No one … not even the devil … had the power or the authority to harm the only begotten Son of God.

by Doug Lawrence

No one … not even the devil … had the power or the authority to harm the only begotten Son of God … let alone the sinless, totally innocent son of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Jesus is both.

Jesus acknowledged Satan as “The Prince of This World” … yet the power of the devil had very specific limitations:

Satan had absolute power over sinners … even unto death
but … Satan had absolutely NO power over the sinless!

Since he is God, Jesus was and is totally devoid of sin.
Hence, Satan held absolutely no power over Jesus.
Nothing!

John 14:30
I will not now speak many things with you.
For the prince of this world cometh:
and in me he hath not any thing.

The moment Satan set out to induce his willing minions … some of the Jews and Romans of that time … to crucify Jesus … Satan once again became subject to divine judgment. That judgment would be harsh, but fair:

John 12:31
Now is the judgment of the world:
now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

That is in fact, what happened. Satan had absolutely no authority over Jesus Christ. Rightly judged responsible for Jesus’ unjust crucifixion and death, Satan lost everything that he had earlier gained from Adam’s fall, and was left destitute.

His evil dominion now destroyed, Satan would remain a wanderer and a vagabond upon the earth, relying only on the weak and the confused, for any temporal power that he might manage to retain.

Since Jesus thoroughly pleased his Father, all that Satan lost (and more) was awarded to him. The risen and triumphant Jesus makes that exceedingly clear:

Matthew 28:18
And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying:
All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.

Ever since … Jesus … the New Adam … King of Kings and Lord of Lords … and through him, the Catholic Church … has graciously offered salvation to every person of every generation … as he will continue to do … until he comes again in glory, on the Last Day.

Such was the main point of the life of Christ on earth,
and such is the continuing mission of the Catholic Church.

Simple enough? Thank God!

QUESTION: Christians, If god didn’t sacrifice himself to himself to bypass a rule he made, then what did he do exactly? (REPOST)

ANSWER:

Jesus resolved a “structural” problem that occurred as a result of Adam being swindled out of his God given earthly dominion by Satan, the devil.

As a result of Adam’s fall from grace, Satan managed to enslave Adam and all of his offspring under an evil dominion, based on the power of death.

God permitted such a thing because Adam was properly and completely educated (warned in advance) by God and should have known better. Once Adam lost everything to Satan, there was no (natural) way of reversing (restoring) things. Hence, God stepped up to right the wrong.

True God and true man, Jesus is the sinless, fully authorized and fully qualified “kinsman redeemer” – the only one who has the supernatural power, as well as the “natural right” to step in and redeem mankind from perpetual slavery to Satan, sin and death. But it would not be easy and it would not be accomplished the way most would expect.

Because Jesus is God – and because Jesus is also a sinless man, Satan had absolutely no power (the power of death or otherwise) over Jesus – so Satan and his minions (the corrupt Jews and the pagan Romans of the time) had absolutely no authority to put Jesus to death.

They went ahead and crucified him anyway, even though they should have known better. They had been warned, all the way back in Genesis 3:15.

Jesus permitted it to happen, since when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s evil dominion over mankind and the earth was forfeit and mankind now had a (perfect and sinless) new leader – the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one who Satan had absolutely no power over.

Now, all power on earth and in heaven (as well as everywhere else) was awarded to the New Adam – the resurrected Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man – who had effectively “crushed the head of the serpent” – freeing mankind from the power of perpetual death and hell – just as he promised, so long ago – and who, by his glorious resurrection, proved all that I claim here and more.

God the Father was pleased, freely bestowing grace, peace, divine adoption, protection from eternal death and much, much more, on all who choose to swear faithful allegiance to his divine son, Jesus – something that is typically accomplished through water baptism, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as through faithful membership and regular, consistent participation in the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the only Church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed, for the purpose of our salvation – the Holy Catholic Church.

Asked and answered on Yahoo Answers

How Does Jesus’ Death, at the hands of men, pay a debt men owe to God?

The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross at Calvary forms the basis for what I like to call “The Peculiar Theology of Redemption”.

And there’s no doubt that the theology behind our redemption IS peculiar, because it had to be … in order to give Satan the devil just enough “rope” to hang himself. 

Here’s how it works:

The first sin had to be a very serious matter, Adam also had to fully understand that it was indeed very serious, and the sin also had to be committed with the full consent of Adam’s will.

