Page 026 - Why Did Christ Die?
*Verses from AMP
"You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold; But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Even though most Christians realize that Christ died for their sins, they do not understand that the sin which indwells us (Romans 7:18-20) is accommodated by the lifestyle handed down from our forefathers. Hence, the very fabric of our human existence rests upon associations We have within our supporting family unit.
The Apostle Paul explained it this way in Colossians 2:8, "See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men's ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah)."
We are not an island to ourselves and everyone is plunged into a particular culture. This culture may or may not recognize Christ as the Savior of mankind. Despite having been taught by our parents a particular belief system, this does not mean that it is based on the truth.
The education we receive may be fraught with erroneous facts that detour us from knowing Christ. Our social network may be very strong with people we respect and admire, but it may foster a lifestyle that subverts us from knowing Christ. Our political affiliations may be quite important to us, but they may cause us to advance causes which have nothing to do with Christ. Christ is supremely unique and no philosophy, religion or system compares to Him.