All Catholics must believe fully in all parts of the Nicene Creed and all articles of the Faith, Dogmas, and Canons proclaimed in the history of the Holy Catholic Church.
First of all, we believe that Jesus Christ was God-made-man and both fully human and fully Divine. We saw His divinity at the Transfiguration for example while His human nature was seen especially in the Garden of Gethsemane where He feared death as all humans do. Our Lord suffered hunger, pain, cold, and many other pains except sin proving He was fully human.
Well, since Jesus Christ is God every action of His, whether in a divine or human nature, is an act of infinite value because it was done by God Himself. When we go back to the sin of Adam we see the first sin that destroyed the human race and was passed down to us as descendants of Adam. Some people claim that is entirely unfair, but in truth, no one on earth except Mary and Christ didn't commit actual sin anyway. So, even if that sin wasn't passed to us we still would be committing sins as everyone still does after their Baptism when original sin is washed away.
The eternal price of sin is death. "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).
Therefore, Jesus Christ took our place on that Cross at Calvary and died for our sins and His death was of infinite value, so He died for everyone past, present, and future. Jesus Christ descended unto the dead and broke the chains of death because even death is lower than God. And, finally, Jesus Christ rose from the grave and our sins' debt has totally been paid by Him dying our deaths. Heaven is now open, and we all shall also rise from death as Our Lord did if we follow Him and His Church on earth.
In the Old Testament, priests of the Old Testament would frequently offer an animal sacrifice to God in atonement for sins as was prescribed by the law of Moses. However, as children of the New Testament, we offer to God the only true Sacrifice - Jesus Christ – which is offered in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by priests of the New Testament. Jesus is the Lamb of God because He was the sacrifice that paid the price for all our sins.
For more information please research St. Anselm's doctrine of Atonement.
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