Finally, the consequences of that first sin had to be such that a simple apology, a pledge of repentance, and God’s subsequent forgiveness, would still not be sufficient to make all things whole again.

Based on all of the above, we know that the first sin resulted in Adam’s total rejection of God, and his “throwing in” with Satan, against God.

Adam even went so far as to transfer dominion of the whole earth, which God had earlier given him, over to Satan.

And since Adam enjoyed free will, God permitted him to make these choices, and to suffer the eternal consequences.

Once all this was done, Satan turned on Adam, and made a slave of him and his descendents, because, as everyone knows, all the offspring of a slave automatically belong to the master.

This presented a serious problem, because man had no ability to overcome the supernatural dominion that Satan now exercised over him.

Furthermore, God was under no obligation to provide his supernatural graces to his enemies.

Deprived of God’s grace, Eden soon disappeared, Adam and Eve began to age, suffer, and die, and the world became an increasingly more hostile and forbidding place.

Mankind lived under constant threat from Satan, who was given the power of death over them, according to their free will choice, and according to God’s perfect justice.

But this is not what God had in mind when he created man, so God promised to eventually send a redeemer to destroy Satan’s evil dominion, forgive sins, defeat death, and restore all things.

That is exactly what Jesus did.

And the only reason Jesus could do it, when no other human ever could, was because Jesus was never “stained” by sin … and Satan had no power at all, over one without sin.

Under God’s most basic law, one without sin is not liable to die. (This was the flip-side of the same law that Adam broke, when he sinned.)

Jesus permitted Satan and his minions, the Jews and the Romans, to unjustly put him to death, knowing full well that this was the only way Satan’s evil dominion could be legally destroyed, as no one, not even the devil, had the authority to take the life of a sinless man, let alone the only son of God.

Once Jesus died, Satan was judged for his great sin, stripped of all that he had earlier gained from Adam’s fall, and left destitute.

Jesus was raised from the dead and appointed the new head of all mankind. God was now more than willing to forgive man’s sins, and our redemption was truly at hand.

Now, anyone who rejects Satan and swears faithful allegiance to Jesus (typically through baptism) is able to have their sins forgiven, become a living temple of the Holy Spirit, and among other things, also become a member of God’s own family.

The Church carries on Christ’s great work of redemption in the world today, and it will continue to do so, until the end of time.

We have Christ’s word on it.

QUESTION: Christians, If god didn’t sacrifice himself to himself to bypass a rule he made, then what did he do exactly?

ANSWER:

Jesus resolved a “structural” problem that occurred as a result of Adam being swindled out of his God given earthly dominion by Satan, the devil.

As a result of Adam’s fall from grace, Satan managed to enslave Adam and all of his offspring under an evil dominion, based on the power of death.

God permitted such a thing because Adam was properly and completely educated (warned in advance) by God and should have known better. Once Adam lost everything to Satan, there was no (natural) way of reversing (restoring) things. Hence, God stepped up to right the wrong.

True God and true man, Jesus is the sinless, fully authorized and fully qualified “kinsman redeemer” – the only one who has the supernatural power, as well as the “natural right” to step in and redeem mankind from perpetual slavery to Satan, sin and death. But it would not be easy and it would not be accomplished the way most would expect.

Because Jesus is God – and because Jesus is also a sinless man, Satan had absolutely no power (the power of death or otherwise) over Jesus – so Satan and his minions (the corrupt Jews and the pagan Romans of the time) had absolutely no authority to put Jesus to death.

They went ahead and crucified him anyway, even though they should have known better. They had been warned, all the way back in Genesis 3:15.

Jesus permitted it to happen, since when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s evil dominion over mankind and the earth was forfeit and mankind now had a (perfect and sinless) new leader – the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one who Satan had absolutely no power over.

Now, all power on earth and in heaven (as well as everywhere else) was awarded to the New Adam – the resurrected Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man – who had effectively “crushed the head of the serpent” – freeing mankind from the power of perpetual death and hell – just as he promised, so long ago – and who, by his glorious resurrection, proved all that I claim here and more.

God the Father was pleased, freely bestowing grace, peace, divine adoption, protection from eternal death and much, much more, on all who choose to swear faithful allegiance to his divine son, Jesus – something that is typically accomplished through water baptism, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as through faithful membership and regular, consistent participation in the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the only Church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed, for the purpose of our salvation – the Holy Catholic Church.

