Episode 111: Getting Over Spiders (Atonement Theories, Part 4: Moral Influence)

Jesus teaches his followers how to love in his own actions, words, and even his death--so that we, too, will be people known by our love.  Fair enough--that seems like pretty solid, basic Christianity.  But it also opens up a can of worms, too, when it comes to the cross of Jesus.  Do we have to DIE to be really, fully following Jesus' example?  And is all I need just a moral example to follow, like the old children's characters Goofus and Gallant, so I'll know I should be good?  What if don't improve my behavior--did the cross of Jesus do nothing for me? Is "not sinning" something I can just make myself do by yelling at myself, "Stop it!"? Or what if, like a certain thief on the cross next to Jesus, I don't even have the time or chance to show any moral improvement in my life? Is the thing Christians call "salvation" something I have to "earn" back with the rest of my life doing sufficient good?  And if I die with demerits or red marks on my permanent record, will I have to go somewhere else to get them processed or purged out of me before I can go to heaven?  It turns out that just saying Jesus' death is an example of supreme love for us to follow raises as many questions as it thinks its addresses.  So join pastors Sarah, Erica, and Steve for the next conversation in our ongoing series looking at what happened at the cross.