I was not sure where to post this, but here’s my question:
I understand that Christ died for all of us and paid the price for our sins. The only thing I was wondering about was exactly how this was accomplished. In what way exactly did Jesus dying on the cross pay for our sins? How did Jesus’s passion make it so that we can enter into heaven. In addition to this, I was wondering what role does the mass have if our sins have already been paid for?
Thanks for any responses
28After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
What was finished? What are the “All things were now accomplished”? An incomplete atonement? An incomplete redemption? What was in the cup He had to drink? Was it not the wrath of God that was meant for all the Christians throughout the ages and into the future? Was a single drop of wrath left in the cup? So what was finished? Why did Jesus sit at the right hand of God instead of standing daily to make sacrifices like the other High priests?
Look what Hebrews 9 says: " 24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25 nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; 26 for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
How many sins did He bear? A few, some, not enough? notice He was offered up ONCE to BEAR the sins OF MANY, which indicates He did not bear the sin of ALL as many suppose; that is not what the Word says and it is not the reality either for many are headed and are already in hell. He atoned for the sons of God, saints, redemmed of God, the saved, true believers. How many sacrafices were necessary to accomplish that? Many were offered in the OT through animal sacrafices, but God said that only covered, not remove, temporarily, but when God offered up His Son who bore the wrath the Christian deserves; God no longer sees the sins of the Christian; that was already paid; He now see those who are IN CHRIST. You will see the phrase “IN CHRIST” many many times in the NT because if one is IN CHRIST that man or woman has a RIGHT standing before the Father because of the Son who redemmed the Christian by paying a ransom that was PRICELESS in the Father’s sight because it was His Son, Christ Jesus.
IOW, our lack of righteousness or sin or evil or rebellion was poured out on Christ, which is why the Bible says “He was made sin”. Why was He made sin; He did nothing wrong? The same way why does a Christian have aRight standing before God? He has done nithing right except rebell against God. Because Jesus was made sin to pay the price Christians deserve, which is God’s eternal wrath so that by bearing that wrath He could IMPUTE or give as a gift eternal life through His righteousness onto the Christian. Jesus did it once and for all time; no more sacrafices to atone for sin; He paid what the Father demanded and SATISFIED the Father through His work; He went to the cross to do away with scrafices. God has removed the Christians into the deepest depths of the ocean, as far as the east is from the west and God said He remembers them no more.
So someone comes and says, why not just sin away then, did not Paul address that. What fool would want to sin against the One who saved Him from God’s wrath? That fool would prove himself a stupid fool and have no love for the One who paid a debt so large; He could never repay it; uet Christ did it once because as John Piper as put it “Jesus if INFINITELY worthy” above all things, Jesus value outweighs all of creation which is why His one-time sacrafice for sins, wrath and atonement, reconciliation, redemption - you name it, it is finsihed once and for all the redeemed of God.
