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Sacrifice means to make something sacred. The crucifixion was a sacrifice in the same way that an ancient Hebrew priest would have sacrificed an animal for a blood offering.
You could argue that Christ was already sacred, but it was the crucifixion that sanctified what Christ said and did even if you merely view him as a fully human prophet.
Your etymology is correct, but the term still implies loss. An omnipotent being cannot give his life, especially to himself.
Faith is defined as belief without evidence, not belief in something that contradicts itself.
not a contradiction..God became man...Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit..therefore both God AND man...this is where one gets into the belief in the trinity..God in three persons...Father, Son, Holy Spirit..
What I've never understood (and I was raised as a Christian until I became old enough to question what I was taught) is the whole mechanism or idea that Jesus "took upon himself the sins of mankind" or "took responsibility for our sins" or however it's stated. What is the whole point or explanation of that concept?
It's related to Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is about repentance and atonement. In the old tradition from Leviticus, two goats are sacrificed to absolve the sins of the priesthood and the people of Israel. The Last Supper, the Eucharist and the Crucixion are all related to older Hebrew traditions involving sacrifice and the absolution of sin. Animals were sacrificed after rituals were performed that made a symbolic transference of sin to the animal being sacrificed.
The answer to the question that started this thread can't really be understood until you understand the historical and religious context of the Crucifixion. Christ became the scapegoat, taking on himself all the sins of humanity. With his sacrifice (symbolically represented at the Last Supper and made real with the Crucifixion), he became the final sacrifice that atoned for the sins of the world. From that point forward, people became responsible to live according to a moral and ethical code rather than by a system of laws that could be followed even if the heart wasn't in it.
this is where one gets into the belief in the trinity
I think the trinity is a dogma and not a belief.
Everyone instinctively beliefs in love, it does not have to be taught. Every mother who does not suffer from a mental illness instinctively loves her baby and will take care of it. The trinity, unlike the belief in love, is something which has to be taught.
It implies it today, but that's only because language has shifted.
The meaning hasn't shifted but has expanded to include any loss not intended to appease the god(s). Sacrifice did not mean to sanctify in the general sense. It meant to sanctify by means of an offering. That offering could be blood, life, food, money, anything. Again, an omnipotent being cannot offer his life (especially to himself), or he wouldn't be omnipotent.
not a contradiction..God became man...Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit..therefore both God AND man...this is where one gets into the belief in the trinity..God in three persons...Father, Son, Holy Spirit..
I know you believe this, but it makes absolutely no sense. It's like saying a point can be both inside a circle and outside it at the same time. It's an impossibility.
I can accept that Jesus was a god in the form of a man, which, according to the Bible, seems to be the case (men cannot perform miracles). I cannot accept that Jesus was a god and a man. This is contradictory. I won't comment on the contradictory doctrine of three gods in one.
The meaning hasn't shifted but has expanded to include any loss not intended to appease the god(s). Sacrifice did not mean to sanctify in the general sense. It meant to sanctify by means of an offering. That offering could be blood, life, food, money, anything. Again, an omnipotent being cannot offer his life (especially to himself), or he wouldn't be omnipotent.
It sounds like your sticking point is the doctrine of the Trinity. It might help if you think of Christ as being a human conceived by the Holy Spirit - Mary's immaculate conception. He is human in body and blood, but due to his birthright also carries the authority to redeem mankind.
Don't get hung up on the nature of the Trinity. It's not essential for many Christians.
I know you believe this, but it makes absolutely no sense. It's like saying a point can be both inside a circle and outside it at the same time. It's an impossibility.
I can accept that Jesus was a god in the form of a man, which, according to the Bible, seems to be the case (men cannot perform miracles). I cannot accept that Jesus was a god and a man. This is contradictory. I won't comment on the contradictory doctrine of three gods in one.
yes..alot of people do have trouble with this one..but you see..I believe nothing is impossible with God..defies mans laws? yes
Originally Posted by arguy1973 I think the trinity is a dogma and not a belief.
Everyone instinctively beliefs in love, it does not have to be taught. Every mother who does not suffer from a mental illness instinctively loves her baby and will take care of it. The trinity, unlike the belief in love, is something which has to be taught.
so you are saying love is a belief?
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The trinity, unlike the belief in love, is something which has to be taught.
