With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ. Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me
Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament
There has been a narrative spoken within the mainstream church for thousands of years. This is the narrative that we, as sinners, needed a savior in order to atone for that which we had done. Enter Christ Jesus. Enter the Jesus narrative. It is a consensus among Christian believers that Jesus is that sacrifice for that which we have done. In fact, it is the foundation of the Christian faith. But this is but a piece of that narrative. It is also taken as fact that God treated Jesus like a red headed step child on that cross. That He turned His back on His beloved Son and poured out His righteous anger upon Him. How else could one explain the torment which Jesus endured? After all, we're sinners (Yes, we're still considered such by the church), and we deserve the Lords violent anger as a result of our sin. But we didn't receive that penalty, Jesus did. It is believed that Jesus received the full wrath of the Lord which our sin deserved. This is the narrative which I grew up believing in. So, I believed that God could not deal with me on a personal level, that I had been separated from Him because of my sin nature. Again, this is all a part of the Jesus narrative. The passage which opened my eyes to the truth of the death of Jesus was spoken by the apostle Paul in the book of Galatians. It is this very passage which shoots the Jesus narrative all to hell (If there even is a hell, but more on that later). Paul speaks to the truth that Jesus did not receive the full wrath of God on that cross, but that WE died with Him at His side. That's right, Jesus died TO sin once for all time {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. This is referred to as Penal substitutionary atonement, the belief that Jesus died absorbing the wrath of God which had been meant for us. Thus, He became that savior which we so desperately needed. But is it more believable if Jesus absorbed our sin, or if the sin itself was put to death? But the early Christians had a different view of what Jesus endured on the cross. They didn't refer to it as punishment, but of victory.
Very few Christians refer to Jesus' death on the cross as a victory, but that's exactly what it was. For on the cross, Jesus didn't absorb the wrath of the Father, but marched into enemy territory and defeated the enemy which had held the Lord's children in bondage for so long. On that cross, Jesus conquered sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6}, death {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15:55-57}, and wickedness {Paul to the Colossians 2:13-15}. But this truth never has and never will fit into the Jesus narrative created by those within the church. We're sinners, we're guilty and WE deserved the Lord's punishment. As our Savior, Jesus took the penalty of that sin, along with the anger and wrath of God, all for the forgiveness of our sins. It's a good story if you can sell it. And that's exactly what the mainstream church has been doing for thousands of years, selling that Jesus narrative. Is it any wonder that Paul asks the question, "O, death, where is your victory" {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15:55}? For Paul the answer is simple, Jesus defeated death on that cross. He also knew the answer to the sin issue which surprisingly continues to plague us thousands of years after the death of Jesus. For anyone who worries they are still condemned by their sin, which those within the church continue to preach, Paul had the answer for that, too. "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}. As Paul spoke in Galatians, we have DIED to sin! We have been crucified beside Jesus on that cross. It is that sin which has been defeated by Christ Jesus on the cross {Paul to the Romans 6:6}. Again, this truth spoken by Paul goes against the Jesus narrative preached by the church. This is why so many believers believe that they continue to live in bondage to sin, because the church says that we do. There is a reason that the gospels never speak of God punishing Jesus in our place, because the Jesus narrative had yet to be invented. What the scriptures DO speak of is the victory of Christ Jesus over what once held the Lord's children in bondage. But I guess that doesn't fill many seats on Sundays.
Who rouses Him from among the dead, yet also being dead to the offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He vivifies us together jointly with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses, erasing the handwriting of the decrees against us, which was hostile to us, and has taken it away out of the midst, nailing it to the cross, stripping off the sovereignties and authorities, with boldness He makes a show of them, triumphing over them in it
Paul to the Colossians 2: 13-15, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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