Analysis Of The Sacrifice For The Death Of Jesus

While in chains, I declare to preach the truth no matter what. In mindful agony I remain in God’s presence, and trust in my faith. Paul is preaching the good news; the truth that Christ indeed died on the cross for our sins. “The gospel to which Paul refers is the good news that the crucified Jesus – not the Roman emperor is Lord.” (Gorman, 2003) In large part, Jesus was an example of how we should be as Christians. Even though He was God Himself, He never demanded His rights as God. He acted like a slave would act, being like average man. “Early Christians carved out a position for themselves in the imperial world as a whole and substantiated their following of a crucified slave as Lord.” (Smit, 2016) He even died a criminal’s death on the …show more content…
For Paul and his audience in Philippi, “equality with God was not primarily about metaphysics; it was about status, and Rome society was built upon the pursuit of status.” (Peterson, 2004) Furthermore, we should see ourselves through God’s perfection. We as one will all have flaws and make mistakes. However, it is through God’s sacrifice that we have been forgiven. “To be holy, for Paul, is to be in Christ, and vice versa. It is to be called to live in conformity to Christ, specifically Christ crucified.” (Gorman, 2003) Additionally, “it is argued that the crucifixion of Jesus, as it is mentioned in the text, can well be considered as a ritual that, on one hand fails, given that leads to Jesus’ exaltation rather than to his permanent death.” (Smit, 2016) Christian theology teaches that the death of Jesus Christ provided the perfect atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, thus making the crucifix, or cross, one of the defining symbols of Christianity. “Paul acted as a ‘theologos’ in writing a brief speech in exalted prose honoring Jesus Christ, whom he had taught the Philippians to honor instead of the emperor.” (Yarbro,