The Sacrifice

Christianity centers around one overarching idea: Jesus, the son of God, died for the sins of man & through this act our souls are redeemed.

More or less.

I'm not going to debate the theological aspect of this claim or even go into the vast differences across denominations, branches, and sects.

And whether you are Christian or not is more or less irrelevant to this post.

This foundational idea though, is what I find most striking. Christians always celebrate the sacrifice made by their Savior; often resorting to a matra in essence saying "He died for my me". But taking from scripture it says:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" --John 3:16

Examine the language. Look at what it means.

God gave his only son.

When placed in a less ethereal context I think the significance becomes even greater and more relatable. They say the greatest pain imaginable is losing a child. And the bond between parent and child is one that is often unbreakable when formed.

My dad tells me he'd give me his heart if I needed it. And as farfetched as it may sound I know that in some crazy alternate universe if I needed a heart transplant my father would actually lay down his life so that I may live.

A child is a parent's whole world.

Would you give up the life of your child to save the souls of countless future generations? Many of which who would never appreciate the sacrifice you made?

It's one thing to sacrifice your own life for others. But imagine the difficult situation of having to sacrifice the life of your child, your whole world.

Okay, okay, okay hypothetical scenario. Aliens come and invade the planet (bear with me). They will destroy the entire planet along with everyone on it. That's 6 billion lives lost. If the only option was to sacrifice the life of your own baby boy or girl would you do it? Would you stand by and watch your child suffer unimaginable pain and suffering just to save the lives of others?

Would you? Knowing probably a lot of the people on the earth, present and future. would never appreciate or honor that sacrifice?

Would you sacrifice your world, your heart, your love, your everything?

I don't think I would.

So what does that say about the Christian God? He made the biggest sacrifice.

He sacrificed His whole world to save ours.

Kinda crazy when you think of it that way.