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Exploring Christianity
Why is the crucifixion so meaningful when the rise of Jesus means he sacrificed very little?
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<blockquote data-quote="TurtleAnne" data-source="post: 70793596" data-attributes="member: 393849"><p>There is one reason that stands out to me especially, as far as why the death of Christ (in addition to the resurrection) is so significant.</p><p></p><p>To understand, I think first it's important to get some questions out in the open, the sorts of questions that believers might sometimes have in secret but not want to admit out-loud for fear of sounding blasphemous. But I will admit them here.</p><p></p><p>How can God understand what fear is like, if God can never be defeated?</p><p>How can God understand what it is like to be faced with doubt, if God knows everything?</p><p>How can God understand the emotional pain of humans, if God doesn't feel emotions the way we do? If God doesn't even cry?</p><p></p><p>In other words, how can God really understand humans, and how hard we have it, if the hardships we face never apply to Him? How can He understand how significant it is when a human overcomes temptations, if God never has to overcome anything like it?</p><p></p><p>If you really analyze a lot of the criticisms and doubts from nonbelievers, you might notice that most of them harbor these underlying doubts. You will see/hear it all the time.</p><p></p><p>"How can a loving god ____________?"</p><p>"Why does a loving god allow ________?"</p><p>"Why would God ________?"</p><p></p><p>They look at the world and see how screwed up it is, or they look at their own lives and feel hurt and flabbergasted.</p><p></p><p>So this is just one of the layers in meaning in John 14:6, "Jesus answered, I am the way and <strong>the truth</strong> and the life," and then,"<strong>No one comes to the Father except through me</strong>." One layer of meaning is salvation, but another layer of meaning is in understanding. Through Jesus, and everything that Jesus experienced, including facing the pain and fear of death itself, we understand that God <em>understands us</em>.</p><p></p><p>When God split off a part of Himself, manifest in human form as Jesus His Son, this was a demonstration in terms that humans would be able to truly understand, of God's understanding and empathy for us.</p><p></p><p>Jesus faced temptation, both to abuse His power and also to refuse God's will.</p><p>Jesus had to struggle with negative emotion, including wrath, fear and sorrow. Jesus flipped over tables, Jesus cried, Jesus feared, Jesus felt frustration at the hardness of heart that so many people had, and before His dying breath, Jesus even experienced what it felt like to be "forsaken" (despair, abandonment).</p><p>Jesus experienced humiliation and physical agony during the torture He received.</p><p>Jesus experienced the pain of betrayal by His own disciples (best friends, in human emotional equivalent experiences).</p><p></p><p>Jesus is in essence the part of God who has <u>firsthand experience</u> of what it is like to be human, yet is still divine and perfect. Pretty much no matter what you have been through in life, you don't have to have any doubt that Jesus <u>completely understands</u> what you have been through and what you are going through now. Jesus' empathy is both divine and human simultaneously, as one of several aspects of His gift to you.</p><p></p><p>So this is part of why when we stand before God when our time comes (for each of us), if we are saved, then Jesus will confess on our behalf before God (Matthew 10:32). And through Jesus we are able to come to God the Father.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TurtleAnne, post: 70793596, member: 393849"] There is one reason that stands out to me especially, as far as why the death of Christ (in addition to the resurrection) is so significant. To understand, I think first it's important to get some questions out in the open, the sorts of questions that believers might sometimes have in secret but not want to admit out-loud for fear of sounding blasphemous. But I will admit them here. How can God understand what fear is like, if God can never be defeated? How can God understand what it is like to be faced with doubt, if God knows everything? How can God understand the emotional pain of humans, if God doesn't feel emotions the way we do? If God doesn't even cry? In other words, how can God really understand humans, and how hard we have it, if the hardships we face never apply to Him? How can He understand how significant it is when a human overcomes temptations, if God never has to overcome anything like it? If you really analyze a lot of the criticisms and doubts from nonbelievers, you might notice that most of them harbor these underlying doubts. You will see/hear it all the time. "How can a loving god ____________?" "Why does a loving god allow ________?" "Why would God ________?" They look at the world and see how screwed up it is, or they look at their own lives and feel hurt and flabbergasted. So this is just one of the layers in meaning in John 14:6, "Jesus answered, I am the way and [B]the truth[/B] and the life," and then,"[B]No one comes to the Father except through me[/B]." One layer of meaning is salvation, but another layer of meaning is in understanding. Through Jesus, and everything that Jesus experienced, including facing the pain and fear of death itself, we understand that God [I]understands us[/I]. When God split off a part of Himself, manifest in human form as Jesus His Son, this was a demonstration in terms that humans would be able to truly understand, of God's understanding and empathy for us. Jesus faced temptation, both to abuse His power and also to refuse God's will. Jesus had to struggle with negative emotion, including wrath, fear and sorrow. Jesus flipped over tables, Jesus cried, Jesus feared, Jesus felt frustration at the hardness of heart that so many people had, and before His dying breath, Jesus even experienced what it felt like to be "forsaken" (despair, abandonment). Jesus experienced humiliation and physical agony during the torture He received. Jesus experienced the pain of betrayal by His own disciples (best friends, in human emotional equivalent experiences). Jesus is in essence the part of God who has [U]firsthand experience[/U] of what it is like to be human, yet is still divine and perfect. Pretty much no matter what you have been through in life, you don't have to have any doubt that Jesus [U]completely understands[/U] what you have been through and what you are going through now. Jesus' empathy is both divine and human simultaneously, as one of several aspects of His gift to you. So this is part of why when we stand before God when our time comes (for each of us), if we are saved, then Jesus will confess on our behalf before God (Matthew 10:32). And through Jesus we are able to come to God the Father. [/QUOTE]
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Why is the crucifixion so meaningful when the rise of Jesus means he sacrificed very little?
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