Claim: Jesus died for our sins. But he was only dead for 3 days. So what did he sacrifice? His weekend. Jesus gave up his weekend for our sins.
Answer: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18
That is truly one of the dumbest arguments an atheist has brought forward. Jesus died to atone for the guilt of sin.* Guilt (culpability, blameworthiness) is a moral category, which makes it a qualitative rather than a quantitative category. Duration is quantitative. The duration of his death is irrelevant to its atoning value. The principle isn't duration but substitution. In the death of Christ, somehow the sin of humankind was laid upon Him and he bore its weight, paying the price. He was tortured. He voluntarily gave up his dignity. Was spat on. Beaten. Scourged and crucified. And then crucified. Jesus’ death was not a clean injection or a quick shot to the head. It was hours and hours of arduous excruciating torture. The Romans had perfected the art of pain to such an extreme that our word for the worst pain imaginable comes from their practice of crucifixion – Excruciating. Ex Crucis. Out of the cross. That's something more than your procrastination this weekend. It cost far more than a weekend.
God created this universe, constrained by 3-dimensional space, and the dimension of time woven into the fabric of space, where existence/life can continue even when the order has been violated. Even before Christ came in flesh, God gave us a world where we could make choices. He sacrificed for us so that, even though we had violated his laws, we could have a way to reconcile with God. Without our bodies, this would not be the case. In much the same way that atoms cannot violate the laws of physics in order for matter to exist.
Have you ever believed you were right about something, only to discover later in life that you were wrong? We are flawed, and our logic is incomplete. In science, as in life, we often have to modify the paradigm of our understanding. The greatest minds throughout history continued to learn because they were willing to understand that their discoveries often did not bring them full knowledge and understanding. What continually amazes me is that those who are least able to learn insist on "pounding the table" with the insistence that they know what they are talking about. If you truly seek truth, and wisdom, then start by understanding that you really don't "know" all the answers.
Answer: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18
That is truly one of the dumbest arguments an atheist has brought forward. Jesus died to atone for the guilt of sin.* Guilt (culpability, blameworthiness) is a moral category, which makes it a qualitative rather than a quantitative category. Duration is quantitative. The duration of his death is irrelevant to its atoning value. The principle isn't duration but substitution. In the death of Christ, somehow the sin of humankind was laid upon Him and he bore its weight, paying the price. He was tortured. He voluntarily gave up his dignity. Was spat on. Beaten. Scourged and crucified. And then crucified. Jesus’ death was not a clean injection or a quick shot to the head. It was hours and hours of arduous excruciating torture. The Romans had perfected the art of pain to such an extreme that our word for the worst pain imaginable comes from their practice of crucifixion – Excruciating. Ex Crucis. Out of the cross. That's something more than your procrastination this weekend. It cost far more than a weekend.
God created this universe, constrained by 3-dimensional space, and the dimension of time woven into the fabric of space, where existence/life can continue even when the order has been violated. Even before Christ came in flesh, God gave us a world where we could make choices. He sacrificed for us so that, even though we had violated his laws, we could have a way to reconcile with God. Without our bodies, this would not be the case. In much the same way that atoms cannot violate the laws of physics in order for matter to exist.
Have you ever believed you were right about something, only to discover later in life that you were wrong? We are flawed, and our logic is incomplete. In science, as in life, we often have to modify the paradigm of our understanding. The greatest minds throughout history continued to learn because they were willing to understand that their discoveries often did not bring them full knowledge and understanding. What continually amazes me is that those who are least able to learn insist on "pounding the table" with the insistence that they know what they are talking about. If you truly seek truth, and wisdom, then start by understanding that you really don't "know" all the answers.
