Was Jesus's sacrifice real if He was resurrected three days later?
Read Dave’s answer
Answer 1
One doesn’t have to “suffer permanent damage” for ones offering to be a sacrifice. In this case, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is monumental and well beyond our mortal capacity to fully comprehend.
What Jesus suffered is beyond comprehension. Imagine the pain and humiliation of crucifixion. Imagine hanging from a cross. Imagine the scourges preceding the crucifixion. Imagine the suffering felt by a single innocent child murdered and the full guilt that should be felt by the murderer, and then multiply that by every one of the countless billions of sufferings of innocents and sins of the guilty on earth throughout time.
Then even if your imagination is perfect, it’s safe to say that you still wouldn’t have a full comprehension or understanding of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus never sinned. He was perfect. He was the Son of God. He did not deserve the sufferings or indignities he bore. He willingly chose to honor the Will of the Father and accept the suffering and pain in order to effect the Atonement for the sins and sufferings of all mankind.
So yes, Jesus of Nazareth not only actually died and suffered for the sins and innocent sufferings of every single person who’s ever lived, but it is a monumental sacrifice.
If we choose not to honor that sacrifice with the faith and repentance and gratitude he asks of us, then we willingly choose to not receive the immeasurable benefits of that sacrifice He made for us.
That is because the greatest gift of God of all His many gifts is the gift of freedom of conscience and freedom of choice. We get to choose our very thoughts, words, and actions. All I can say is that it would be wise of us to choose carefully.
Answer 2
Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world. His voluntary death on the cross was the final act of ratification of his immeasurable sacrifice. But his death was not the entirety of his Atonement, and thus his resurrection in no way negates or even lessens the magnificence of his sacrifice. In that sacrifice, he literally accepted the vicarious experience of taking upon himself in a supernal act of incomprehensible love and grace - the sins and pains and sufferings of all mankind.
He experienced, in one infinitely exquisite day, in ways beyond our comprehension, the sufferings of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived (including you and me), whether because of our own sins or the sins of others.
It’s impossible to understand the fullness of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but there are some things we know:
- Jesus was the literal son of the human Mary and God the Father. Thus, he was born with power over death, being half mortal and half immortal. He alone of all humans ever born had both the power to lay down his body and then take it up again. By so doing, he made it possible for every person who ever lived or lives to be resurrected. “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; . . . Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.“ - John 5:26-29 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:22
According to the scripture, then, the resurrection, whereby we are granted immortality, is an unconditional gift from Jesus Christ given to all who have ever lived or will ever live.
- Through Christ’s blood, we can be made “clean” from the blood and sins of the world by which we suffer in this life, whether our own or the sins of others. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:7
The cleansing of our sins, however, is conditional (“IF we walk in the light”) upon our repentance and walking in the light whereby we have fellowship (brotherly love) one with another.