Redemptive suffering Redemptive suffering Redemptive suffering is the Christian belief that human suffering, when accepted and offered up in union with the Passion of Jesus, can remit the just punishment for one's sins or for the sins of another, or for the other physical or spiritual needs of oneself or another. Like an indulgence, redemptive suffering does not gain the individual "forgiveness" for their sin; forgiveness results from God’s grace, freely given through Christ, which cannot be earned. After one's sins are forgiven, the individual's suffering can reduce the "penalty" due for sin. Christians believe that God loves mankind so much that
Old Testament messianic prophecies quoted in the New Testament a cornerstone. Isaiah 53 is probably the most famous example claimed by Christians to be a messianic prophecy fulfilled by Jesus. It speaks of one known as the "suffering servant," who suffers because of the sins of others. Jesus is said to fulfill this prophecy through his death on the cross. The following verse from Isaiah 53:5 is understood by many Christians to speak of Jesus as the Messiah: Modern Jewish scholars, like Rabbi Tovia Singer as well as Rashi (1040–1105) and Origen (184/185 – 253/254 CE), view the 'suffering servant' as a reference to the whole Jewish people, regarded