1) Most Xns believe that Jesus took our punishment by dying on the cross for us.
2) Most Xns believe that God is a loving God.
3) Most Xns would argue that we should lock up and throw away the key for any father who would kill their own son as a way of settling a score with an independent third party who was unable to pay up.
4) Most non Xns just don't get the whole God is a loving God but kills the innocent Jesus instead of us thing.
Let's face it the whole substitution analogy is actually a really bad way to explain how Jesus death bring us back into relationship with God. It's time for a new analogy.
Any ideas?
3 comments:
How can one get around the forgiveness of our sins? If we do not obtain forgiveness, we are not going upward my friend. Why should we try another way. If the Holy Spirit prepares the hearts, we just go in for the harvest. Changing the heart of the gospel is dangerous. Unless I am just not understanding...it sounds like we are trying to change the pure gospel. The lost can only come in one way. They are sinners (little or a lot), they need the blood. We cannot show them another door. Correct me if I'm not understanding what you are saying here.
Hello Mauvianne,
Thanks for commenting. You may not have got completely what I'm saying - my fault I think. You might want to have a look at some of my other posts about substitution
.
Basically what I am saying is that the theory of Penal Substition is not the only way to look at the Atonement. To me the Atonement is like a diamond and there are lots of theories to describe the atonement of which penal substitutiuon is just one.
My problem is that for many Xns they see penal substitution as the one and only way too and I think this detracts from the atonement. So, if you like, instead of having a beautiful diamond (with many sides) you get just a flat peice of glass (not very inspiring).
Hi Chris
In your 3rd point about "Substituting Substitution" you state that "Most Xns would argue that we should lock up and throw away the key for any father who would kill their own son as a way of settling a score with an independent third party who was unable to pay up." This is true in regards to humans but in regards to God's plan of redemption, one must view it from another perspective. The idea of sacrifice was established at the passover and was symbolic of what was needed to redeem man from sin. This sacrificial type was further expressed in the law of Moses showing the need for a sacrifice. I can give you chapter and verse if you want. Later Jesus was to fulfill these types as John refers to Jesus in John 1:29 "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the World" In Revelation 13:8 Jesus is refered to as "the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. This was a plan from long before Christ. This plan was divinely designed and the sin/debt could only be payed for by a perfect sacrifice.
Point No. 4 says that Christian don't understand how a loving God could kill an innocent being instead of us. ---- Well God determined that the sacrifice had to be perfect sacrifice because "our works are as filthy rags". Lambs offered for sacrifice had to be virtually perfect and Jesus was a perfect sinless sacrifice. I know that it seems cruel but that's what a loving God did for mankind. John 3:16
You next idea that the substitution analogy is a bad way to explain how Jesus death brings us back into relationship with God. First of all its not just an analogy. It is what actually happened. He was substituted for our sins, died and then resurrected to life. So we not only come back into right relationship with God but we also receive eternal life if we believe in him.
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