Christianity teaches the strange doctrine that the messiah, Jesus, had to die in order to atone for the sins of mankind.

According to this doctrine, when Jesus died on the cross, he took on the sins of every human, including those humans who were yet to be born; anyone who believes this has his sins washed away and is saved. Inversely, a person who does not believe Jesus died for their sins will appear on the day of judgement, still carrying his sins and will be judged.

But does this concept of one man taking on the sin of others have any Biblical basis?
We will explore Christianity’s sin sacrifice theology in light of the Old Testament, and the life and teachings of Jesus.

1. Jesus’ sacrifice vs Old Testament animal sacrifices.
The Christian sin sacrifice theology is based on the premise that God does not forgive sins unless a sacrifice is made. Christianity tries to connect Jesus’ atoning sin sacrifice to Old Testament animal sacrifices. But this argument holds no water. There is a world of difference between Old Testament animal sacrifices and the so called sacrifice of Jesus.
First, animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were carried out by Levite priests and followed specific rules and rituals from the Torah. However, Jesus’ so called sacrifice followed none of the rituals prescribed in the Torah. Rather, it was carried out by Roman pagans in accordance with Roman execution procedures.

Another key difference lies in the way the sacrifices were done. In the Old Testament, unblemished animals would be slaughtered and burnt whole on an altar dedicated to God.

In contrast, Jesus was whipped, tortured, and then nailed to a cross, and was then left to die hanging.

Interestingly, the Torah says a man who hangs is cursed of God. We read this in Deuteronomy 21.

“for a hanged man is cursed by God” (Deuteronomy 21:23)

If God said a man who hangs is cursed, it’s ridiculous to think God wanted Jesus sacrificed specifically by hanging!

The torturous crucifixion of Jesus on the cross was a Roman style execution — not a sin sacrifice that would have been acceptable to God . Yet, Christians interpret this execution of Jesus as being a sacrifice that took away the sin of all mankind.

While God accepted animal sacrifices, He considered human sacrifices as an abomination. We read this in several places in the Bible. Jeremiah 19 tells us very unambiguously that God never even considered the idea of human sacrifice.

They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. (Jeremiah 19:5)

If God was against human sacrifices then, it is absurd to imagine He would have accepted a sacrifice in which Jesus was whipped and nailed to a cross.
2. Can one man die for the sins of another?
The Old Testament makes it clear that one man cannot be punished for the sins of another man — let alone all of mankind. If this were possible, then there should have been a precedent in the Old Testament. But this is not the case.

In Exodus 32, we read that when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, the Israelites sinned greatly by worshiping an idol of gold. Moses requested God to forgive the Israelites, or punish him for their sins. But God denied Moses’ request, and said He punishes only those who sinned against Him .

So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin… But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.” The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book…” (Exodus 32:31-33)

This alone should make it very clear that one man cannot be punished for the sins of another.

This concept that only the sinner is punished is repeated elsewhere in the Old Testament.
In Ezekiel 18, God says the following:

The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them. (Ezekiel 18:20).

In fact, the ENTIRE chapter is a lesson about people being held responsible for their own sins.

Jeremiah 31:30 repeats the idea that everyone is responsible for their own sins.

Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes–their own teeth will be set on edge. (Jeremiah 31:30)

Furthermore, God says that good people are saved by their own righteousness. We read in Ezekiel 14, that while sinners are destroyed, righteous men are saved on account of their own righteousness.

“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel 14:13-14)

If the Old Testament tells us that every man bears the responsibility for his own sin, and is punished for it, then what gives Christians the idea that Jesus somehow bore their sins and took the punishment for it? The very idea is unbiblical and downright foolish.
The only instance of sinners transferring their sins to another being appears in Leviticus 16. We read that that the sins of the people would be transferred to a goat dedicated to an entity named “Azazel”. Once this was done the goat would then be released into the wilderness. This passage is the origin of the term “scapegoat”.

“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness….“The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. (Leviticus 16:20-22,26)

And Christianity, by teaching that Jesus took on their sins, reduces the Messiah to a scapegoat, similar to the scapegoat of Leviticus 16.

