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?
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I think there's two aspects to answering that question:
1) your questions seems to reflect that you presume God is asking us to atone for our sins so that he can forgive us. But Jesus death is about God bearing the cost so that we maybe forgiven.
In many ways all forgiveness requires some cost. If someone harms me I can choose to retaliate and harm them back - which may be the just thing to do. But by forgiving them I choose to lose my rights to punish them and choosing instead to make peace with them. In other words I'm choosing to bear the cost of their sins by not retaliating and choosing to make peace instead.
2) The context of our sin against God that is atoned for through Jesus death is quite different from when we sin against one another.
God provided Adam (humanity) with a choice to be in relationship with him or live his own life apart from God. The consequences were clearly stated that if Adam chooses a life apart from God him and all humanity would physically and spiritually die. Adam chose death rather than relationship with God.
So clearly if God has made this promise he could choose to change his mind - and say actually the consequences I promised won't actually happen after all. But this just makes his promises meaningless.
But he didn't just leave it there. He instead took the much tougher option of keeping his promise of punishing the sin of Adam but instead he took that punishment himself.
So I think there is a very specific context of Adam's response receiving the consequences he was clearly promised. But yet still the mercy of God bearing those consequences rather than humanity.
The context of us as humans sinning against one another and forgiving one another is quite different.
[/quote]
I think there's two aspects to answering that question:
1) your questions seems to reflect that you presume God is asking us to atone for our sins so that he can forgive us. But Jesus death is about God bearing the cost so that we maybe forgiven.
In many ways all forgiveness requires some cost. If someone harms me I can choose to retaliate and harm them back - which may be the just thing to do. But by forgiving them I choose to lose my rights to punish them and choosing instead to make peace with them. In other words I'm choosing to bear the cost of their sins by not retaliating and choosing to make peace instead.
2) The context of our sin against God that is atoned for through Jesus death is quite different from when we sin against one another.
God provided Adam (humanity) with a choice to be in relationship with him or live his own life apart from God. The consequences were clearly stated that if Adam chooses a life apart from God him and all humanity would physically and spiritually die. Adam chose death rather than relationship with God.
So clearly if God has made this promise he could choose to change his mind - and say actually the consequences I promised won't actually happen after all. But this just makes his promises meaningless.
But he didn't just leave it there. He instead took the much tougher option of keeping his promise of punishing the sin of Adam but instead he took that punishment himself.
So I think there is a very specific context of Adam's response receiving the consequences he was clearly promised. But yet still the mercy of God bearing those consequences rather than humanity.
The context of us as humans sinning against one another and forgiving one another is quite different.
