Humans must be taught what is right
by Jean Martin, Valparaiso, Ind.
Regarding "Once for All" (April 7): I wonder what Darrin Belousek says about Psalm 51: "Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge." And what about Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"? And Hebrews 9:22: "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
Being just, God sees the value of responsibility for sin. We can see it in children and even adults who are not punished for wrongdoing. Humans must be taught to do right. To have no consequences for our sin would make sin rampant, as it was in the days of Noah.
God himself took the payment for our sins in his son Jesus. But payment was made. He died because we sinned. No other reason.
If humans had not gone the way of sin, Jesus would not have had to die—so what's not penalty about that? And if Jesus had not died, we would be dead in our trespasses and sins, and there would be no hope for forgiveness. Remember, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That means if he wiped out humanity in the days of Noah, he would do it again if wickedness increased as it did then. And wickedness would increase if Jesus had not made a way for righteousness to reign in humans through his Holy Spirit.
Why is it important that we do away with penal substitution? To fit God into our ideas of what is good and loving? We see through a glass darkly—very darkly it seems. God sees as things are. All the ways of looking at the death of Jesus help us understand what he did for us.
Associated Issue: Green shoots rising - April 7, 2009
Associated Article: Once for all
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