  Or just any death.

The people who go to hell are the people who are held accountable for their own sins.  You see, Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, took upon Himself the sins of God's chosen, died, the penalty for those sins had then been paid, was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of the Father.  Those whose sins Jesus did not take upon Himself are not yet paid for.  That will be settled on the second coming of Christ, judgment day.

Or by "death" do they mean seperation from God, if so, why did Jesus have to die a human death?

"Death" as in "separation from God" is what we are born with.  We are born spiritually dead and separated from the righteousness of our Creator.  When He regenerates us He, once again, makes us alive (Eph 2:1-9).  The reason that Jesus had to come as a human and die as a spotless lamb is because Adam, the first man, sinned and imputed to all mankind the spiritual and physical punishment for his transgression.  Christ came and did what Adam did not.  He kept the Law at every point.  Then, when He died, He took upon Himself the sins of God's chosen and paid the price as a sinless, spotless Lamb (Rom 5:12-19).

God bless

 

[ChristianPilot]

Ok, I got it now. Thanks everyone. You've all been a great help.

 

[Outspoken]

"So why do some people still have to go to hell? "

Death talked about here is total seperation from God, ie hell in my opinion.