It really is as simple as Jesus showed and taught us how to
be saved, which means joining Him in being one with the Father. This was by
loving and serving others as He did with the pinnacle of that demonstrated with
his crucifixion.
We have tried to replace this simple and straightforward path with elaborate theories requiring mental gymnastics in order to try to avoid actually doing the things Jesus taught and demonstrated. No other way actually works though because all the other ways are, without us realizing it, built upon trying to maintain our separateness and safety rather than voluntarily giving up our separate identity to become one with our surroundings/Our Creator and His Creation.
Erroneous theories like the substitute atonement theory are attempting the impossible, to be both separate (for safety) and yet one with Our Creator to be saved/have eternal life with Him. In fact the whole idea of being saved as a separate individual is antithetical.
The moment we choose (which often is more like surrendering than choosing) and to the extent we choose to be united with Our Creator, which would always look in some way like how Jesus acted and taught us to act, we are one with Him/saved/have eternal life.
His Creation that we are called to unite with is often violent, but the violence/pain/suffering that is inevitable from our inescapable connectedness and mortality is beneficial to the Whole and thus us to the extent we are united with It. That inevitable violence/pain is normally the only thing that actually gets us to admit our need for God and each other, where we might be so lucky as to stumble upon His Grace and surrender to It and become unite.
However, if we are violent towards each other, creating unnecessary violence/pain/suffering, it makes individual attempts to unite dumb.
To summarize, we are violent towards one another to try to avoid the inevitable suffering caused by our mortality and inadequacy as separate individuals and then develop theories to try to justify ourselves. This violence towards one another, trying to shift or transfer inevitable pain, can make the only solution of becoming one with our surroundings dumb. This leaves the only answer to be the path Jesus and then the apostles taught and took, which is to build communities where we refrain from violence inflicted upon each other and shines a light upon those trying to shift their own (personal or group’s) inevitable suffering upon others.
We have tried to replace this simple and straightforward path with elaborate theories requiring mental gymnastics in order to try to avoid actually doing the things Jesus taught and demonstrated. No other way actually works though because all the other ways are, without us realizing it, built upon trying to maintain our separateness and safety rather than voluntarily giving up our separate identity to become one with our surroundings/Our Creator and His Creation.
Erroneous theories like the substitute atonement theory are attempting the impossible, to be both separate (for safety) and yet one with Our Creator to be saved/have eternal life with Him. In fact the whole idea of being saved as a separate individual is antithetical.
The moment we choose (which often is more like surrendering than choosing) and to the extent we choose to be united with Our Creator, which would always look in some way like how Jesus acted and taught us to act, we are one with Him/saved/have eternal life.
His Creation that we are called to unite with is often violent, but the violence/pain/suffering that is inevitable from our inescapable connectedness and mortality is beneficial to the Whole and thus us to the extent we are united with It. That inevitable violence/pain is normally the only thing that actually gets us to admit our need for God and each other, where we might be so lucky as to stumble upon His Grace and surrender to It and become unite.
However, if we are violent towards each other, creating unnecessary violence/pain/suffering, it makes individual attempts to unite dumb.
To summarize, we are violent towards one another to try to avoid the inevitable suffering caused by our mortality and inadequacy as separate individuals and then develop theories to try to justify ourselves. This violence towards one another, trying to shift or transfer inevitable pain, can make the only solution of becoming one with our surroundings dumb. This leaves the only answer to be the path Jesus and then the apostles taught and took, which is to build communities where we refrain from violence inflicted upon each other and shines a light upon those trying to shift their own (personal or group’s) inevitable suffering upon others.
When Paul talks about Jesus dying for our sins, what that
means is that Jesus has paid the price that we might join Him in becoming one
with the Father the instant we choose. We know that we have spent most of our
life trying to enhance and protect our individual physical and emotional
security and status (which is what he refers to as the ways of the flesh)
and in this process shifted the inevitable pain of our individual existence
onto those near and dear to us and the less fortunate. So we have mostly acted
diametrically opposed to being one or united with Him and if there was justice
we would have to sacrifice and make up for these things before we could join
Him. We do not because this is the price Jesus paid for us.
We are instantaneously and without any preconditions invited to join Him at all times, and that is what He constantly yearns for us to do, which is his unending Grace. However, it is also completely true that we will only know to what extent we have actually chosen to join Him by how we act, to further our own security/status/materials (the way of the flesh) or following him to look out for others. To the extent we have joined him we will WANT nothing more than to rectify our past harms as much as we can, to reduce any current harm we might cause, and to help others to join Him/their surroundings.
We are instantaneously and without any preconditions invited to join Him at all times, and that is what He constantly yearns for us to do, which is his unending Grace. However, it is also completely true that we will only know to what extent we have actually chosen to join Him by how we act, to further our own security/status/materials (the way of the flesh) or following him to look out for others. To the extent we have joined him we will WANT nothing more than to rectify our past harms as much as we can, to reduce any current harm we might cause, and to help others to join Him/their surroundings.
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