Can the God of the Bible still be just for allowing one man to die for the sins of others?
The answer to this question may appear to be a no-brainer to most Christians, but there many other people that believe that it is unjust or even unfair for God to make one man pay for the sins of others. People's sensitive sense of justice logically says that whosoever did the crime must serve the time. In religious thought, every man is accountable for his own sins. Why would anyone would want to take on the sins of other people and be punished for it? Why would anyone do such a thing? Why indeed, for God is holy as well as just and it is His justice that demands satisfaction when anyone violates his commands. That makes that person who violates God's commands, His laws, a transgressor and a sinner. Here is the point, there has been no man, except for one, that has lived a sinless life, everyone else is a sinner before God. In fact the prophets said there is none righteous (Isaiah 41:26) If anyone thinks himself righteous apart from God beware, for the prophets also proclaim that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags to the Lord God (Isaiah 64:6). So bad was our condition that David said, " Blessed is the man who transgression is forgiven, whose sins are covered..." (Psalms 32:1) His statement illustrates the fact that sin continued to be a problem all because Adam disobeyed God's command and transgressed His law (Genesis 2 +3), but God being a Just and Holy God must judge sin, but how can He do it without condemning His chief creation, mankind?
How does a Holy God forgive a sinning person?
Surely, God can just forgive Adam? Can't He? Yes he can, but the problem is more complicated than that. When Adam sinned, he violated God's law, God's command, his action was a illegal act. One illegal act must be remedied by another legal act. This is like someone killed someone else, which is against God's law.(Exodus 20:13; Romans 7:7-13,24+25) When the killer is tried and convicted, God 's law requires the death of the killer. Should God show the killer mercy and make void his own Law? Or should God allow the legal judgement of His law prevail? What should a Holy God do?
How does a Holy God look upon a sinful man?
Let us look at what did God do in the Bible, when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden. When he disobeyed God's command, Adam became a sinner, God being Holy can not look approvingly upon sin and still remain Holy, if He did, He would have destroyed Himself along with anyone and any thing that is attached to Him, that means the end of all creation, for God is a holy God and judges all uncovered sin. He is the foundation of all that is created. So when Adam sinned, what God did to remedy the problem in the short term? God killed animals and covered Adam with their bloody skins. This allowed God to look upon with Adam in his sinful state without destroying him, from that point on mankind, when anyone came into the presence of God they had to offer a blood sacrifice of an animal, because the sinful nature of mankind is transferable from one generation to the next, or there would be no need for animal atonement sacrifice in subsequent generations . Thus God averted judgement upon Adam's sin through blood atonement. Which He directly administered to Adam.
The Practice of the Blood Atonement.
This practice of the atonement sacrifice through the use of animals continued from the time of Adam until the time of Moses, where the practice was codified, or made law. (Genesis 4:4, 8:20, 31:54; Exodus 3:18, 23:18) According to the law, once a year the atonement sacrifice had to be made by each person who was the head of his household and the High priest each year had to offer also an atonement sacrifice, one for himself and another for the people and intercede for the people, because the people's sin offering was to atone for the sins of the people and allow God to be with them. The problem with this was the fact that mankind manipulated the atonement sacrifice system so that only those who could afford atonement of their sins got their sins atoned (John 2:14+15), while the ones who could not afford to get their sins atone for was left without hope until the day of Atonement. Even then not everyone could get their sins atoned for. Also the blood of animals did not permanently deal with the sin issue, the blood of animals only covered sins temporarily. So what can a Just and Merciful God do? Should He continue the blood atonement offering system or eliminate it? If He did eliminate it, God would have to destroy Israel, their laws, and anyone one else that came into the knowledge of his existence.
What was God's plan to save sinful mankind?
What did God do? He decided that he would sacrifice a part of Himself to redeem mankind. What choice did He have? He could not legally just forgive sins for His law required judgment upon all uncovered and un-atoned for sins, and His Holiness destroys all the uncovered and un-atoned sins that it sees and every thing or person it is attached to. If He did not do something to remedy the fact that many people was not getting their sins atoned for, He will lose all their souls to Satan and Hell. Hell is the place where all who are condemned in their sins go after their physical death on earth. Now I ask, would God be Just if he allowed such a thing to happen? He would not be, so in his Mercy He decides to have a son, born of a Virgin, of the house of David. He calls and send prophets to tell the people that still believe in him that a redeemer is coming. Like Moses, a deliverer, who led the nation of Israel to their freedom.
