The high cost of salvation
Why did Jesus have to suffer such an horrendous death to forgive us our sins if it was he who forgave us our sins to begin with, assuming he is God? Why didn’t he just forgive us?
Jesus is God. Our Catechism teaches us that Jesus has divine names (Luke 2:11), he has divine attributes (John 1:2), he is responsible for divine works (cf. his many miracles) and he is to be given divine honor (John 5:22-23).
God explains in the Bible that he is a just and loving God. His justice demands that sin be punished (Ezekiel 18; Romans 6:23). His love moved him to provide a substitute to live and die in the place of sinners (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Bible teaches that the forgiveness of sins is God’s free gift to people through faith in Jesus his Son. While forgiveness of sins is free to you and me, it came at a great cost to God. For that we praise God (2 Corinthians 5:15).