(July 30, 2014 at 3:53 pm)alpha male Wrote: Huh? I've been forgiven. As Jesus died for the sins of the world, anyone can be forgiven.
You're missing the context. I mean "flat out forgiven" not "requires a blood sacrifice, then you get forgiveness".
If Jesus tells us to forgive people without some sacrifice or payment given to us, why does God need a sacrifice to forgive everyone's sins?
(July 30, 2014 at 3:53 pm)alpha male Wrote:Quote:Is he asking us to behave in a more exalted way than himself or a less exalted way?What specific passages are you referring to?
Matthew 18:22 tells us to forgive people 77 times. I was always taught that it's not a literal cap, but telling people to keep forgiving others.
That being said, your stance is that God, by his nature will not forgive sin because it is not just, so it must be atoned for. We, however, are not to ask for atonement from others. We're to simply forgive them. Why are we being asked to behave in a manner different than God? If God is the measure of what is moral, why aren't we supposed to demand atonement? If we simply forgive instead of demand atonement, are we behaving in a more exalted or less exalted way than God?
