Why God Didn’t Need the Cross to Forgive You

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For centuries, many Christians have been taught that Jesus came to “pay for” our sins so God could forgive us. But what if that’s not what Jesus taught—or what the cross was truly about? 

In this episode of Breath of God Devotionals, we trace the history of atonement theories from the early church to today, explore how they connect to the doctrine of Original Sin, and open scripture to see what Jesus really revealed. 

You’ll discover why the cross isn’t a transaction to change God’s mind, but a revelation of His unchanging love, and how this truth can free you from the fear of separation.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Breath of God Devotionals, where we open
scripture with one goal, helpingyou remember that God is already
here, closer than your nextbreath.

SPEAKER_01 (00:11):
In our last episode, we talked about original sin,
how it wasn't what Jesus taughtand how it created this false
idea that we start lifeseparated from God.

SPEAKER_00 (00:21):
Today, we're going to look at another core teaching
that grows right out of thatsame soil, the Christian
doctrine of atonement.

SPEAKER_01 (00:30):
This is the belief that Jesus came, suffered, and
died to pay for or cover oursins, basically to make God
willing to forgive us again.

SPEAKER_00 (00:40):
For a lot of people, this is the gospel they were
taught.
God is holy, you were sinful,and someone had to take the
punishment in your place so Godcould accept you.
But if you really slow down andlook at Jesus' own words, it
doesn't line up.

SPEAKER_01 (00:58):
Let's set our intention before we get into
this.
Our aim today is not to stripaway the cross or make it less
powerful.
It's to see it for what itreally is without the layers of
fear and transaction that havebeen added over centuries.

SPEAKER_00 (01:14):
So take a deep breath.
Inhale the truth that God ishere now.
Exhale the old story that he hadto be convinced to love you.

SPEAKER_01 (01:25):
Okay, so first, the doctrine of atonement, as most
people know it, didn't just fallout of the sky fully formed.
There have been differentatonement theories over time.

SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
In the early church, you see what's called the ransom
theory.
The idea there was that humanitywas enslaved to sin and death,
and Jesus' death was the ransomthat set us free, not paid to
God, but to free us from thepowers holding us.

SPEAKER_01 (01:52):
And then in the 11th century, Anselm of Canterbury
came along with what's calledsatisfaction theory.
He pictured God as a feudal lordwhose honor had been insulted by
sin.
Jesus' death restored that honorso God could forgive us.

SPEAKER_00 (02:08):
And then in the 1500s during the Protestant
Reformation, John Calvin andothers shifted it into what's
now called penal substitution.
That's the version most commontoday.
God's justice demandedpunishment, Jesus took the
punishment for us, and now Godcan forgive without breaking his
own law.

SPEAKER_01 (02:29):
Here's the thing.
None of those were taught byJesus.
They're all later theologicalframeworks.
And they only make sense if youfirst accept the doctrine of
original sin.
Because if you believe you wereborn guilty, then of course you
need someone to pay your debt.

SPEAKER_00 (02:47):
But if, as we said last time, sin is not a legal
stain but a blindness to God'spresence, then the cross stops
being a payment and becomessomething else entirely.

SPEAKER_01 (02:59):
And that's where the breath of God perspective
changes everything.
Jesus didn't come to changeGod's mind about us.
He came to change our mind aboutGod.

SPEAKER_00 (03:09):
Look at Luke 23, 34.
Jesus is on the cross and says,Father, forgive them, for they
do not know what they are doing.

SPEAKER_01 (03:19):
He doesn't say, Father, once I've paid the
price, then you can forgivethem.
Forgiveness is already flowing.

SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
And John 14, 9, If you've seen me, you've seen the
Father.
That means there's no differencein their heart toward us.
If Jesus forgives freely, thenso does the Father.

SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
Paul even says in 2 Corinthians 5, 19, God was in
Christ reconciling the world tohimself, not counting people's
sons against them, not after thecross, in the cross.

SPEAKER_00 (03:53):
So the cross is not God changing his mind.
It's God showing us his mind hasnever changed.

SPEAKER_01 (04:01):
The problem was never that God couldn't forgive.
It's that we didn't believe hewould.
We lived under the illusion ofseparation.

SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Just like in the garden, Adam hides, convinced
God is angry and distant.
But God comes looking, stillcovers him, still stays present.

SPEAKER_01 (04:21):
The cross is the ultimate version of that moment.
God walking straight into ourfear and saying, here I am.
Even your violence can't driveme away.

SPEAKER_00 (04:30):
So why has the payment version of atonement
lasted so long?

SPEAKER_01 (04:36):
Same reason original sin lasted.
It gives religious systemspower.
If you think you need a mediatorother than Jesus to keep God
happy with you, you'll keepcoming back to the system.

SPEAKER_00 (04:48):
But when you see the truth that God's love was never
up for negotiation, you livefree.

SPEAKER_01 (04:55):
And the Gospel of Thomas gives us that stunning
reminder.
Split a piece of wood and I amthere.
Lift up the stone and you willfind me there.
The cross doesn't bring Godclose.
It reveals he was already here.

SPEAKER_00 (05:11):
So here's the takeaway.
Jesus didn't come to buy God'sforgiveness.
He came to reveal that you'vealways had it.

SPEAKER_01 (05:19):
The cross isn't a transaction.
It's a revelation.

SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
When you breathe in that truth, you can let go of
the fear that God is keepingscore.

SPEAKER_01 (05:29):
And you can start living as someone already loved,
already home.

SPEAKER_00 (05:35):
Let's pray.
Father, thank you for showing usin Jesus that your heart was
never against us.
Thank you that forgiveness isn'tearned.
It's your nature.

SPEAKER_01 (05:46):
Help us to live from that truth.
Break the illusion of separationin our minds.
Let every breath remind us youare here.

SPEAKER_00 (05:55):
This is the way.

SPEAKER_01 (05:57):
Amen.
And so it is.
Let it be done in us.

SPEAKER_00 (06:01):
And in our next episode, we're going to go even
deeper.
We'll talk about why Jesus camein the first place, his true
purpose for us.

SPEAKER_01 (06:11):
It's going to build on everything we've talked about
today, but it will also take usinto something even more
powerful, what he came to removeand what he came to make
possible.

SPEAKER_00 (06:22):
You don't want to miss it.