I don't buy into appeasement and substitution only makes sense as a form of appeasement. I don't buy into substitution, either except as a form of allegory. If one is discussing God as being just, for example, then legally, I am convicted of crimes that I am incapable of atoning for, so Jesus did it for me in order that I may be free to live for God. This, however, discusses the nature of God vis a vis the nature of humanity (one aspect there of, anyway). This does not address the very nature of the crucifixion.
The question is,"Why did Jesus die for me?"If the crucifixion is crucial for salvation, then why is this so? I think we need to go back to Genesis and see why we are "fallen" and therefore need to be "saved". What we need to be saved from and why need to be saved corresponds directly to how we need to be saved. If it's a legal matter, then we need a legal response. If it's a moral issue, we need an ethical response. If the problem is metaphysical, we need a metaphysical solution. Whatever the issue is, we need a solution that adresses it.Therefore, we need to figure out what the problem is first, then we might be able to decipher what Jesus really did.
I think that we raised the barriers between ourselves and God but only God could create the gate through those walls. That gate is Jesus Christ. The issue is not sin and righteousness (though hose are related to it). The issue is life and death. When we place ourselve above God, we die. When God becomes the focus of our being once agin, we live. This is now possible as we follow Christ. We accept His LORDship over our lives and are baptized into His death we may then live a life akin to His. It's a metaphysical solution to a metaphysical problem. Choose the allegory that suits you best: Sheep and Shepherd, Temple and curtain, Camel and eye of needle, etc...
I don't think Jesus saved us from God so much as He saved us from ourselves. It's a relational concern more than a legal matter. We were ousted from God's side because we worship ourselves rather than Him. Now we may refocus our beings from orselves and back onto God where they belong. We may look to the cross and be saved. We can follow Christ's example of servitude even unto death and become more like Him. We may give our lives over to Jesus and be "reborn" like Him. We must remember His life death and resurrection. It's the entire package that saves, not just the cross.
In Christ,
Christopher
The question is,"Why did Jesus die for me?"If the crucifixion is crucial for salvation, then why is this so? I think we need to go back to Genesis and see why we are "fallen" and therefore need to be "saved". What we need to be saved from and why need to be saved corresponds directly to how we need to be saved. If it's a legal matter, then we need a legal response. If it's a moral issue, we need an ethical response. If the problem is metaphysical, we need a metaphysical solution. Whatever the issue is, we need a solution that adresses it.Therefore, we need to figure out what the problem is first, then we might be able to decipher what Jesus really did.
I think that we raised the barriers between ourselves and God but only God could create the gate through those walls. That gate is Jesus Christ. The issue is not sin and righteousness (though hose are related to it). The issue is life and death. When we place ourselve above God, we die. When God becomes the focus of our being once agin, we live. This is now possible as we follow Christ. We accept His LORDship over our lives and are baptized into His death we may then live a life akin to His. It's a metaphysical solution to a metaphysical problem. Choose the allegory that suits you best: Sheep and Shepherd, Temple and curtain, Camel and eye of needle, etc...
I don't think Jesus saved us from God so much as He saved us from ourselves. It's a relational concern more than a legal matter. We were ousted from God's side because we worship ourselves rather than Him. Now we may refocus our beings from orselves and back onto God where they belong. We may look to the cross and be saved. We can follow Christ's example of servitude even unto death and become more like Him. We may give our lives over to Jesus and be "reborn" like Him. We must remember His life death and resurrection. It's the entire package that saves, not just the cross.
In Christ,
Christopher
