CAN GOD JUST FORGIVE SINS WITHOUT THE DEATH OF CHRIST?

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If God wants to forgive humanity, why did He have to send Christ? Can God just forgive us without the need for Christ to die on the cross? Critics often question the necessity of Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin by arguing that if God truly desires to forgive us, then Jesus’ work is not really needed. How do we respond to this?

The Just. The Offended. The Merciful.

Can God simply overlook sin just because He loves people? No. Scripture consistently reveals that God is just (Deut. 32:4; Mic. 6:8; Isa. 30:18). His justice will not allow sinners to go unpunished. Because He is perfectly righteous, we cannot expect Him to simply ignore the evil we commit.

The truth is this: God is not only our Judge—He is also the offended party. He not only declares what punishment sin deserves, but He Himself is the One against whom we sin. As David confessed, “Against You, You only, have I sinned” (Ps. 51:4). Since every sin is ultimately directed at Him, it is also His right to decide how payment must be made. Being both the Just Judge and the Offended One, God has full authority to demand payment. And what is that payment? Eternal death (Rom. 6:23; Jas. 1:15).

Here lies the amazing truth: because we cannot pay the price ourselves, God provided the way for us to be forgiven. He “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). So He gave us Himself—in the person of Christ—as our ransom (Mk. 10:45; Jn. 3:16; 10:18; 1 Jn. 4:10). God, who is both Judge and Offended Party, also became the Savior. As Jesus declared: “I am the way” (Jn. 14:6). Christ had to suffer greatly because our sin was great, and the price required was great. Only through His death could the justice of God be fully satisfied.
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The difference between believers and unbelievers is this: believers recognize that they cannot pay for their offense, so they receive the salvation God offers through Christ’s work on the cross. Both are guilty and undeserving, yet only the repentant accept God’s offer of forgiveness. God does not forgive by simply “overlooking” sin; rather, He forgives because those sins have already been paid for by Christ. As Scripture declares: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23, NIV). Stay Curious.

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