More than just an offer of assistance because he can, the truth of what Ben is up to is actually a plan that involves sacrificing significantly more of himself than his potential job security. To him, his acts are about doing the best he possibly can to make up for what he has already done. And no matter how Ben looks at, that debt is a sum that will never be covered by any amount of money. At the end of it all, Ben's plan essentially places him in Christ-like role. His sacrifices are not just about temporarily clearing accounts, but saving lives. Going beyond just stepping in front of bullets coming at others, his life essentially becomes one of seeking out those bullets so he can step in front of them. But as much as Ben's plan does resemble Christ's sacrifice so that we might live, it is not quite the same.

Although Seven Pounds really does set out to be an inspirational film, its story is also one that leaves you feeling somewhat uneasy. Yes, Ben's acts do save, but in their salvation is still the bitter taste of hopelessness. Although the film's final scenes do hint that Ben's actions may no longer be solely about guilt but about love instead, the sense of obligation in his sacrifices is difficult to shake. And although many characters in the movie do find freedom through Ben's actions, in the end, there really is no sense that he has actually gained any freedom for himself.

Aside from Ben's mostly guilt-driven motivation, the even greater difference between Ben's sacrifices and Christ's is that Ben carefully selects his recipients based upon their "goodness," whereas Christ offers the freedom of His sacrifice to all. "I need you to tell me whether he is a good person&ellips; I don't want to give that man a gift he doesn't deserve," says Ben as he goes about his "selection process." "Why me?" one of Ben's beneficiaries asks. "Because you are a good man&ellips; even when you don't know that people are watching," Ben answers.

The problem is where that logic leaves Ben. "Are you a good person?" Emily asks him. As he sees it, not by a long shot. And thus enters the bitter note of hopelessness amid the movie's optimism. The trouble with the life offered through Ben's acts is that it is limited. Its reach can only impact a finite number of people. In contrast, the beauty of Christ's sacrifice is that it is great enough to save every life from here to eternity. Not only does Christ's death and resurrection have the power to save a limitless number of lives, it also has the power to bring healing and life to those of us who are far from good. And in world where none of us is truly good, none of us is free from guilt, and life is often filled with just as many steps back as forward, it is a sacrifice that gives us hope not just when we are at our best, but even more so when we are at our worst.

As Paul says in Romans 5: 6-8: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Sure, Christ's sacrifice may go against all human logic. It may defy human ideas of worthiness and fault. But in a world where human logic and ability simply cannot free us from all that seeks to imprison us or give us all the promise of life lived abundantly, that illogical and undeserved sacrifice is exactly what we need

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