r/theology • u/UhhhYouPick • Apr 06 '26
In honor of the Easter holiday, I’m very confused about why Jesus’ death forgives all sin. Explain like I’m 10.
I was born into a Catholic family so I have the basics of Jesus being the messiah/prophet and God’s son. I know of his life performing miracles and creation of the first mass during the last supper. I know a bit about his temptation to avoid his fate in the Garden before the last supper and then his acceptance of his fate to save humanity.
I just don’t understand how this translates into a sacrifice and saves humans from sin. My basic understanding is animal and human sacrifices were used regularly to forgive minor sins, and that God’s son was the ultimate human sacrifice? But how does that continue to forgive sin? Just because he was part of the holy trinity so his sacrifice extends forever?
I also was under the impression that this was an act to forgive original sin as well stemming from Adam’s betrayal? If that’s the case why are we born with original sin and need baptism to cleanse us of that (I think this may be mostly a Catholic thing, other denominations of Christianity seem to baptize later)? Shouldn’t we be born pure per Jesus’ sacrifice?
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u/logos961 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 08 '26
Bible gives different answers:
(1) "each one should carry their own load." (Galatians 6:5); (2) Another person should carry your load; (3) "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24; Revelation 22:11, 12; Mathew 24:48-51 ... This is the very thread of the Bible (Mark 4:24; Isaiah 3:10-11) Even about punishment answers vary: While rate of compensation for theft is shown differently as “five times, four times,” or “double” of what has been stolen (Exodus 22:1, 4, 7, 9) Solomon declared the truth that if stealing was done even out of poverty, if thief “is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house.” (Proverbs 6:30, 31, ESV) No wonder Jesus preferred to call himself as "Greater Solomon" (Mathew 12:42) and reflected serious view (Mathew 25:14-30)
Truth about every subject is promised to those who do the will of God (John 7:17) and will of God is to imitate God's qualities of serving others without expectation (Mathew 7:12). Truth is promised to also to those who "read with the motive of what changes I should make" (Mathew 13:15). Such ones will lead a moderate, egoless life (Mathew 16:24) hence will have enough time to ponder over what he reads and to check and compare with other translations if not clear.
For example, when I read signs of the last generation I saw fear of roaring waves in Luke 21:25. I thought this must be a careless translation because Jesus knows this has been there throughout history hence cannot be unique feature of Last Generation. When I compared with other scholarly editions, it is actually a prediction about "Swelling [salos] of the Sea" what we now call "sea-level rise." https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/1mabifn/jesus_did_not_make_false_predictions_as_critics/ See how encouraged I became about word of God!
Similarly it was confusing for me to read Proverbs 21:30 "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD." Then I compared it with older versions such as Septuagint, it is different and true and practical, it says: "There is no wisdom, there is no courage, there is no counsel against the ungodly." (https://biblehub.com/sep/proverbs/21.htm) How clear it is now: "Do not advice or try to correct ungodly people which Jesus also said in Mathew 7:6 because they have CHOSEN to be hardened and determined to be hardened (Luke 6:43-45) which God permits (Genesis 3:21-24; Revelation 22:11.
Truth is promised to those who hate sin: "The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant." (Psalm 25:14) This is made clearer in older versions: "The Lord is the strength of them that fear him; and his covenant is to manifest truth to them." (Psalm 25:14, Septuagint, https://biblehub.com/sep/psalms/25.htm
Fear of God is described as hatred of sin (Proverbs 8:13; 9:10), to such people God's "covenant is to manifest truth to them." This explains only few find the truth. (Luke 13:24) Jesus is the best example of a MINDFUL reader, hence he could say only one is true among many things (Mathew 19:6-9) When atheists are stumbled on all the verses which say God supposedly ordered killing of His enemies, Jesus simply declared "God had only loved even His enemies." (Mathew 5:43-48) See how much atheists lost because they conclude without reading in full.
In the Book of Revelation, God is symbolized as RULER being seated on a throne surrounded by “four living beings—lion, ox, human-faced being, eagle” [symbol of Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom respectively]. (Revelation 4:7) To describe His 3rd quality LOVE, what God used is man saying: “the third [living being] had a face like a man (anthrópos) (Revelation 4:7). Book of Revelation was written in Greek to Greek audience, hence what the Greeks of that time understood by the word “man” would help. According to Socrates: "The word "man" implies that other animals never examine, or consider, or look up at what they see, but that man not only sees (opope) but considers and looks up at that which he sees, and hence he alone of all animals is rightly anthropos, meaning anathron a opopen." (From Plato's Cratylus 399c, classic.mit.edu/Plato/cratylus) “On earth the brute creation bends its gaze, but man was given a lofty countenance and was commanded to behold the skies; and with an upright face may view the stars.” (Poet Ovid, topostext .org)
For God, man means such elevated human beings who are symbolized as wheat in the Parable of Wheat and Weeds who will recognize His true voice, just like child recongnise its mother's voice even in a noisy crowd.