Jesus Paid for Our Sins

            Why did Jesus have to die?

And, God speaks to me:

          “I forgive. You do not need to pay. There is no need for punishment. There is no need to have suffering for your weaknesses. Your weakness is suffering enough. Your existence is what I wish. Your acceptance of My love, My grace, and My forgiveness is all the requirement I place on you.

             Some people say that Jesus died for our sins. No! Jesus did not need to die for our sins. Our sins are already forgiven by God. Our sins are forgiven at the moment the universe is created.

            If Jesus is God, then the death of Jesus is a display of God’s love and acceptance of our free will. God through His love, forgives. There is no required balance of payments. There is no restriction on God’s love. It is that love that forgives our sins, not some horrible Deicide that cost Jesus His life. We have rejected animal sacrifice to cleanse our sins. We have rejected human sacrifice as barbaric.

            Why have we retained our hold on the concept that we must sacrifice the one we think of as the Son of God?

- Is your faith so weak that you require God to extract some sort of payment for what He gives willingly?

- Do you really believe that God is that petty?

- Is there some law or requirement that takes precedence over God’s desire to forgive? That requires a balance between good and evil? Between crime and punishment?

- Is there some requirement that evil be punished?

- Is there some requirement that good be rewarded?

- If so, does it have to be in this world, this life?

- Does God have to honor some balance between good and evil?

- Are you going to restrict God’s freedom to forgive?

- What makes you think that God cannot forgive our sins without the death of Jesus?

- What makes you think that God does not forgive our sins without the death of Jesus?

            If God is all powerful, He can forgive without restriction. He can forgive without exception. He can forgive without payment. He can forgive even without our contrition. Jesus did not die to forgive our sins. God forgives. God forgives without any requirements. Jesus died because that was his destiny. Jesus died because he had to do something to get our attention. Jesus died because we would not listen to his words otherwise. He died to prove he meant what he said. Jesus died to prove the love of God. Jesus died because we required it. Not because God required it.

            Isn’t there a story somewhere that indicates that the universe is not “fair” in the treatment of one person’s efforts over another? Was Jesus treated fairly?

            God looks at the entirety of your life. God says, “I love this person. I accept this person. I understand this person. I forgive this person.

            God does not think that Jesus has to die for this. God does not consider anything else in His love and desire to forgive. Jesus does not have to die for your salvation. You have to live for your salvation. All you have to do is believe. All you have to do is love God by loving His creation. God loves His creation and that includes you.

            And, again, there is still another view of the elephant. As blind men, we have stumbled around and find that there may be more to the elephant than what we previously saw. Does this chapter lead you to see another possible view of the elephant?