1. Begin Where Jesus Began: A Loving Father
Every time Jesus opened his prayer with the word “Father,” he announced a revolution. A God who fathers humanity is, by definition, for us, not against us:
- “Your Father knows what you need” (Matt 6 : 8).
- “Your Father is merciful” (Luke 6 : 36).
- “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12 : 32).
Jesus’ most beloved parable—the Prodigal Son (Luke 15 : 11-24)—ends with a robe, a ring, and a feast, not an invoice. The boy returns empty-handed; the father rushes out, embraces him, and restores him before a single apology can be completed. That is Jesus’ portrait of God: love that outruns sin and requires no payment beyond a willing embrace.
2. Jesus Rejected Sacrifice as Spiritual Currency
When critics complained that He mingled with “sinners,” Jesus replied, “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matt 9 : 13, quoting Hos 6 : 6).
He forgave a paralytic on the spot—no temple visit, no animal offering (Mark 2 : 5-11). He cleansed the temple marketplace precisely because commerce had eclipsed communion (John 2 : 13-17). If Jesus believed his Father required ritual blood to forgive, these acts would be contradictory—yet they are perfectly coherent under a theology of unconditional mercy.
3. The Urantia Perspective: Love Needs No Purchase
The Urantia Book sharpens the point:
“Divine mercy and forgiveness are inherent in the very nature of God.” —2 : 6.7
“It was man, not God, who insisted that the Son of Man suffer and die on the cross.” —188 : 4.8
“The barbarous idea of appeasing an angry God… by the shedding of blood… is an affront to God.” —4 : 5.4
These passages echo Jesus’ own stance: the cross revealed how far divine love will go, not what divine justice will charge.
4. What the Gospel of the Kingdom Actually Teaches
Jesus summarized his message in four recurring themes—call them the Sonship Reality:
- Father-love: God’s attitude is everlasting affection, not legal anger.
- Child-status: All people stand equal as sons and daughters, never as debtors.
- Sibling-service: Because we are family, compassion is obligatory joy.
- Trusting faith: Salvation is a relationship of living trust, not assent to a transaction.
His life embodied these truths: touching lepers before they were pronounced clean, lifting women and foreigners into full dignity, feeding bodies first and explaining doctrines later. None of this fits a calculus of appeasement; all of it rings true for a family rooted in love.
5. How Sacrifice Theology Hijacked the Narrative
After Jesus’ resurrection, three cultural currents flowed together:
| Influence | Effect on Early Teaching |
| Jewish Temple Sacrifice | Cross re-cast as a Passover lamb. |
| Greco-Roman Legalism | Salvation reframed as debt settlement. |
| Primitive Fear | Cosmic anxiety demanded a cosmic payment. |
Over time, the cross—a revelation of unstoppable love—was repackaged as the price tag of divine favor. The religion about Jesus eclipsed the religion of Jesus.
6. Re-centering on Jesus’ God of Love
| Religion of Jesus | Religion about Jesus |
| Love is a given, never for sale. | Love must be bought with blood. |
| Salvation = trust + growth. | Salvation = accept a payment. |
| Ethics flow from family identity. | Ethics enforced by fear of wrath. |
| Inclusive: “Whosoever will may come.” | Often tribal: “Our creed alone saves.” |
Practical return path
- Speak “Father”—cultivate child-like trust instead of debtor fear.
- Act in love—feed, heal, lift, and include before you explain.
- Celebrate freedom—truth is living; no creed can cage it.
- Study the Master—let his life, not later theories, be the curriculum.
7. Conclusion: At-One-Ment Realized Now
“The kingdom of heaven is within you.” —Jesus (Luke 17 : 21 paraphrased)
A God who is already love does not wait behind a tollbooth of sacrifice. The gates stand open; the only price of entry is the courage to step inside. When we trade atonement for at-one-ment, we rediscover the radiant simplicity of the Master’s faith: we are already loved—now let us live like family.