April 1, 2009

Why I Do Not Believe Jesus Paid the Price for My Sin (part 2): Hiatus

Seeing as I have promised yesterday to conclude my thoughts on atonement I realize that some of you may be reading this expecting to find one thing. You will soon realize that what lies here not what you've expected.

I must confess that I let my tongue get ahead of me. Initially my thoughts are that I am too distracted by thoughts to focus enough to finish. However I do not believe that a person is ever in a situation where compromising their character is inevitable. When temptation presents itself there is always a way out. I do not have to break my word to conclude my thoughts. What I can break is my own selfimposed standards of how that information needs to be presented.

I am afraid that I overcomplicate things and make them wordy and unclear. The same is true for yesterday's post. I can no longer withstand the expectations I have laid upon myself and i need the time to break free of those. I will be entering a period of blog silence in order to re-evaluate where I stand. I do not know how long I will be away. It may be a week. It may be longer.

Before I go, in order to be true to my word I will summarize Why I Do Not Beliee Jesus Paid The Price For My Sin.


For starters the title was a gimmick to get people's attention before presenting the gospel. In actuality it is true but the truth behind it is that what Christ paid is not a price but a ransom/wage.

If you remember yesterday's post Satan approaches as both subordinate and dominant both of these are false. In his subordinate approach he comes underneath us offering power and than usurps that view by demanding payment for his services. As an unpaid employee would hassle a boss Satan hassles us for payment of wages we are not able to provide. Jesus pays that wage in order that sin as represented through Satan would have its fill and no longer seek compensation for its provision.

In sin's dominant approach it seeks to force us into submission through fear and oppression. This dominant front is actually an overcompensation for its lack of integrity. You might say sin has a Napolean complex. The percieved position of authority is false and so the demand of payment for our release is unjust. It is a ransom not a price.

The reason why I do not use price is that price puts sin and Christ as equals as if Satan has rightful ownership of us and Christ bought us from Satan in a legitimate exchange. I do not believe this to be true. Yet since the first posting I have come up with an understanding of price which I do accept.

Once again http://www.dictionary.com/ defines price as the sum of money, or other consideration, for which a person's support, consent, etc., may be obtained, esp. in cases involving sacrifice of integrity: They claimed that every politician has a price. The key in this approach is the second half of this definition, "...in cases involving sacrifice of integrity". After meditating on this I do believe Jesus paid a price. The price he paid was to sin but it was not to obtain ownership of my heart or soul or any other such part of me. The price he paid was what it took to reveal sins lack of integrity. Just as a crooked politician is crooked only when his price is met so it is with sin. Sin appears to have integrity but only until the price at which it cracks is met. That price is death. When sin smells death it gets over excited, looses focus and stumbles. The problem is that this is typically not seen until after death which is why the ressurection is critical. It is only those who have died who can reveal to us the structural failings of sin. This is what Christ has done. He paid the price which reveals sins weaknesses exploiting them so that we may know where to the opportunity to escape from sin's oppression lies.

I don't know if this is clear or makes any sense at all. It may. However my brain is not functioning as I would hope right now and so I will take the hiatus I mentioned earlier. In the mean time I hope you enjoy the remnant I've left behind.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think that your arguments are persuasive, but you lack the biblical idea that every sin needs to be atoned for by a sacrfice. In the old testement they would have to sacrifice something according to the degree of their sin. Jesus atoned for all sin to free us from this aspect of the law (well to free us from the law completely). If he had not died a sacrifice would have always been required. His payment was to a debt that would have required a payment no matter what.