Asked and answered on Yahoo Answers

No one … not even the devil … had the power or the authority to harm the only begotten Son of God.

by Doug Lawrence

No one … not even the devil … had the power or the authority to harm the only begotten Son of God … let alone the sinless, totally innocent son of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Jesus is both.

Jesus acknowledged Satan as “The Prince of This World” … yet the power of the devil had very specific limitations:

Satan had absolute power over sinners … even unto death
but … Satan had absolutely NO power over the sinless!

Since he is God, Jesus was and is totally devoid of sin. Hence, Satan held absolutely no power over Jesus. Nothing!

John 14:30
I will not now speak many things with you.
For the prince of this world cometh:
and in me he hath not any thing.

The moment Satan set out to induce his willing minions … some of the Jews and Romans of that time … to crucify Jesus … Satan once again became subject to divine judgment. That judgment would be harsh, but fair:

John 12:31
Now is the judgment of the world:
now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

That is in fact, what happened. Satan had absolutely no authority over Jesus Christ. Rightly judged responsible for Jesus’ unjust crucifixion and death, Satan lost everything that he had earlier gained from Adam’s fall, and was left destitute.

His evil dominion now destroyed, Satan would remain a wanderer and a vagabond upon the earth, relying only on the weak and the confused, for any temporal power that he might manage to retain.

Since Jesus thoroughly pleased his Father, all that Satan lost (and more) was awarded to him. The risen and triumphant Jesus makes that exceedingly clear:

Matthew 28:18
And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying:
All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.

Ever since … Jesus … the New Adam … King of Kings and Lord of Lords … and through him, the Catholic Church … has graciously offered salvation to every person of every generation … as he will continue to do … until he comes again in glory, on the Last Day.

Such was the main point of the life of Christ on earth,
and such is the continuing mission of the Catholic Church.

Simple enough? Thank God!

The little known Divine Law that predates all others is also the key to our salvation in Christ.

(Click on graphic to enlarge)

From the Catechism:

407 The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man’s situation and activity in the world. By our first parents’ sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails “captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil”. Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social and morals.

So it was that Satan gained control over the whole world and certain dominion over man. The entire process was, in a technical sense, legal but it certainly wasn’t right. God wasn’t pleased, either. Here, we learn of Satan’s destiny:

Genesis 3:14 – 15 And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

The most important part (for us, at least) is the last line, where God speaks of a woman; the seed (offspring) of the woman and the head of the serpent being crushed by the woman’s heel (many texts translate this verse as HE shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for HIS heel). Either way, the Catholic Church has always interpreted this verse to be God’s first promise of a Redeemer or Messiah. One who would come and restore all things; forgive sins, heal the rift between God and man, reinstate man’s dominion over the world and finally, put Satan in his place (hell) forever.

For a number of reasons, sending a Redeemer would not be easy, even for God. In fact, thousands of years would elapse before the exact time, place, and circumstances for Messiah would come. Complicating matters still further, only one person in the entire universe was qualified for the job.

Galatians 4:4 – 5 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Christ the King brings peace and defeats the ‘dominion of death,’ Pope Benedict says

Vatican City, Nov 22, 2009 / 11:05 am (CNA).- In his message on the Feast of Christ the King to the tens of thousands of people gathered on St Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI explained that the “power” of Christ is different from that of “the great of this world.” Choosing Christ the King, he said, does not guarantee success, but peace and joy.

“Choosing Christ does not guarantee success according to the criteria of today’s world, but ensures that peace and joy that only He can give,” Pope Benedict added. “This is shown, in every age, by the experience of many men and women who, in Christ’s name, in the name of truth and justice, have been able to resist the lure of earthly powers, with their different forms, until their fidelity was sealed with martyrdom.”

The Feast of Christ the King, he continued, is “a celebration of relatively recent introduction, but it has deep biblical and theological roots.”

“It begins with the expression ‘King of the Jews’ arriving then to that of ‘universal King,’ Lord of the cosmos and of history, so far beyond the expectation of the same Jewish people.”

Read the article

Why would God need blood to atone for sins?

Q: Why would God need blood to atone for sins?

A: Until mankind was freed from slavery to satan, sin, and death there could be no forgiveness of sins.

Satan and the forces of evil had no right to take the life of the sinless Jesus.

When they spilled Christ’s innocent blood, they instantly forfeited the dominion over the earth that satan had received when he swindled Adam, some 6000 years earlier.

