How does Jesus take away the sins of the world?
If the Lamb of God took away all the sins of the world, past, present and future, then why is the world just about as bad as it’s always been? If you take something away, it’s not there any more, isn’t that right? If it means forgiving sins, how is it that men are accountable? Any debt that is forgiven is not owed. I looked up all the closest definitions that had to do with the subject.
Definition of take away
to deduct: subtract (dictionary.com) (From Greek, Strong’s) A primary verb; to lift; by implication to take up or away; figuratively to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind); specifically to sail away (that is, weigh anchor); to expiate sin: – away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up).
Though “take away” doesn’t have the meaning of forgiveness, I looked up its meaning also since many interpret the bible’s meaning of “take away” as forgiveness — these are the definitions that I found:
Definition of forgiveness
The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness: ‘to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt’.
Wikipedia defines forgiveness: Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.
“Take away” as forgiveness
Many Christians interpret taking away the sins of the world as forgiving sins, which doesn’t seem very likely. OK, so if men’s sins are forgiven then they shouldn’t owe the penalty for sins, right. What I don’t understand is why, if God forgives the sins then why do men still have to pay?
For example, a man kills or robs or something, gets caught and has to go to jail — in this life. If his sins are “taken away”, then evidently he doesn’t have to pay for them any more, right?
If God forgives men’s debts then why do they still have to pay?
Suppose, as is frequently the case, this man confesses his sins and asks forgiveness — Jesus forgives right? If the man is forgiven for the penalty of sins and Jesus took the penalty on the cross for the man, then why does he have to stay in jail for the duration of his sentence? He’s paying for what he did wrong. But didn’t Jesus pay for that on the cross? So why doesn’t the man get forgiven for his sentence, it’s paid for isn’t it?
If all sins are forgiven then why is a man judged in the next life?
Now you may say, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life”. That is supposed to mean that the man doesn’t go to hell for the payment for eternity, he automatically gets to go to heaven if he believes — it’s a free gift for believing. So a man can live as bad as he wants and if he believes in Jesus, then he goes to heaven for eternity. Sin all you want, believe in Jesus and still go to heaven and no debts to pay? All debts are forgiven?
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2Co 5:10)
If we are to be judged by Christ for everything that we have said or done in this life, that means that we will have to pay for those things. Paul was speaking to Christians here in Corinthians since just before this he says, “willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord“ (2Co 5:8) — so he IS speaking to Christians.
If the things done in this life have to be paid for in the next, then the sins have not been paid for or forgiven. So that can’t possibly be the correct interpretation either since that would create a contradiction.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Gal 6:7)
What you sow you reap.
Obviously, not everything that you sow you reap in this lifetime. There are so many so-called “born again believers” that have sowed much evil in this life and have only reaped maybe a fraction or even nothing in this life. There has to be a reaping in the “next life” some how.
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap
Then you might say, “That’s what Jesus did on the Cross — he paid for all the sins of the world”. That still doesn’t make much sense. That brings us back to the question we had in the first place: “how does Jesus ‘take away’ the sins of the world?
“He doesn’t take them away in this life, obviously, or the world would be a much different place. How could this mean that sins are forgiven in the next life since there is judgement and reaping of the bad things done in this body after that judgement according to
2Co 5:10:
“receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”
Gal 6:7:
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Gal 6:6-8)
According to the Bible there seems to be some sort of punishment for sin in the next life — even for Christian believers. There seems to be a contradiction here. Either that or there is a misinterpretation of what Jesus was supposed to have accomplished on the “cross”. Was he “the Lamb that took away the sins of the world”, or must men and women (believers as well as unbelievers) be held accountable in the next life for what they have done in this life?
Unfaithful servants receive few or many stripes being punished with the unbelievers.
The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. (Luk 12:46-48)
“Lord” in this passage represents God and “servant” is he that belongs to God or “believers”. The “unfaithful servant” gets punished according to how unfaithful he was — the servant of God that didn’t do his Lord’s will. And Jesus isn’t referring to an “eternity in Hell” either.
Even the one that didn’t know his Lord’s will got punished even though it was a lighter punishment than the one who knew his Lord’s will and wasn’t ready for his Lord’s “return”.
Some will say that the unfaithful servant was the unsaved. That couldn’t be the case, because Jesus said, “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” So the “unfaithful servant” has to be the (so-called) “saved” that didn’t DO what he was supposed to.
And the servant is not an unbeliever since Jesus makes the distinction in that the servant will take part with the unbelievers. Does this mean that some of His servants will spend some time in Hell or maybe purgatory for their unfaithfulness?
Does this mean that some of His servants will spend some time in Hell or purgatory for their unfaithfulness?
So the servants are not unbelievers, but will be punished with the unbelievers. Or… could it be that Jesus never even spoke these words, but are forgeries created by church fathers and/or scribes?
The fact that the lashes are few or many are countable words (Luke 12:48) indicates that when the punishment is ended there is no more after that (according to this passage).
This is to say that the punishment has an end and is not eternal damnation. This punishment wouldn’t be for the “unbelievers”, since Hell (if there is such a place) is supposedly “eternal”. If the punishment were for unbelievers, then that means there is an end to the punishment — it’s not eternal, only “few” or “many” stripes.
And these (the unrighteous goats) shall go away into everlasting punishment… (Mat 25:46) (mistranslation? See: Aion Means Age, Not Eternal)
(continued…) Next: Who Was Jesus Part 2 | Lamb of God Part 2