Students of the Bible understand that Jesus provided a ransom sacrifice spotless and unblemished as required by God to redeem mankind from the slavery to sin and death that Adam and Eve cursed all their descendants to.
1 John 2:1,2
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
It should not be overlooked that the chosen one to be offered, had to be a ‘firstborn’ of at least equal value as Adam the firstborn of humankind.
Adam’s sin caused mankind to fall out of grace with God. It became necessary for there to be a means of reconciliation.
God found it acceptable to devise an act of propitiation that would be sufficient that he would open a means to be put right with him.
Propitiation is an action meant to regain someone’s favor or make up for something you did wrong.
He provided His only begotten son to serve as a sacrifice for atonement.
The meaning of the word atonement is simply at-one-ment, He was sacrificed to make all things in Creation at one with God again.
No firstborn animal of a lesser life form would meet the requirements satisfactory to God to serve as the ransomed one.
There is only one other firstborn mentioned in the Scriptures that would possibly qualify. That was the firstborn of creation, the only begotten son of God.
Although he was of much higher stature and value than Adam, he was the only possibility. There were actually no other option; no one else to be considered.
God in his wisdom and foresight withheld immortality from his only begotten son until after his resurrection for this purpose.
Romans 6:9
We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Had God not withheld immortality from His son, this ONLY choice would not have been able to serve as the sacrifice that offset (atoned) for Adam’s transgression. He would not have been able to give up his life because he would not have been able to die. There would have been no one else worthy.
This demonstrates that Almighty God, the Father, knows all thing and he knows the finale from the very beginning.
God’s superlative sacrifice is of sufficient value to cover all things in both Heaven and on Earth. More was being brought back to oneness with God than fallen man. His sacrifice covers things that occurred in the Heavens as well.
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
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