Jesus was subsequently resurrected and appointed the new and sinless head of all mankind, and under this new leadership God was more than willing to make peace with sinful mankind.

https://douglawrence.wordpress.com/a-shor…

https://douglawrence.wordpress.com/the-pa…

Why do humans have the fundamental belief that we are the end result of creation and therefore own the earth?

Q: Why do humans have the fundamental belief that we are the end result of creation and therefore own the earth?

A: The Judeo-Christian belief system and the Bible both agree that God created all things for his own pleasure, that he created man, and that God gave dominion over the whole earth to him.

Genesis 1: 27-28  And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.

Furthermore, the facts seem to prove it.

Better ask Al Gore where your thought process went off the track, since he might be the only one smart enough to figure it out for you.

What is the Church’s stance on how one is born sinful?

Q: What is the Church’s stance on how one is born sinful?

A: Death entered the world as a result of Adam’s sin … “Original Sin”.

The fact that ALL (even newly conceived infants) are subject to death proves beyond a doubt that ALL are affected by Adam’s original sin.

The flip side of this “Law of Sin and Death” is that one without sin is NOT liable to die.

Jesus was totally without sin, and no one … not even the devil … had the right to take his life from him.

This is why Jesus’ death on the cross served to destroy Satan’s evil dominion over mankind.

Satan overstepped his authority by having his Jewish and Roman minions crucify the sinless and innocent Christ … once again incurring God’s wrath and his judgment … and (among other things) forfeiting all that he had earlier gained from Adam’s fall.

Jesus was raised from the dead, given all power over Heaven, Earth, death and Hell, and appointed as the new and sinless head of all mankind.

It is only because of this new and perfect human leadership that God is willing to offer peace and consolation to those who are willing to swear faithful allegiance to Jesus, our savior … typically via Baptism … and our subsequent faithful, active, and charitable participation … in all of the work, worship, sacraments, and devotions of his universal (Catholic) Church.

Old Testament God = Wrath. New Testament God = Love. Please Explain.

Q: Old Testament God = Wrath. New Testament God = Love. Please Explain.

A: Catholics have always understood that God’s apparent attitude towards humanity was and is primarily a function of grace … which is a share in God’s very own divine life.

Grace comes in two varieties:

Actual grace … which empowers both saints and sinners to do God’s will.

Sanctifying grace … which transforms, makes one holy,
and which is typically required for admittance to heaven.

After Adam’s fall, and prior to Christ, the world was totally devoid of God’s sanctifying grace, dominated by Satan, and in open rebellion against God.

A technical state of war existed, and earth was a virtual hell … with mankind fighting on the side of Satan … in a form of forced slavery … under pain of death.

While we were still grevious sinners, and out of infinite love, God acted to redeem us. And by the power of actual grace, he raised up generations of priests, prophets, and kings, in order for his divine and perfect son … in the fullness of time … made of woman … under the law … to come into the world, as a man.

Before we could be redeemed, and before sanctifying grace and forgiveness could be offered to all, it was first necessary to destroy Satan’s evil dominion.

Jesus brought about the destruction of Satan’s earthly “reign of terror” by permitting himself to be put to death by Satan “The Prince of this World” … and his more than willing minions.

And since under God’s most fundamental law … no one … not even the devil … had the power or the authority to take the life of a sinless man … let alone the only begotten Son of God … the moment Jesus died, Satan was through!  

Once the dominion of evil had been destroyed, Jesus was raised up, and appointed the new and sinless head of all mankind.

The “New Adam”.

Under these new “terms” and under this new and divine leadership … God was more than willing to grant forgiveness, sanctifying grace, and peace to anyone willing to swear faithful allegiance to his son, Jesus … typically through the sacrament of baptism … which (among other things) also makes one an official member of the Church … “The People of God”.

The Catholic Church is God’s primary dispenser of grace in the world today. It does this freely … and it does this primarily by means of the seven sacraments … which were all personally instituted by Jesus … for that express purpose. 

Now .. thanks to God .. and through the work of Christ … we live in an era of grace … freely available to all … abundantly dispensed by and through the Catholic Church … the ONLY Church  that Jesus ever founded, authorized, empowered, and eternally guaranteed, … for the purpose of our salvation.

This divinely appointed era of peace between God and man was precisely what the angels foretold, on the first Christmas:

Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock.
Luke 2:9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them and the brightness of God shone round about them: and they feared with a great fear.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people:
Luke 2:11 For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying:
Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will.

Peace be to you!

Jesus was God sent by God so he could sacrifice Himself to God?

 

Q: Jesus was God sent by God so he could sacrifice Himself to God?

