An oft repeated phrase of Christians,,, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son." This phrase brings to mind several questions. Did God not know Jesus was going to be resurrected? If his son didn't die then God didn't give up his son did he? If God wanted to forgive peoples sins couldn't he have just did so without putting Jesus through the ordeal?
Dads in South America give up a single child as indentured servants in the cocao fields every day in order to protect the rest of the family. Yup, God could just forgive folks but did you simply forgive your kids when they were growing up or was there some kind of consequence to their actions? In some cultures, if the son or daughter of a royal family does something wrong then someone else has to stand in the gap and take the punishment. Those are just very secular and very short quips and written just to make things more appetizing for further questions and I'll be more than glad to write a very lengthy and well studied proposal but, and there is a but: I do ask for a conserted effort in the question and answer period just so I know that we are not just playing mind games. I am used to one line questions but I generally do not answer them unless I feel they are heart felt and not merely questions that are meant to confuse a theological issue. I love ya Sheldon but I'm a bit gun shy because I know that you have asked the same questions a couple of dozen times to other people. Everyone, including myself in my younger unstudied years, has. Trust and Heart Sheldon, Trust and Heart. We both trust each other (and those wishing to join in) to be honest about our intentions and we both show our hearts each and every step of the way. (also for those wishing to study) If you are still interested, then let's get cracking and open the books!
Yes, God did know Jesus was going to be resurrected. It was Jesus in human form that might not have known this...what He did know for sure was that He could trust His Father in all things! And yes @Sheldon Scott God certainly could have forgiven sins in a different way, He actually did do this in the Old Testament with animal sacrifice paying the price for His peoples sins. God's Spirit came down from heaven and took on human form as Jesus Christ to show how very much He loves us and that He was willing to lay down His life to prove that love. Since Jesus was fully human with God's Spirit living within Him...He could have told God "No I'm not willing to do this.".....but He didn't. We who have accepted the gift of salvation have that same Spirit of God living in us now and it is that power that gives us strength to overcome sin, etc. and assures us of eternal life with God and Jesus.