 

3. Was Jesus’ sacrifice really the final and perfect sacrifice?
We are told that Jesus’ death was the perfect and final sacrifice. Yet, the prophet Ezekiel says that in the future, when the third temple has been built, animal sin sacrifices would be reinstated. Ezekiel 43, mentions detailed instructions concerning these sacrifices. Ezekiel writes of altars, unblemished animals, sin offerings, Levitical priests and sacrificial rituals. It reads like something from the book of Leviticus.

“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says…
You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests…You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim…You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area…
“On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering…When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect….You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord….
“For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering…you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect….For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it….the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar…
(Ezekiel 43:18-27)

This raises the question: if animal sacrifices for sin is to be reinstated in the future, then what was the point of Jesus’ sin sacrifice? How can Jesus be the final and perfect sacrifice, as believed by Christians?

Christians must either admit a major contradiction in the Bible, or admit that the idea of Jesus’ sin sacrifice is unbiblical.

 

4. Was Jesus even willing to be sacrificed for the sins of man?
Moving on to the New Testament, did Jesus ever teach that it was his mission to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind? Was Jesus even willing to be sacrificed for the sins of mankind? The answer is: no. And the proof is as follows:

First, On several occasions, Jesus escaped from the Pharisees whenever they sought to kill him. This is mentioned in Matthew 12:14-15 and John 8:59 and John 10:39.
If Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have escaped from the Pharisees. Rather, he would have simply allowed them to capture him and kill him.

Second, Jesus prayed to God just before his capture, and asked for the cup to pass from him. This is mentioned in Mathew 26:39. Jesus prayed saying “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me”. The cup, has been interpreted to mean the mortal danger that was looming over Jesus. If Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have prayed to be saved from death. Rather, he would have handed himself over to the Pharisees so they could have him killed.

Third, at his trial before the Pharisees, Jesus defended himself and told the Pharisees to check with those who heard him. This account appears in John 18:20-21
If Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have defended himself before the Pharisees. Rather, he would have stayed silent and allowed the Pharisees to have him killed, as per the supposed plan.

Fourth, Jesus implied that a terrible fate awaited the one who was to betray him, that is, Judas. Jesus said it would have been better if Judas was not born at all. This is mentioned in Matthew 26:24. So, if Jesus was supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, then Judas would not have had a terrible fate for betraying Jesus. Rather, Judas should be understood as the man who actually helped arrange for the great sacrifice that of Jesus. The fact that Jesus warned of great punishment for Judas proves Jesus did not want to be captured and crucified.

Fifth, After his resurrection, the risen Jesus does not say anything about his crucifixion being the sacrifice that removed the sin of all mankind. This is the case in all 4 gospels. If Jesus really died for the sins of all mankind, he would have not have remained silent about the purpose of his death. He would have told everyone about his sacrifice after his resurrection.

In fact, throughout his life, and in all of his sayings, Jesus does not make a single unambigious statement about him having to die in a sacrifice to take away mankind’s sins. If Jesus was indeed supposed to die for the sins of all mankind, he would not have kept silent about it during his sermons. Rather, the theology of the sin sacrifice would have been his central teaching.

Thus, we have seen that the things that Jesus did and said are not the actions of someone whose mission it was to be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind.

***

Now, if I’m wrong, and if accepting Jesus’ sacrifice indeed saves a person, then the implication would be that every christian would be saved. However, the Bible tells us in Matthew 7 that in the afterlife, there would be many Christians who would go to Jesus calling him “Lord” and telling them of things they did in his name. But Jesus rejects them saying “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers”.

How can this be, if believing in Jesus’ sacrifice washes a person from sin? And if those Christians believed Jesus died for their sins, then why are they rejected as evil doers? Shouldn’t they be washed of their sins, as Christian theology teaches? It appears that there are some sins that Jesus’ so called sin sacrifice does not cover.

The more obvious answer is that sin sacrifice theology is completely bogus. Every man is responsible for his own sins. And another man, not even the messiah can take on the sins of others.