A: It’s called “God’s total self-giving for our salvation.”

And Jesus didn’t necessarliy sacrifice himself TO God.

Jesus sacrificed himself FOR us, at his Father’s request, since that was pretty much the ONLY way mankind could be redeemed.

Jesus’ heroic and selfless act of perfect obedience and charity … AS A MAN … IN THE FLESH … resulted in the destruction of Satan’s evil dominion … freeing mankind from eternal slavery to Satan, sin, and death.

And since that’s precisely why Jesus was sent … it certainly pleased God the Father … so He subsequently made grace, forgiveness, and peace available to all of humanity … through his divine Son, of course.

Don’t knock it.

Was Jesus a Human Sacrifice or a God-sacrifice?

 

Q: If Jesus is a human sacrifice, that probably goes against Judaism, but if Jesus is a God sacrifice it seems to make more sense … since Jews probably never even imagined God killing himself for God.

A: More importantly … Satan never imagined it … and that’s why it worked.

Also, God didn’t “kill himself”.

Jesus permitted the forces of evil to take his life, knowing full well that it would lead to the total destruction of Satan’s evil dominion, since under God’s most fundamental law, nobody (not even the devil) had the authority to take the life of a sinless man, let alone the only begotten son of God.

And since Satan was in control of things on earth at the time, and it was his minions, the Jews and Romans, who did the dirty work, the moment Jesus died, Satan was through!

Jesus permitted himself to be unjustly put to death so that Satan’s power over the entire human race could be destroyed, all of mankind could be redeemed, and sins could subsequently be forgiven.

Call it what you will, but there was no other way.

How Does Jesus’ Death, at the hands of men, pay a debt men owe to God?

The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross at Calvary forms the basis for what I like to call “The Peculiar Theology of Redemption”.

And there’s no doubt that the theology behind our redemption IS peculiar, because it had to be … in order to give Satan the devil just enough “rope” to hang himself. 

Here’s how it works:

The first sin had to be a very serious matter, Adam also had to fully understand that it was indeed very serious, and the sin also had to be committed with the full consent of Adam’s will.

Finally, the consequences of that first sin had to be such that a simple apology, a pledge of repentance, and God’s subsequent forgiveness, would still not be sufficient to make all things whole again.

Based on all of the above, we know that the first sin resulted in Adam’s total rejection of God, and his “throwing in” with Satan, against God.

Adam even went so far as to transfer dominion of the whole earth, which God had earlier given him, over to Satan.

And since Adam enjoyed free will, God permitted him to make these choices, and to suffer the eternal consequences.

Once all this was done, Satan turned on Adam, and made a slave of him and his descendents, because, as everyone knows, all the offspring of a slave automatically belong to the master.

This presented a serious problem, because man had no ability to overcome the supernatural dominion that Satan now exercised over him.

Furthermore, God was under no obligation to provide his supernatural graces to his enemies.

Deprived of God’s grace, Eden soon disappeared, Adam and Eve began to age, suffer, and die, and the world became an increasingly more hostile and forbidding place.

Mankind lived under constant threat from Satan, who was given the power of death over them, according to their free will choice, and according to God’s perfect justice.

But this is not what God had in mind when he created man, so God promised to eventually send a redeemer to destroy Satan’s evil dominion, forgive sins, defeat death, and restore all things.

That is exactly what Jesus did.

And the only reason Jesus could do it, when no other human ever could, was because Jesus was never “stained” by sin … and Satan had no power at all, over one without sin.

Under God’s most basic law, one without sin is not liable to die. (This was the flip-side of the same law that Adam broke, when he sinned.)

Jesus permitted Satan and his minions, the Jews and the Romans, to unjustly put him to death, knowing full well that this was the only way Satan’s evil dominion could be legally destroyed, as no one, not even the devil, had the authority to take the life of a sinless man, let alone the only son of God.

Once Jesus died, Satan was judged for his great sin, stripped of all that he had earlier gained from Adam’s fall, and left destitute.

Jesus was raised from the dead and appointed the new head of all mankind. God was now more than willing to forgive man’s sins, and our redemption was truly at hand.

Now, anyone who rejects Satan and swears faithful allegiance to Jesus (typically through baptism) is able to have their sins forgiven, become a living temple of the Holy Spirit, and among other things, also become a member of God’s own family.

The Church carries on Christ’s great work of redemption in the world today, and it will continue to do so, until the end of time.

We have Christ’s word on it.