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See, and here is my point where the questions in this thread go far beyond simple answer. I have read Christian theologies which disagree with some part of all three answers in the above post.
1) Some Christian theologies believe that one does not need to explicitly believe that "Jesus died for our sins, so we didn't have to."
2) I've read theology which disagrees with just about everything in the second answer given. That blood is not necessary to forgive sins, and that the mysticism of Jesus descending into Hell, etc is not necessarily the most likely occurance. Instead, I have also seen this question answered that (in a nutshell) fear, et al leads to sin, and by Jesus living a courageous life, disregarding the consequences of being a good person, even when that consequence was death, he led a life of example that fear should not dominate our actions, and not even fear of death, because goodness conquers all (as would be seen by the resurrection). Note, that's a HUGE simplification, but my point is just that it's a very different answer.
3) Again, I have read different theologies regarding this as well. That the Kingdom of God is not something that is "coming" and something that is necessarily a "place," but, rather, it is something that is in the conversion of one's own heart. That the Kingdom of God is something that is here and now in the hearts of all people who are creating change in the world, making it a better place. Something that is here already, provided by the freedom from fear and hate that Jesus gave through His perfect example of His life. (Again, a definite simplification)
Now, as far as I know, numbers 2 and 3 are not part of the official stance of any churches at this time, however they are theologies that have been put forth by current and past priests and done so apparently without consequence from the church.
Ultimately, I'm not looking to debate here which is correct, only my point is to get across that the discussion of the background of the Bible is intrinsic to the discussion of Jesus and "what happened" to Him, because there are as many answers to the question of "what happened" to Jesus as there are different understandings of the Bible's purpose and origins.
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Le temps détruit tout
"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
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