God then chooses Elizabeth to give birth to the messenger who will prepare the people for arrival of His Son, none other than John, the Baptist. Six months later God chooses Mary, a virgin girl who is engaged to Joseph, a son of the house of David. God sends the Angel Gabriel to tell her of her selection and of the child that she was going to conceive. Gabriel tells her that the child will called the son of the Most High (the phrase "the Most High" is another name for God) and His name will be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35 ) She accepts the assignment, and God makes her conceive, Jesus. Jesus, whose Mission from God, was to tell people of the Good news of God's redemption and then die for their sins so that God's Holiness and Justice can be satisfied. For the illegal act committed by a Man like God (Adam), that brought sin into the world must be condemned, and the sins of many people must be atoned for by another legal act by a holy God like man (Jesus). This is what God's law and Holiness required, in order to be permanently satisfied. Since the blood of animals did not permanently eliminate sin, the blood of His only begotten Son, pure and holy surely will eliminate the sins of those who believe in Him and permanently free mankind from the penalty of sin, which is death and eternal damnation. So Jesus had to die for us, in our place so that we who chose to believe in Him will not have to pay the penalty of sin, which is going to Hell with Satan in the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but each one of us, through Christ, will have the opportunity to live a righteous life before God without sin disqualifying us. Which also allows each of us who believe entrance into Heaven.
Which is more just? To die thinking or believing that your are forgiven without your sins covered or to die knowing that you have the atonement for your sins through faith in the shed blood of Jesus?
So what do you think of God? Would He had been just to let all of mankind die in their sins without hope of redemption? Do you think it would have been fair for God to allow a man to die in his own sins, believing that he is forgiven? No it would not have been fair or just for God to allow people to die in their own sins under the presumption that they are forgiven. So a Just and Merciful God must allow one man, His Son, to die for the sins of the world and cover mankind with the Holy and Righteous blood of His Son, Jesus. For without His sacrifice upon the cross, we certainly all would have been lost forever.
The answer to this question may appear to be a no-brainer to most Christians, but there many other people that believe that it is unjust or even unfair for God to make one man pay for the sins of others. People's sensitive sense of justice logically says that whosoever did the crime must serve the time. In religious thought, every man is accountable for his own sins. Why would anyone would want to take on the sins of other people and be punished for it? Why would anyone do such a thing? Why indeed, for God is holy as well as just and it is His justice that demands satisfaction when anyone violates his commands. That makes that person who violates God's commands, His laws, a transgressor and a sinner. Here is the point, there has been no man, except for one, that has lived a sinless life, everyone else is a sinner before God. In fact the prophets said there is none righteous (Isaiah 41:26) If anyone thinks himself righteous apart from God beware, for the prophets also proclaim that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags to the Lord God (Isaiah 64:6). So bad was our condition that David said, " Blessed is the man who transgression is forgiven, whose sins are covered..." (Psalms 32:1) His statement illustrates the fact that sin continued to be a problem all because Adam disobeyed God's command and transgressed His law (Genesis 2 +3), but God being a Just and Holy God must judge sin, but how can He do it without condemning His chief creation, mankind?
How does a Holy God forgive a sinning person?
Surely, God can just forgive Adam? Can't He? Yes he can, but the problem is more complicated than that. When Adam sinned, he violated God's law, God's command, his action was a illegal act. One illegal act must be remedied by another legal act. This is like someone killed someone else, which is against God's law.(Exodus 20:13; Romans 7:7-13,24+25) When the killer is tried and convicted, God 's law requires the death of the killer. Should God show the killer mercy and make void his own Law? Or should God allow the legal judgement of His law prevail? What should a Holy God do?
How does a Holy God look upon a sinful man?
