Can Someone Die For Your Sins

Where does it say that someone can die for the forgiveness of sin?

The church teaches that Jesus died so that we could be forgiven for our sins.  They use this as a tool to get people to join them.  It works like this.  People learn right from wrong at a young age.  So, everyone knows they've done wrong at some time in their life.  They tell the prospective convert that they will be cast into hell if they are not forgiven for their sins.  No one wants that.  At this point, the person begins to wonder about the things he or she has done.  The only logical question they can ask is, "what can I do?"  They tell the person that all they have to do is believe that Jesus died so their sins can be forgiven.  Someone who does not know the Bible will probably be relieved.  After all, the church is standing in a position of trust.  

The church has maneuvered itself into this position quite effectively.  Everyone in the church trusts their leaders.  The leaders trusted those who came before them.  After all, the church does a lot of good in the community.  The run soup kitchens, food pantries, other things for the poor.  They have built themselves into their position of trust, so whatever they say must be true.  Why would they lie?

The sad thing is that they don't know they are lying or even perpetuating a lie. As I said, the leaders trusted those who came before them.  They believe the things they are teaching.  The problem is that it doesn't line up with what the Bible says. 

What The Bible Says

So what does the Bible say about this?  In Exodus 32: 30-35, Moses attempts to give his own life for the sins of the people.  HaShem tells Moses that the one who sinned is the one who will die.  It might be nice if we could do this.  Many parents would gladly give up their lives for their children to live. But it doesn't work that way.  We are all accountable for what we do.  Deuteronomy 24:16 teaches expressly against this, "Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers; each man shall be put to death for his own transgression."   

There is no way this concept makes any sense.  If I sin, it's my fault.  I pay the price.  The church teaches that Jesus laid down his life for his friends.  As admirable as this might be, it doesn't work that way.  People do actually lay down their lives for others all the time.  Soldiers have done this as well as police and firefighters.  Some people donate organs and die later because the organ that remained failed.  People have pulled others from being hit by a car or a train only to fall in front of it themselves.  Yes, they gave their life but this cannot excuse what the one who survived had done.  

Ezekiel 18 goes into more detail on this subject.  In the beginning of the chapter, HaShem declares that all souls are His.  v4 says, "Behold, all souls are Mine. Like the soul of the father, like the soul of the son they are Mine; the soul that sins, it shall die."   This is telling us that He alone has authority over the souls of men.  Later in the chapter, it lists several sins and what happens to the one who commits them.  In v20 it says, "the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."  There is not greater accountability than this. 

There is Hope 

But there is hope.  He does give us a way to be forgiven.  It does not involve a blood sacrifice.  It does not involve someone else dying for us.  All that is required is repentance and a commitment to follow the laws and execute justice and righteousness..  v21 tells us, "And if the wicked man repent of all his sins that he has committed and keeps all My laws and executes justice and righteousness, he shall surely live, he shall not die"  In v22 He tells us that those sins will be forgotten.  So repentance not only brings forgiveness it gives us a new beginning.  Now, this new beginning comes with a warning.  As it says in v.24 He warns us that, "And when the righteous repents of his righteousness and does wrong and does like all the abominations that the wicked man did, shall he live? All his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered; in his treachery that he has perpetrated and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die."  

At the end of chapter 18, He tells us to "repent and cause others to repent and it will not be a stumbling block of iniquity for you."  He is giving us a task to do in causing others to repent.  It is not enough for us to repent but we should also help others.  In v32 He tells us "For I do not desire the death of him who dies, says the Lord God: so turn away and live!"   It is His desire that all shall live.

To answer our question, where does it say that someone can die for the forgiveness of sin?  It definitely does not say this anywhere in the Holy Scriptures.  In fact, this notion  is the exact opposite of what it says.  

  

Copyright 2016 by:

William Bouker