If Jesus is not God, but a being created by God, and thus part of creation, how does that affect justification, atonement, and salvation?

Starman

Well, since the question is not posted as requiring an answer from the trinitarian viewpoint I will provide the unitarian viewpoint.


It has absolutely no effect on the value of the ransom sacrifice since all that was needed in order to redeem mankind was the death of a perfect blameless man as Adam was before he sinned. The death of a demigod or a God-man was unnecessary for redemption. That's why Jesus is called the last Adam, because he was physically Adam's equivalent.



1 Corinthians 15:44-46

45And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Now if Adam would have been half man half God, then we would have lost more than perfect human life and would have needed a demigod to die for us. But such was not the case. The article found at the site link provided explains it in detail.

BiblicalUnitarian.com - Christianity 101: Two Adams
Jesus Christ is the Last Adam, a man like Adam who could undo what Adam did. The Last ... relationship between the "first Adam" and the "Last Adam." Even modern biblical ...
http://www.biblicalunitarian.com/mod...rticle&sid=163

BTW
Being part of creation is not a defect. The angels are part of God's creation and are holy.

Genesis 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Matthew 25:31
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Heaven is part of God's creation and is the holy abode of God.

I'd also like to make clear that I am in no way judging anyone's relationship with the creator based on their individual understanding of these matters.

fredg

Hi,
Salvation is:
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believith in Him......."

magprob

Starman, Could the reference made to Jesus and Adam also be along the lines that Adam illustrates a separation from GOD, which is in effect "Hell". Jesus represents the path back to GOD or "Heaven."

RickJ

Imho, this cannot really be answered. If Jesus were a created being, then nearly every basic tenet of Christianity would have to be not just re-written, bu thrown out.

If a significant teaching such as the Diety of Christ were shown to be wrong, then any and all teachings of Christianity should be questioned.

Starman

From a trinitarian viewpoint that would be so, but not from a unitarian viewpoint. Trinitarians are not the only Christians. Not all Christians accepted the Catholic Church's decision of the Council of Nicene at that time it was issued and not all Christians accept it now.

BTW
It would be just as easy for Unitarians to call trinitarians non-Christians.
But it's wiser to leave that kind of conclusion in the hands of God.
There is much more involved in being a Christian than merely a set of beliefs.

Starman

Some have perhaps chosen to view it that way.
Actually, I do agree that Adam cast us away from God and Jesus leads us back. But in addition to this, I choose to accept the explanation that God followed the rule of like for like expressed in the Mosaic law and applied it legally to mankind's situation which required a perfect human life be paid for a perfect human life lost.

Exodus 21:24
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

Leviticus 24:20
Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.


So in harmony with this divine principle, a perfect human life had to be given in payment for a perfect human life lost.


BTW
The death of Jesus was also the death of his potential offspring.

31pumpkin

Vincestyle -

By the way you worded your question I would have to say that it doesn't affect or change anything regarding salvation, forgiveness (atonement) but maybe judgment, depending on the individual on judgment day. Jesus always was also. That is what is meant when the Bible says- AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH.
There is only the HOLY TRINITY in my opinion. Nothing else....

Starman

John 7:49
But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. KJV

As long as we don't go around with upturned noses giving the cold shoulder to those we feel don't see things exactly our way and classifying them as eternally damned, then we are OK. It's when one believer in redemption based on Jesus' sacrifice looks down on another who also has faith in Jesus ransom sacrifice and assumes the status of judge that a sin is committed.

This is not to say that we shouldn't have an opinion concerning beliefs and conduct. Of course we should and we are entitled to our opinion. For example, we have every right to consider a certain denomination which we feel deviates significantly from the true Christian teachings as not being a genuine Christian organization, as a previous poster implies about those holding the Unitarian view, or as many Protestants feel about Catholicism and some Catholics feel about Protestantism. What we don't have a right to do is to assume that based on this we know the eternal fate of all Catholics and all Protestants and all Jews any member of any other religious group--for that matter simply because they are presently members of a certain organization or presently hold certain beliefs we feel are wrong. Only God is qualified to determine who is worthy of eternal life or not or who has the needed spiritual potential if given the proper opportunity under different circumstances of serving him for eternity.

BTW
Those who describe God as a mindless machine of destruction which mows down all those in its way simply based on denominational membership are actually defaming God's character by misrepresenting him as unjust.

Ahmadiyya

The real question is why do people think The Prophet Isa(jesus) is not god?And there are real only 2 answers:
1. The bible contradicts its self so how can you trust what is in it.
2. The Prophet Isa(jesus) never told ANYONE that he is god, matter of fact he prayed to god to take away this burden!
now to answer your question posted is that no one has to die for our sins to be forgiven if that was the case then every like 100 years "a son of god" would have to die cause we sin every second of the day, the bible say thy shall not kill, but every time you breath in a breath of air you are killing cells in the air. The bible is a holy book but it was a holy book when it was in its original form! now it is a book that has lies in it.