Let us look at what did God do in the Bible, when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden. When he disobeyed God's command, Adam became a sinner, God being Holy can not look approvingly upon sin and still remain Holy, if He did, He would have destroyed Himself along with anyone and any thing that is attached to Him, that means the end of all creation, for God is a holy God and judges all uncovered sin. He is the foundation of all that is created. So when Adam sinned, what God did to remedy the problem in the short term? God killed animals and covered Adam with their bloody skins. This allowed God to look upon with Adam in his sinful state without destroying him, from that point on mankind, when anyone came into the presence of God they had to offer a blood sacrifice of an animal, because the sinful nature of mankind is transferable from one generation to the next, or there would be no need for animal atonement sacrifice in subsequent generations . Thus God averted judgement upon Adam's sin through blood atonement. Which He directly administered to Adam.
The Practice of the Blood Atonement.
This practice of the atonement sacrifice through the use of animals continued from the time of Adam until the time of Moses, where the practice was codified, or made law. (Genesis 4:4, 8:20, 31:54; Exodus 3:18, 23:18) According to the law, once a year the atonement sacrifice had to be made by each person who was the head of his household and the High priest each year had to offer also an atonement sacrifice, one for himself and another for the people and intercede for the people, because the people's sin offering was to atone for the sins of the people and allow God to be with them. The problem with this was the fact that mankind manipulated the atonement sacrifice system so that only those who could afford atonement of their sins got their sins atoned (John 2:14+15), while the ones who could not afford to get their sins atone for was left without hope until the day of Atonement. Even then not everyone could get their sins atoned for. Also the blood of animals did not permanently deal with the sin issue, the blood of animals only covered sins temporarily. So what can a Just and Merciful God do? Should He continue the blood atonement offering system or eliminate it? If He did eliminate it, God would have to destroy Israel, their laws, and anyone one else that came into the knowledge of his existence.
What was God's plan to save sinful mankind?
What did God do? He decided that he would sacrifice a part of Himself to redeem mankind. What choice did He have? He could not legally just forgive sins for His law required judgment upon all uncovered and un-atoned for sins, and His Holiness destroys all the uncovered and un-atoned sins that it sees and every thing or person it is attached to. If He did not do something to remedy the fact that many people was not getting their sins atoned for, He will lose all their souls to Satan and Hell. Hell is the place where all who are condemned in their sins go after their physical death on earth. Now I ask, would God be Just if he allowed such a thing to happen? He would not be, so in his Mercy He decides to have a son, born of a Virgin, of the house of David. He calls and send prophets to tell the people that still believe in him that a redeemer is coming. Like Moses, a deliverer, who led the nation of Israel to their freedom.
God then chooses Elizabeth to give birth to the messenger who will prepare the people for arrival of His Son, none other than John, the Baptist. Six months later God chooses Mary, a virgin girl who is engaged to Joseph, a son of the house of David. God sends the Angel Gabriel to tell her of her selection and of the child that she was going to conceive. Gabriel tells her that the child will called the son of the Most High (the phrase "the Most High" is another name for God) and His name will be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35 ) She accepts the assignment, and God makes her conceive, Jesus. Jesus, whose Mission from God, was to tell people of the Good news of God's redemption and then die for their sins so that God's Holiness and Justice can be satisfied. For the illegal act committed by a Man like God (Adam), that brought sin into the world must be condemned, and the sins of many people must be atoned for by another legal act by a holy God like man (Jesus). This is what God's law and Holiness required, in order to be permanently satisfied. Since the blood of animals did not permanently eliminate sin, the blood of His only begotten Son, pure and holy surely will eliminate the sins of those who believe in Him and permanently free mankind from the penalty of sin, which is death and eternal damnation. So Jesus had to die for us, in our place so that we who chose to believe in Him will not have to pay the penalty of sin, which is going to Hell with Satan in the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but each one of us, through Christ, will have the opportunity to live a righteous life before God without sin disqualifying us. Which also allows each of us who believe entrance into Heaven.
Which is more just? To die thinking or believing that your are forgiven without your sins covered or to die knowing that you have the atonement for your sins through faith in the shed blood of Jesus?
So what do you think of God? Would He had been just to let all of mankind die in their sins without hope of redemption? Do you think it would have been fair for God to allow a man to die in his own sins, believing that he is forgiven? No it would not have been fair or just for God to allow people to die in their own sins under the presumption that they are forgiven. So a Just and Merciful God must allow one man, His Son, to die for the sins of the world and cover mankind with the Holy and Righteous blood of His Son, Jesus. For without His sacrifice upon the cross, we certainly all would have been lost forever.
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