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God is just. That means He must punish the guilty. But He is also love, and He is merciful. His being just would mean we (who are all sinners) must be punished for our sins. His mercy cannot simply overlook our sins. Our sins must be punished. But God in His great love for us, "laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). So HE was punished for OUR sins. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, "For He [God] made Him who knew no sin [Christ] to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 1 Peter 2:24 says, "[Christ] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness..."
Now, at first glance, that would seem unjust of God to lay on Christ all OUR sins, when Christ was Himself sinless. But it was Christ Who voluntarily took on the role of our sin-bearer, knowing it was the only way any of us would ever be able to escape the punishment due us for our sins.
He said, "...I lay down My life for the sheep. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.'' (John 10:15, 17-18). He also said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.'' (Mark 10:45)
Ezek. 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."
Ezek.33:20, "Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways."
Job 1:8 "...my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 2:3)
There is no need to believe in such an atonement, solely because it is not only unjust and illogical, but is not consistent with the Torah.
Judaism teaches the biblical way to repentance and reconciliation with God. Sincere repentance in which the sinner pledges to rectify his sinful ways and lead a righteous life is one means that is open at all times to all of humanity (Jonah 3:5-10, Daniel 4:27). God counsels Cain, "Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do good [that is, change your ways], will it not be lifted up [that is, you will be forgiven]. But if you do not do good, sin rests at the door; and it desires you, but you may rule over it" (Genesis 4:6-7). God informs Cain that repentance and forgiveness are always open to him. The remedy for sin is clear. Biblically, God's loving-kindness depends on right conduct.
According to the Christian doctrine of original sin, until Jesus, atonement for sins could only be received through a blood atonement offering at the altar of the Jerusalem Temple. Those (Jews and all Gentiles) who could not avail themselves of the atonement granted at the Jerusalem Temple's altar died by this sin, consigned to eternal punishment with no means of achieving atonement and heavenly blessings. Following Jesus' death, it is claimed, neither Jew nor Gentile could receive forgiveness of their sins without belief in him as savior from sin. Indeed, if what Christianity says is true billions of people since then have also suffered the same fate, unaware of Jesus as their "savior" or that there was even a need to be "saved." According to this rationalization, God created humankind with free will and the ability to sin then demanded superlative perfection from this imperfect being that He created. Then God took on the guise of humanity in the form of Jesus in order to rescue His imperfect creation. But, in the process consigned billions of lost souls before and after the advent of Jesus to eternal punishment for not knowing of Jesus and accepting the "grace" he allegedly provided. Billions of people, Christian doctrine teaches, have gone to eternal damnation for not accepting what they did not know about!
Judaism teaches the Old Covenant and Christianity teaches the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant forgiveness was based on blood sacrifices.
Leviticus 17:11. `For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for
it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.'
The writer of Hebrews, in discussing and contrasting the Old and New covenants, says in 9:22:
22. And according to
the law almost all things are purged with blood, and
without shedding of blood there is no remission[forgiveness].
The Old Covenant (or Old Testament or O.T.) with all its animal sacrifices prefigured the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus, "the Lamb of God," made at Calvary, never to be repeated. Destruction of the Jewish temple in 70 A.D. did not destroy the law that required such sacrifices for forgiveness.
You mentioned Job. Notice Job 1:4-5:
4. Now his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
5. So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that
Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and
offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all.
For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.'' Thus Job did regularly.
Under Judaism, sin always required some payment, either in the form of a sacrificed animal, where the sin is symbolically transferred to the animal who dies, or punishment of the sinner himself. Today, not having a temple in which to sacrifice animals does not nullify or cancel the Law's demands, which includes all God said through Moses to the people concerning all the many sacrifices they were told to offer through the priests for an atonement for their souls.
Under the New Covenant, Christ's shedding of His Blood provides a full and complete atonement for our souls today.
1 Peter 1:
18. knowing that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19. but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 John 1:
7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Revelation 1:5
...
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who
loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood
You say, "The remedy for sin is clear. Biblically, God's loving-kindness depends on right conduct." Wrong. Right conduct might show repentance, but it never cancels out wrong conduct. And we are all sinnners, constantly doing wrong conduct. God is loving, for sure. That is why we read in John 3:16---
16. "For God so
loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Think about this: Man sins, rebelling against God. Man in his fallen, rebellious state cannot offer anything of value to God to himself atone for his sins, so God sends His Son ("He gave His only begotten Son" at Calvary) as the remedy for man's sins. But what do most men, including you, do? You reject the very remedy that God Himself has provided for your sins. If you die doing that then you will pay for your own sins for all eternity.
John 3:36 --- "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.''
If billions have gone to eternal damnation it is because they are all sinners and deserving that fate. It is only by the grace of God that we all don't go there. I will leave to a Just, Holy, Righteous, and Loving God the fate of those who have not heard the Gospel. They, like all people, are sinners. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?'' (Gen. 18:25).
But YOU, who HAVE heard the Gospel, have a far worse fate if you continue to reject the payment Christ has made for your sins.
You have no excuse.
Peace
