The need for rescue (KT 7)

The Fall resulted in estrangement from God for two reasons: sin guilt and the curse.

Problem #1: Sin Guilt

Guilt for sin is straightforward. God created us for relationship with him, and that relationship must be founded on his truth, goodness, and beauty (TGB)—his very essence. Sin is not simply a list of wrongdoings that God forbids, watches for, and then punishes. Rather, sin is anything that violates the foundation of relationship with him. Our loving God desires communion with us, and it is with sadness and displeasure that he sees sin interrupt that relationship.

In the garden, sin occurred. Both Adam and Eve became guilty, and reconciliation had to be pursued.

Sin guilt can be viewed in three ways: transactionally, legally, and relationally.

1. The Transactional View

In this perspective, sin is viewed as a debt to be paid. Just as borrowing money puts a person into financial debt, sin places a person into spiritual debt. If one cannot pay a financial debt, imprisonment is the consequence. A similar concept is often imagined for spiritual debt.

Jesus illustrates this in Matthew 18:23–25, where a servant owes money to the king. When he pleads for mercy, the king forgives the debt. However, the same servant refuses to show mercy to someone who owes him money and has that person thrown into prison. While the parable primarily teaches mercy, it also highlights the estrangement caused by financial debt.

Paul echoes this idea in Colossians 2:13–14:

“Even when you were dead in your sins and trapped in the corruption of your flesh, God made you alive together with Christ. He freely forgave all our offenses, erasing the record of what we owed—the charges against us that stood in condemnation. He removed it entirely, nailing it to the cross.”

This passage indicates that God does not demand repayment in order to forgive.

Imagine going to a banker to admit you cannot repay your debt. To your surprise, the banker says, 'I will forgive your debt!' You exclaim, 'So I don’t have to pay it back?!' But then the banker responds, 'No, you still have to pay it back, but someone else will cover it for you.’ That is not forgiveness at all—it is merely debt transfer. Forgiveness is the cancellation of an unpaid debt, not simply another way of paying. Repayment—whether by us or another—means no forgiveness was actually given.

2. The Legal View

In this perspective, sin is viewed as a crime deserving punishment. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (his manifestation of TGB). Romans 6:23 declares that the penalty of sin is death. But how is this guilt resolved?

Imagine a courtroom where a man has been found guilty of murder and is sentenced to execution. Suddenly, his mother bursts in, pleading, 'Don’t sentence him to death! I will take his guilt and die in his place!' If the judge were to agree, would that be justice? Not at all. Guilt cannot simply be transferred to another.

However, God's justice operates differently. Psalm 103:10–12 tells us that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. Rather, his great love removes our sin as far as the east is from the west.

God’s justice is not about demanding punishment but about restoring primary justice—a life lived in alignment with TGB. When that justice is broken, rectifying justice seeks to restore the community to righteousness. If an offender repents and renews commitment to justice, then justice is served without punishment. Justice is not about enforcing penalties; it is about restoring righteousness.

3. The Relational View

In this perspective, sin is viewed as betrayal. A powerful example is adultery, which deeply wounds a marriage.

The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32) illustrates this well. The son took his inheritance and left his father. When he found himself destitute, he repented and returned home, and his father forgave him completely. Yet forgiveness alone is not enough to restore full relationship—something more must be done.

The Biblical Pattern of Forgiveness

Scripture consistently shows that forgiveness may precede atonement. Consider these passages:

Exodus 34:6–7 “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.”

Numbers 14:19–20 “’In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardonedthem from the time they left Egypt until now.’ The Lord replied, ‘I have forgiven them, as you asked.’”

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Psalm 32:1–2, 5 “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them. . . . Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Psalm 103:8–12 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious. . . . He does not treat us as our sins deserve. . . . As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

2 Samuel 12:13 “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’”

Even the New Testament provides examples of sin being forgiven before Jesus went to the cross to provide atonement.

Mark 2:5–10 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ . . . The teachers of the law thought, ‘Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ . . . ‘But I want you to know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’”

Luke 7:47–50 “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”

Notice that neither God nor Jesus says, Your sins will be forgiven once atonement is made.' Instead, they declare, 'Your sins are forgiven.' This shows that the cross was not necessary for God to forgive sin.

Yet, atonement was still necessary. Without the cross, we would remain trapped in sin (1 Cor. 15:17). So if atonement was not needed for forgiveness, why was it necessary?

Problem #2: The Curse

The second problem caused by the Fall was the curse, which brought death and estrangement from God.

Adam’s sin resulted in a reversal of dominion. In Genesis 1, God gave humans rule over creation, including their own bodies. But Adam submitted to the physical rather than to God, prioritizing his desire for Eve. In doing so, he subjugated himself to the physical realm, causing the soul to be enslaved to the body’s desires rather than ruling over them.

Romans 8:19–23 describes how creation was subjected to futility because of Adam’s sin. 1 Corinthians 15:50 states that “Flesh and blood (in its cursed state) cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” This curse had to be removed for relationship with God to be restored.

The Solution: A Rescuer

Overcoming the curse requires three things:

1. A soul that never gives in to the body’s desires—Sin is selfishness; the power to overcome sin is love.

2. A perfect soul that willingly surrenders a cursed body to death—Giving one’s body for others is love.

3. A perfect soul that reclaims the body from death—Redeeming the body brings freedom from the curse.

Yet, we lack the power to do any of these things.

Thus, we needed a rescuer—one who could overcome sin, surrender his body in love, and reclaim it from death. Only God himself could do this. And he did—in Jesus.