Slightly Off the Beaten Path – One Man’s
Opinion
Did Jesus Die for Our Sins?
*Note: Just to put this piece into perspective – it is written from the viewpoint of an individual raised in a Methodist Christian tradition and who has, over the years, transitioned away from this structured line of thought.
DID JESUS DIE FOR OUR SINS?
Working with only a layman’s fundamental understanding of the concepts of Christianity, the statement “Jesus died for our sins” implies the existence of a) sin and b) original sin. I have a lot of problem with both of those.
My handy-dandy 1980 version of The Random House College Dictionary (hey, it fits in the tiny space I have available on my desk) defines sin as a “transgression of divine law” or “any act regarded as a transgression especially a willful violation of some religious or moral principal”. Well, that leaves a whole bunch open for interpretation, doesn’t it?
My personal, original understanding of sin was that it was any act or thought that was in opposition to God’s Laws or God’s will. The only real “law” list that I could come up with at the time was the Ten Commandments so that sort of made sense. Anything else was really just a matter of opinion provided by a religious organization, minister, Sunday school teacher, or the cute chick in the pew next to me. And that alone was a major problem because the thoughts generated by the cute chick immediately tossed my name into the Major Sinner list. I could rationalize my way out of it though because if Jesus died for my sins, I could generate any thought I dang well wanted and I was home free! Cool!
OK, wait a minute. Was I being handed a certified Christianity license to do anything I wanted? It sure seemed like it. After all, if I believed in Jesus and the things I’d been taught about the significance of his death…
Nah, I know it’s not intended to work that way but at the time, my immature little brain had a habit of misinterpreting a lot of things. Still though, as time went by, I could see a batch of differences in what various religions considered proper or improper, sin or no sin. Who was right? Who was wrong? Where’s the dividing line between the minor sins and the really serious ones? Are there misdemeanor sins and ones that result in capital punishment? And what about all those extenuating circumstances that might tend to negate the sinfulness of breaking one of the Ten Commandments? And what the heck is all that bad about a little lustful coveting?
Don’t get me wrong. The Ten Commandments do provide good basic guidelines to live by as long as we appreciate the probable reasons for their existence and apply a little common sense to their interpretation. But as written, are they “laws” that if broken will cast you into the fiery pits of hell? Probably not.
On to “original sin”. My initial understanding of this concept was based on the premise that Adam and Eve screwed up. As a result, we humans were relegated to the status of pond scum. We were all now classified as bad people – sinners – and that the only way to work our way out of this snake pit was to walk God’s path and of course, believe that Jesus’ act of atonement was the only thing that opened the doors of heaven to us. As time went by, I figured out that Adam and Eve weren’t real people and just represented the beginning of us humans based on the level of understanding at the time the story was developed. And I decided that the whole original sin premise came about either because it seemed like a logical explanation at the time – or it was a way to promote the desirability and benefits of working really hard to do what God wanted us to do. I mentally moved all humankind up to the level of absolutely marvelous creatures.
As I write this today with my present belief that we are all spiritual entities simply here on earth occupying human bodies – and with the purpose of learning, teaching and developing spiritually – I’ve moved the entire concept of “sin” into the recycle bin. I think that in this love-based creation we are provided a freedom of choice in our beliefs and actions that will enable us to grow at the fastest possible rate. Some of the decisions we make, some of our thoughts and actions will be beneficial to us while others may lead into a series of lessons that are more uncomfortable than we would have hoped for. Some of what we do will positively impact the overall spiritual organization – some will not.
I feel fairly certain that no matter what we do here on earth, at the end of our human lives we’ll simply go back home. Back to heaven – the other dimension. Back to our origins to review our lessons - our accomplishments and those areas where we still need improvement. In a totally loving, forgiving system I can see no possibility of punishment for our errant thoughts or misdeeds. I can see only caring and concern for our individual spiritual wellbeing. I see patience - and further lessons which are meant only to help with our developmental process.
The bottom line? Simply that “sin” within the generally accepted definitions, does not exist. Screw-ups, yes. Poor decisions, yes. Occasional hurtful actions, yes. Sin? No.
So if sin does not exist, it’s not logical that Jesus died “for our sins”. To me, it’s much more likely that he was put to death mainly because he was being a disruptive pain in the butt – to a lot of people. Shut him up and the problem goes away. It doesn’t appear that plan worked out very well, does it?
Jesus’ death is significant, however. It has prompted a long-lasting focus on his existence and study of his teachings. It has encouraged us to adopt a spiritual attitude and approach to life. It has been the motivation for living productive, loving lives. Beautiful…!
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