Question of the Week 7 - Why was it necessary for Jesus to die? (04/17/2003)
(http://www.pfm.org/Content/ContentGroups/BreakPoint/Columns/ Worldview_for_Parents/200311/Question_of_the_Week7.htm)

The BreakPoint answer is: Jesus as God incarnate "gave himself" to bridge the gap and provide salvation for fallen, sinful humanity. We are asked to respond to the gift God gave us in Jesus death and resurrection, to accept the truth of these events, and to call out to Jesus for his forgiveness and presence within our life.

The death of Jesus somehow atones for sinful humanity. Since his death somehow changed the possibilities for everyone in the future, all those that died before him must have been sent to hell, not having had the good fortune of being born after Jesus.

We are asked to accept the truth of these events - that Jesus was the human host for God. When reading the Bible literally, Jesus must have been born to be King of the Jews. His bloodline to David and Abraham is clearly defined in the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew, just read the very first sentence, Matthew 1:1, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. That claim is why he was crucified by the Romans since that claim to be King of the Jews by Jesus would have been considered treason. The myths involving the life of Jesus were written after his death and so actual events would have been adjusted to suit the needs of the believers that survived the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.

The Bible is being investigated in recent years, to see how the events described might be derived from actual events. Many of the myths of the Old Testament are being compared to the myths of contemporary cultures to determine whether common themes might be based on a common event. The belief that Jesus died for man’s sins must rest on a belief of the mythical Jesus not on the life of the historical Jesus.

Other BreakPoint commentaries on similar subjects:

Why Did Jesus Die

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go to the BreakPoint - Parent’s Guide 2

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created - Dec. 2004
last change - 12/30/2004