Basic Questions: Why Crucifixion/Resurrection matters?

[Judas_Daily]

1.) If Jesus died for my sins, why do I still sin?

2.) If Jesus conquered death, why will I still die?

 

[Catholic_Dude]

1.) If Jesus died for my sins, why do I still sin?

2.) If Jesus conquered death, why will I still die?

Two of the consequences of the Fall of Adam were that man’s body would be corruptible and that he would have the “urge” to sin (called “concupiscence”). The Merits of Jesus (His Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection) did not immediately undo those consequences. The immediate remedy of Christ’s Merits was to restore the sanctifying grace in our souls which Adam lost for himself and us. With this grace in our souls we have the ability to please God and avoid sin, but are still free to disobey God and engage in sin again.

 

[Judas_Daily]

Two of the consequences of the Fall of Adam were that man’s body would be corruptible and that he would have the “urge” to sin (called “concupiscence”). The Merits of Jesus (His Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection) did not immediately undo those consequences. The immediate remedy of Christ’s Merits was to restore the sanctifying grace in our souls which Adam lost for himself and us. With this grace in our souls we have the ability to please God and avoid sin, but are still free to disobey God and engage in sin again.

This answer, through no fault of your own, assumes that Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Why, then, should the Son of God dying have any effect on whether or not I receive sanctifying grace? Why am I not judged based upon my own merits, aside from the merits (or lack thereof) of Adam? And why did the Merits of Jesus not immediately undo the consequences of the Fall? Why was God unable to do this? Why did Jesus “die for my sins” yet leave all subsequent no better than the previous generations?

The effects of Jesus’ death and resurrection are far from evident.

 

[jpjd]

It’s the age-old question of why did Adam’s sin affect all mankind, but Jesus’ death and resurrection affects only the individual who has faith.

God said the wages of sin is death. When Adam sinned, he separated himself from God who is the source of life. So death entered the world, both death of the soul and death of the body. And so this original sin (a soul without grace and a fallen human nature) was passed on to all mankind.

Jesus, a sinless human, was a perfect offering to God for atonement for our sins. God accepted His offering which is shown in Jesus’ resurrection. Death was destroyed, life was restored. This life is available to us, but we must do our part. We must have faith in God, and we will receive the grace merited by Jesus’ death and resurrection. This grace brings life to our soul immediately, and life to our bodies when we will be resurrected on the Last Day.

So actually, the merits of Jesus’ resurrection did immediately undo the consequences of the Fall. The grace is there. It just won’t be dispensed to us until we repent of our sins and be faithful to God.

Your own merits can’t undo the consequences of the Fall, because you, like any human, are imperfect. A sin against God is an infinite offense and requires an infinite reparation. Any human, being a sinful human, can not possibly offer infinite reparation to God. Only Jesus can do that.

 

[jpjd]

The effects of Jesus’ death and resurrection are far from evident.

Have you studied the lives of the saints?

 

[Catholic_Dude]

This answer, through no fault of your own, assumes that Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

What is wrong with this assumption? You cant even ask the questions you did without this assumption.

Why, then, should the Son of God dying have any effect on whether or not I receive sanctifying grace?

The answer is because this is how God chose to save us. God chose to have His Son come to earth to show us what real love is supposed to look like, so we could follow His example.

Why am I not judged based upon my own merits, aside from the merits (or lack thereof) of Adam?

As jpjd said this is a tough question to answer. In one sense you are judged by your own merits (the reward or punishment will be proportional to how good or bad you were), but in the other sense of Original Sin and lacking sanctifying grace it is the fault of Adam our father. In one sense it is as if a parent racked up debts and left his debts in the hands of his children to pay off.

And why did the Merits of Jesus not immediately undo the consequences of the Fall?

Im not quite sure, it must be linked to the fact we dont receive our glorified bodies until the Final Judgment when all are judged and the fallen world passes away. At the final Judgment not only are the consequences undone, but even greater gifts than what Adam had are given to the saints, glorified bodies.

Why was God unable to do this?

It wasnt a matter of “unable” but “when”. The same can be said about why did God wait so long after the Fall (thousands of years) to send Jesus.

Why did Jesus “die for my sins” yet leave all subsequent no better than the previous generations?

Im not sure what you are asking here. The Merits of Jesus are applied to both those in the past (before the cross) and future (after the cross).

The effects of Jesus’ death and resurrection are far from evident.

It depends on what you mean here by “evident”. We wouldnt know any of this apart from Divine Revelation in Scripture and great Theologians.