Jesus went to Hell

[Azekual]

A seemingly obvious bit of Christ's journey that was conveniently left out of the Bible is that when Jesus died on the cross he went to hell. This is supported by the fact that "sin cannot exist I'm God's presence" and poor Jesus just absorbed the sum total of all of humanity's sin. In fact, if Christ didn't go to Hell when he took our punishment for sinning, then he didn't really take our punishment. On the plus side it shows a lot more dedication to the mission on his part. Anyone disagree?

 

[Shiranui117]

A seemingly obvious bit of Christ's journey that was conveniently left out of the Bible is that when Jesus died on the cross he went to hell. This is supported by the fact that "sin cannot exist I'm God's presence" and poor Jesus just absorbed the sum total of all of humanity's sin. In fact, if Christ didn't go to Hell when he took our punishment for sinning, then he didn't really take our punishment. On the plus side it shows a lot more dedication to the mission on his part. Anyone disagree?

I disagree. No one is currently in Hell, if by Hell you mean the lake of fire as described in Revelations. However, if by Hell, you mean Hades, then YES, Jesus DID go there, and freed those captive there.

Plus, Jesus didn't die on the Cross to take the punishment that was due for us; that idea was invented during the 1500's. It's wrong and un-biblical.

 

[Azekual]

Your last line intrigues me. If he didn't die for our sins what did he die for?

 

[Shiranui117]

Your last line intrigues me. If he didn't die for our sins what did he die for?

Oh, believe me, Jesus died for our sins. But He didn't die to take God's punishment for our sins. Rather, He died to free us from sin and death, and to reconcile us to God. He died to fully share in our human experience, so that just as He shared in everything that it means to be human, when He rose from the dead, He gave us the opportunity to share in God's life.

The following are all more ancient views of why Jesus died and rose for us:

Moral influence theory of atonement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Excerpt:

The moral influence view of the atonement teaches that the purpose and work of Jesus Christ was to bring positive moral change to humanity. This moral change came through the teachings and example of Jesus, the Christian movement he founded, and the inspiring effect of his martyrdom and resurrection. It is one of the oldest views of the atonement in Christian theology and a prevalent view for most of Christian history (see below -- History: Early church -- for references). Though God's redemptive love in Jesus were prevalent among writers in the early church, leading some scholars to claim that the moral influence theory was universally taught in the second and third centuries.

Christus Victor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Excerpt:

The term Christus Victor refers to a Christian understanding of the atonement which views Christ's death as the means by which the powers of evil, which held humankind under their dominion, were defeated.[1] It is a model of the atonement that is dated to the Church Fathers,[2] and it, or the related ransom theory, was the dominant theory of the atonement for a thousand years, until it was removed in the West by the eleventh-century Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm, and replaced with his "satisfaction" model.[2]

Ransom theory of atonement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Excerpt:

The Ransom View of the Atonement,[1] is one of the main doctrines in Christian theology related to the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ. The first major theory of the atonement, the ransom theory of atonement originated in the early Church, particularly in the work of Origen. The theory teaches that the death of Christ was a ransom sacrifice, [paid to death itself]

Recapitulation theory of atonement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Excerpt:

In the recapitulation view of the atonement, Christ is seen as the new Adam who succeeds where Adam failed.[10] Christ undoes the wrong that Adam did and, because of his union with humanity, leads humankind on to eternal life (including morality).[11]

Hope that helps!

 

[alternative_child]

every religion says different! the man above ^^^ says that..another says that he died exactly for our sins..i just went to a church wed, and they said its our fault he died..that everyone in the present, future, past..all of their sins. he died for all of them. i cannot think of which type of christianity it was though..

 

[Gaura Priya]

A seemingly obvious bit of Christ's journey that was conveniently left out of the Bible is that when Jesus died on the cross he went to hell. This is supported by the fact that "sin cannot exist I'm God's presence" and poor Jesus just absorbed the sum total of all of humanity's sin. In fact, if Christ didn't go to Hell when he took our punishment for sinning, then he didn't really take our punishment. On the plus side it shows a lot more dedication to the mission on his part. Anyone disagree?

I completely disagree.

A lot of formal Christian denominations do believe in an atonement theology that necessitates Christ's death for our sins. Since I take the Bible narrative as only one interpretation of Christ, I see it a little differently anyways.

In Paul's letter to the Galatians, he says "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -- Galatians 2:19-20

Can we take this literally? Definitely not. Paul was never crucified. Hell in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed is an old translation of the word 'sheol' which means that Christ desended to the dead. Hell refers to sheol, and thus it only means 'the grave' rather than any silly notion as a fiery Hell!

For me, Christ died for me. What I mean to say, is that his life, death AND resurrection create the sum totality of his atonement - by his example, his giving his life for others in radical love and faith, I am made a child of God. It is not by justification of any law or belief that saves us (Galatians 2:21), but our response of goodwill towards others and following the Greatest Commandment to love Jehovah AND love all of creation as inherently good, that saves me. He died and rose again, so that we ourselves too can share in the Resurrection of our internal spiritual selves, and be in union with God.

Moral influence theory of atonement - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plus, I'm a universalist. So sue me!

 

[Pegg]

Your last line intrigues me. If he didn't die for our sins what did he die for?

he died to make 'atonement' for our sins.

The consequences of sinning is a death penalty. Jesus paid the death penalty on our behalf.

If you find that difficult to understand, think of it like this: You owe a debt to the bank, but you cannot pay the debt because you dont have enough cash. Someone who has enough cash and has no debt offers to pay the bank what you owe on your behalf. Does the bank care where the money comes from? No. They just want their money, and once its paid, you are completely free of that debt.

And its in this way that the death penalty will be eliminated from the human condition. Jesus paid it on our behalf so that mankind can live forever.

 

[Shiranui117]

he died to make 'atonement' for our sins.

The consequences of sinning is a death penalty. Jesus paid the death penalty on our behalf.

If you find that difficult to understand, think of it like this: You owe a debt to the bank, but you cannot pay the debt because you dont have enough cash. Someone who has enough cash and has no debt offers to pay the bank what you owe on your behalf. Does the bank care where the money comes from? No. They just want their money, and once its paid, you are completely free of that debt.

And its in this way that the death penalty will be eliminated from the human condition. Jesus paid it on our behalf so that mankind can live forever.

This is exactly the kind of thing that I said wasn't Biblical. This line of thinking did not exist before the Protestant Reformation in the 1500's.

The problem was not God wanting justice or payment. The problem was humanity's enslavement to sin and death. We're the ones with the problem, not God.