Explain me why and how Jesus Redeemed humanity.

[Anonymous]

I struggle with this concept. Can someone explain in the way that is infallible against any counterargument?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I struggle with this concept. Can someone explain in the way that is infallible against any counterargument?

Who said it was "infallible"? Like everything in religion, it's a matter of faith. Sometimes faith wavers, but when it comes back, it's often stronger than ever.

[Anonymous]

Are all the counter arguments valid or do you need something infallible against any argument ridiculous or not?

[Anonymous]

I struggle with this too, and would love some recommended reading on it. If a death is required to atone for our sins, that suggests a greater cosmic balance, i.e., something bigger than God that must be appeased on our behalf. I've never been able to square that with my church's view of God as the eternal and all-powerful source of all life. I'm genuinely asking, not trying to pick a fight.

- liberal Protestant

[Anonymous]

A real God wouldn't require this.

[Anonymous]

It's just a story OP.

You either choose to believe the story in order to give you something to believe in, or you choose to understand it's just a story.

[Anonymous]

There is no infallible argument. I had many years of Catholic school, and they said that the mechanism by which the crucifixion and resurrection operated to save humanity was a mystery. There are a couple of different ways to explain it, but no one really knows, and maybe it isn't even just one thing.

My favorite analogy, though, was this: imagine that you see a badly wounded animal. The animal needs your help, but if you try to help it, it will lash out and hurt you. But you do it anyway, and are wounded. The wounding wasn't necessary to balance some cosmic scales, it was the result of the animal's pain and fear, causing it to attack the one trying to help it. Or the way that a drowning person can pull a rescuer under. Humanity is the wounded animal or drowning swimmer, in need of rescuing, but because of its brokenness, it lashed out and killed the one trying to save it. God knew we would do this, but loved us so much that he did it anyway, knowing he would suffer and die.

[Anonymous]

You either believe this or you don't. It is a matter of faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just a story OP.

You either choose to believe the story in order to give you something to believe in, or you choose to understand it's just a story.

For me, it’s a story of suffering, that we all suffer and we all fall and it’s only the falling that gives us the chance to rise. Transformation is possible, change is possible, overcoming is possible, redemption is possible.

I’m an atheist though. Still find the idea super compelling. I love Easter.

I do not understand the idea that Jesus died for me or what that means. I don’t need or want anyone to die or sacrifice for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no infallible argument. I had many years of Catholic school, and they said that the mechanism by which the crucifixion and resurrection operated to save humanity was a mystery. There are a couple of different ways to explain it, but no one really knows, and maybe it isn't even just one thing.

My favorite analogy, though, was this: imagine that you see a badly wounded animal. The animal needs your help, but if you try to help it, it will lash out and hurt you. But you do it anyway, and are wounded. The wounding wasn't necessary to balance some cosmic scales, it was the result of the animal's pain and fear, causing it to attack the one trying to help it. Or the way that a drowning person can pull a rescuer under. Humanity is the wounded animal or drowning swimmer, in need of rescuing, but because of its brokenness, it lashed out and killed the one trying to save it. God knew we would do this, but loved us so much that he did it anyway, knowing he would suffer and die.

I’m not the OP but I’ve struggled with this concept too and I LOVE these analogies, PP! Thank you so much for sharing! I am Catholic but did not go to Catholic school and had pretty spotty CCD (and it shows )

[Anonymous]

Why do people overthink this? It is because it is. There is no why. No religion makes any sense. Well, the Roman and Greek gods make sense but not modern religion. It's the gist of the story and what it represents. Real or not, who knows. I had a Jesuit professor who said that his first question to the Messiah when the Messiah appears on earth is "is this your first time here or have you been here before?" This is from someone who would die to defend his faith.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm not a Biblical scholar, but I am an evangelical Christian and am happy to take a stab at this for you, especially since no one else here will!

To say that Jesus "Redeemed" humanity is to say that He saved us from ourselves - our sin, which is what separates us from God. We are all sinners - everyone of us - me, you, every DCUM reader, everyone. Sin and God cannot co-exist. So because we have it in our lives, we cannot be reunited with God, either here on earth or in the afterlife in Heaven.

Jesus took that sin, died on the cross, went to hell and rose again from the dead. He conquered sin, and death and through Him, we can have the same victory. It is the ultimate redemption because we could never be good enough or in any other way save ourselves. He is our only hope.

Why did He do it? Because God so loved us. He literally sent His Son to die for us in an attempt to get us back.

[Anonymous]

Jesus redeemed individuals not humanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm not a Biblical scholar, but I am an evangelical Christian and am happy to take a stab at this for you, especially since no one else here will!

To say that Jesus "Redeemed" humanity is to say that He saved us from ourselves - our sin, which is what separates us from God. We are all sinners - everyone of us - me, you, every DCUM reader, everyone. Sin and God cannot co-exist. So because we have it in our lives, we cannot be reunited with God, either here on earth or in the afterlife in Heaven.

Jesus took that sin, died on the cross, went to hell and rose again from the dead. He conquered sin, and death and through Him, we can have the same victory. It is the ultimate redemption because we could never be good enough or in any other way save ourselves. He is our only hope.

Why did He do it? Because God so loved us. He literally sent His Son to die for us in an attempt to get us back.

This makes zero sense.

How did he 'take the sin'? What does dying on a cross have to do with it, lots of people died on crosses back then? Rising from the dead means conquering sin?

Please elaborate on this thing you call sin. It's something that can be taken, something that can be conquered, something that everyone is, something that everyone does, and it's something that is something but cannot co-exist with God who is supposed to be a creator?

[Anonymous]

OP I have never understood this either.

There were countless other people who "died on the cross" and suffered just as much, if not more than Jesus. Crucifixion was a common form of death by the Romans - Jesus' death and suffering were never special. For the life of me, I don't understand why all the other people who died on the cross didn't also "suffer for my sins."

Religion is weird. All religions are weird. They're all myths to convey a story, and hold no actual truth.