Created life, by its very nature, is vulnerable and finite. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. But we often think of pain and death as punishment. In doing so, we punish ourselves for being in pain or dying. This is precisely the meaning of original sin: Once we grasp at the illusion of total knowledge, we become aware of our finitude and vulnerability. Peace with life and trust in its Creator become elusive.
The message of Jesus' life and ministry is that we are not being punished. Quite to the contrary: According to traditional Christian teaching, Jesus is God taking the agony of the world unto Himself, suffering as we do to prove that we are loved. And through pain and love and annihilation, all is made new. Christ's death and resurrection testify to this reality.
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