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I have a difficult time understanding how sacrifice applies to an omnipotent and omniscient being.
The only applicable definition I see is that of ritualistic sacrifice. Is this the meaning? Was Jesus sacrificed to appease God as the Jews offered animals for the same reason?
Everything he did, suffering in the Garden, Death on the Cross, and his Resurrection, was so that we could have the opportunity for eternal life, to live with God again. Let me explain.
In the garden of Gethsemane, before his death on the cross... was where the main part of the atonement took place. In the garden of Gethsemane... he suffered the pain of every sin, of every person, who has lived, was living at the time, and who would ever live on this earth. He suffered so much, that he sweated drops of blood, from every pore in his body. Through this act... he payed the price for all the sins of mankind, so that we could have the option of repenting, when we did something wrong. So when we sin, we know that Christ has felt the pain of that sin already. To make sure he did not suffer for us in vain... we need to ask for forgiveness for what we do wrong, and then forsake the sin.
Christ's death on the cross was significant, because his death had to take place, so that he could be resurrected. Many people think that by this act, the atonement took place, when in actuality, the atonement took place in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Because Christ was resurrected, we can be too. That is how we will have eternal life. In Revelations, we read all about Christ's return, and how those who lived righteously, will be resurrected first, and re-united with their earthly bodies, just as Jesus was.
The definition of atoned is" To make amends, as for a sin or fault"
So Jesus atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, so that we might repent, and return to him.
Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us, only to live again, so that we may follow in his footsteps.
I have a difficult time understanding how sacrifice applies to an omnipotent and omniscient being.
The only applicable definition I see is that of ritualistic sacrifice. Is this the meaning? Was Jesus sacrificed to appease God as the Jews offered animals for the same reason?
Calibelle was answering from the Latter Day Saint perspective, most other sects of Christianity believe the sin debt was paid on the cross.
According to Christian tradition when the Jewish people sacrificed an animal it was a foreshadowing (sort of a prediction in action instead of words) of Christ sacrifice on the cross.
Calibelle was answering from the Latter Day Saint perspective, most other sects of Christianity believe the sin debt was paid on the cross.
According to Christian tradition when the Jewish people sacrificed an animal it was a foreshadowing (sort of a prediction in action instead of words) of Christ sacrifice on the cross..
Yes I was speaking from a Latter-Day Saint perspective on the atonement. Hence the reason I stated that it was "my understanding of Christ's atonement."
Just out of curiousity... for those that believe the sin debt was paid on the cross.... what do you believe happened in the Garden of Gethsemane then??? Christ's emotional suffering was so great there, that his suffering became physical as well.
In the OT times when animals were sacrificed, they were cut into pieces, parts were washed, the fat was burned, the blood was sprinkled and the meat was boiled. Blood was demanded as atonement for sin and God accepted animal blood to cover the peoples sins. Because of the sacrificial system the Israelites were generally aware that sin costs someone something and that they were sinful. Many people take Christ's death on the cross for granted. They don't realize how costly it was for Jesus to secure our forgiveness, it cost Him His life and painful, temporary separation from God.
Hebrews 7:24-25 "But Jesus remains a priest forever, His priesthood will never end. Therefore He is able once and forever to save everyone who comes to God through Him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf".
Hebrews 9:22 "In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins".
Yes I was speaking from a Latter-Day Saint perspective on the atonement. Hence the reason I stated that it was "my understanding of Christ's atonement."
Just out of curiousity... for those that believe the sin debt was paid on the cross.... what do you believe happened in the Garden of Gethsemane then??? Christ's emotional suffering was so great there, that his suffering became physical as well.
To flip your question on it's head, what do you think happened on the cross? Jesus was also tortured on the cross, He didn't "just" die. What leads you to believe that the actual atonement happened in the Garden, and not the cross?
To answer your question, I believe that the experience in the Garden, the stripes on his back, carrying the cross, and then the cross...all of it is a part of Christ's work for us.
Here's where I have difficulty. It seems nonsensical to attribute loss to an omnipotent being. The creator and master of the universe cannot "lose" anything, so this definition of sacrifice doesn't fit.
The idea of suffering doesn't make much sense either. An omniscient being already has the "experience" of suffering, so, unlike humans, there is nothing to be gained from suffering. As God is also omnipotent, there is nothing to be lost from being in a condition of suffering.
Animal (or, for other cultures, human) sacrifice is ritualistic, and this is how I view Jesus' sacrifice. In other words, to me, what is to be understood is the symbolism associated with ritualistic sacrifice. If I try to correlate loss/suffering by an omnimax being with human loss and suffering, the analogy breaks down for the reasons stated above.
Don't forget that Jesus was also human, he slept, ate and felt pain just like we do.
Yes, but being God, he could do these things at will. Being omniscient, God already has the knowledge of pain (as well as knowledge of every other experience). If we examine the phenomenon of pain, we see that it serves a purpose. We would not survive without the pain response. Associating a survival instinct with God makes no sense.
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