Great question, isn’t it? As soon as I saw this meme, I knew it touched on an important topic that many folks just don’t understand.
First of all, let’s get the facts straight. Nowhere in the original source documents about His life does it even hint that Jesus of Nazareth — whom many people believe is God’s divine Son — died to wipe out sin. Nowhere.
So why did He die? Let’s see what the ancient writers say about that:
Because we broke God’s laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. (From a letter by one of Jesus’ earliest followers).
Another version of that same letter (written in ancient Greek) translates the excerpt like this: All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross.
In case one excerpt isn’t enough, check these out:
I [Paul, a missionary who told people throughout the Mediterranean about Jesus] told you the most important truths: that Jesus died for our sins, as the Scriptures [other ancient writings] say; that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day, as the Scriptures say.
Jesus had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Jesus we could be right with God.
Jesus redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse.
Now maybe you’re not convinced. Maybe you’re thinking “that’s just other people talking about Jesus. That’s not Jesus Himself”. So read this, from one of four original source documents about Jesus’ life:
Jesus took bread and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He broke the bread, gave it to [His apostles], and said, “This is my body, which is given up for you. Do this to remember me.”
Why would Jesus give up his body if it wasn’t for something truly epic, truly world-changing like wiping out the wrongs of everyone who believes in Him and follows Him?
In fact, Jesus was fulfilling a prophesy made hundreds of years before his physical life on Earth. Isaiah, a prophet, predicted the future when he wrote this:
He [Jesus] was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain.
So why is there still sinning? Because God gave us very imperfect creatures the gift of freewill and that means we use it to do wrong and fail to do right.
But as you can see from all the quotes above, there’s a solution: believe in Jesus – His life, ministry, death and resurrection. Become His follower. Then watch how He changes your life.
Interested? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.
Frank's Cottage 
Are you referring to Original Sin?
I’m referring to sin. Period. Most people don’t know or understand the term “original sin.”
So you do not acknowledge Original Sin, then, correct?
That’s not what this blog is about. I’m puzzled that you appear to be trying to change the subject of the blog.
Change? You mention sin, and I asked if you acknowledge Original Sin?
It is a huge part of Christianity, supposedly traceable to Paul.
So, do you acknowledge (inherrited) Original Sin?
The Eastern Orthodox do not, so I was wondering what you thought, that’s all.
I have no opinion on original sin. And the blog never mentioned it, especially as few people have ever heard of it.
The entire Catholic religion for example.
That must be close to what … a billion or so?
So, if you have no opinion on OS where do your derive your notion of sin. ”Period”, from?
Oh, and if Paul promoted it are you saying you dispute Paul’s authority?
I’m saying what I said in the blog, which is meant for people who are open to spirituality.
If you need a definition of sin, I encourage you to consult a dictionary. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any common ground for continuing this conversation. And that saddens me deeply. So goodbye. 😦
I believe “original sin” refers to the initial divide of man from God. It was the beginning point of the fall of man which brought about man’s redemption by the death of Jesus.
The time in between seemed to be God setting up the event by showing man the difficulty (impossibility) of living up to his commands. We see the 10 commandments followed by the laws written in a section of the Bible called the Pentatuch. God gave man the blueprint of heaven on earth.
Of course, as is our fallen nature, based on the original sin event, we continually turned from God to create an easier way of life. That is why the Israelites went through continued oppression. They reaped the consequences of their own choices. Continually God responded to their cries and had compassion for them.
Then it got to such a point in Jewish tradition that man-made amendments to the law made God’s people unrecognizable. The Jewish leaders became self-serving and manipulative. They were taking God’s name in vain in order to profit off the people (speaking generally, not suggesting all).
Seems similar to today’s world when sin is made to look compassionate and moral while fundamental Biblical principles are viewed as immoral or outdated.
Back to the point. God in His all-knowing nature knew this would be the case and carefully planned this time in history to send His Son to fulfill the law as originally written. By doing so, He gave His Son so that we can receive His Spirit by following Him.
As a result, God gave us a bridge to overcome death (sin) and receive everlasting life with Him. In fact, the punishment for original sin is death. It is important that we tie sin and death together. One is the result of the other.
Why is there still sin if Jesus died for us? Because His action extends outside the definitions of time. He died for all events, past, present, and future. That means the future must still play out; otherwise, that payment would be moot.
We continue to exercise free will; therefore, we can choose evil over good. This evidence proves God loves us. He gave us the will to choose life over death by making the only real perfect sacrifice (the crucifixion). Without a perfect sacrifice, there cannot be a counter action to the imperfect sacrifice made to sin by Adam.
By following Jesus, we participate in that sacrifice as His “bride.” We must say “I do,” willingly in order to join in “marriage” with Him. It is an intimate covenant that is best described in the terms of “marital commitment.”