Why Can't God Save Us Without Jesus
How does one respond to the question, “Couldn’t an all-powerful God save us without Jesus having to die on the cross?”
God, being all-powerful, could have chosen any way to save humanity, but He chose sacrificial love. Jesus' death on the cross was not just about paying a price—it was about transforming us, drawing us back to God, and demonstrating the depth of His love.
Sacrifice Was Necessary for Atonement
While God’s omnipotence could, in theory, save us in any way he chooses, the sacrifice of Jesus was necessary because of His pure blood.
In the Old Testament, the blood of the sacrifice purified the one making the offering, atoning them of their sins.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” - Leviticus 17:11.
Jesus’s perfect nature and being God Himself made His blood capable of purifying all of man.
That is why Jesus is called “the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,” as a resemblance to the Passover lamb the Jewish people of the time were familiar with.
This is also why it is important for us to partake in our Eucharistic covenant with God, that we must eat the bread and wine of Jesus' body and blood.
Sacrifice Was a Common Religious Concept
The theme of sacrifice was not new to the ancient world and was a practice among most religions. Sacrifice was found in cultures worldwide and believed to be innate in humanity.
For the Jews of the time, sacrifice offerings were a gesture of apology or even an act of thanks. They were to cultivate good relations with God.
Jesus’ Sacrifice Transforms Humanity
The life within the blood of the sacrifice has a spiritual effect that impacts the offerer. The origin of sacrifice was used for “transformation,” as human beings were convinced that a relationship with the spiritual realm required and, in a sense, caused a change in their Earthly status.
Sacrifices later developed into attempts to appease the deities they believed in. Since God is the only true God, it is safe to assume that it perhaps were demons who showed humans the power of sacrifice that can grant them otherworldly things.
It would make sense for the evil forces to trick humans into no longer believing in God, to believe in something unreal instead, and to persuade them that they no longer need God since they can achieve power on their own.
The Flood and the Battle Against Evil
Maybe this is why Noah’s flood took place.
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went into the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.” - Genesis 6:4.
The Hebrew word for "hero" in the Bible is gibber (גבור), which means "a mighty warrior." It can also be used as an adjective to mean "mighty" or "vigorous."
This didn’t mean that the Bible called them “heroes” as we understand them today: those willing to challenge authorities and transcend fear in the face of injustice.
This just means that evil was among humanity, which is why God produced the flood to wipe them out.
Jesus’ Death Demonstrates the Seriousness of Sin
Regardless, the lifeblood of the sacrifice is used for transformation purposes. God’s purpose is to use His pure blood, the blood of God Himself, to transform humanity away from its sinful nature, the very essence that keeps us away from Him. By definition, the sacrifice reconciles us with God.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ teaches us how serious our sins are since only God himself, through death, could atone for them. We must learn that Christ's passion is God’s love story for us.
“God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” - Romans 5:8; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 604.
God died for us. And just as God saved the Jews out of slavery in Egypt through the sacrifice of Passover lambs, God saves us from the world through His sacrifice of His Passover lamb.
May God bless you.
