Jesus' Sacrifice Necessary?
I have heard it said that Jesus' sacrifice was unnecessary in the sense that God could have forgiven our sins in another manner, such as just "clearing the debt and saying 'don't worry about it' ". But then I hear people say that the reason that it was done the way it was done (the crucifixion) is because it was the "best way". As in Aquinas' 5 reasons for the sacrifice. For example it gave humanity more dignity, and a model to follow. But if the crucifixion was truly the "best way" then wasn't it actually necessary because God always does things the "best way" doesn't he? So wouldn't he be incapable of doing it any "lesser" way? I hope this question makes sense! thanks for any answers in advance!