God the Just is satisfied to look on Christ and pardon you

The old covenant system of atonement for sins with the blood of bulls and goats is a shadow whose reality is the salvation from sin that we have through the blood of Jesus Christ today. Paul said of the priests in the old setting:

"They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”" Hebrews 8:5.

Christ's atonement for our sins is the reality of this "shadow" old covenant system, but in Christ, we have a much better covenant! The blood of bulls and goats offered in the old covenant system had to be offered continually with each sin but in Christ, we are perfected forever by His one offering! See Hebrews 8:

11 "Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. 14 For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy."

For us believers in Christ, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God Himself is the "one offering" by which we are "forever made perfect." Unlike the old covenant system where the priest had to make fresh atonement for the sinner for each sin, Christ's sacrifice for us is "a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time."

One thing to note in the offering of sacrifices for sins under the old covenant is that the priest NEVER examined sinners for blemishes when they sinned; he examined the sacrificial animal that was brought by the sinner and if the animal was without blemish, it died in place of the sinner. The sinner went away absolutely free from judgment... but only until his next sin because the sacrifices "...can never take away sins." Hebrews 8:11

Because Christ's sacrifice for us is "a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time," we are not righteous only until our next sin like the old covenant guys. His gift to us is His everlasting righteousness. In Him, our entire lifetime of sins-past, present and future - are forgiven. In Him, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1.)

Remember the priests of the old covenant examined the sacrificial animal for blemishes and not the sinner? The animal died and the sinner went away free from judgment. But in many places of worship today, believers are being told that God is examining us for sins and that if we have blemishes, He will punish us when we mess things up. We are lied to that God will rain judgment on us. Not so! For we who are in Christ, God the Just is satisfied to look on Jesus Christ who bore our punishment, pardon us and grant us everlasting righteousness because we believe that Jesus Christ the Lamb of God took our sin and gave us His righteousness, as it is written in 2 Corinthians 5:21-

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

This is Grace - undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour.

The Lamb of God died in our place that we might be free from judgment forever. Only believe.
Beware of those who are teaching the false message that God is examining the believer for blemishes and will punish the believer if he is found to have blemishes! Of ourselves, everyone is stained with sin "For all have sinned." "There is none righteous, no, not one." Believer, the judgment never fell on the sinner whose lamb was accepted by the old covenant priests. The lamb got the sinner's punishment. The sinner went free. How much more we who have Jesus Christ the Lamb of God as our sacrifice? In Him, we are free indeed.

"The wages of sin is death." But how does this death come about? Remember Adam did not drop dead immediately after his death sentence came into effect. Psalms 90:4 says of God "A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by," Moses wrote this concerning God's view of the life of man (v.3) Adam did not die immediately. He had kids and saw them grow up before he died at almost 1000 years- one day in God's sight.

Remember God told Adam in Genesis 2:17 (YLT)- "and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.'" This dying from sin is a process:

Stress is death begun; oppression is death begun; sickness is death begun; lack is death begun; devourers in one's finances is death begun; silly mistakes at work is death begun; high BP is death begun. Then physical death and the second death. All wages of sin: Death. Only the death of an Innocent can put an end to these things.

Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Eternal life in Christ too starts here on earth; "life begun" is the reversal of "death begun" above: 

acts of righteousness in place of acts of sin; peace in place of stress; victory over depression; health in place of sickness. No more "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground,..." 

A total reversal of the curse following Adam's disobedience in Genesis and so much more.
Notice that eternal life is a gift? But many are still trying to earn it through obedience to the letter that kills instead of receiving it by faith.

Many in the church are not depending on the Lamb of God ALONE to take away their sins once for all and so are dying gradually. Many are examining themselves for blemishes (which all have) and are expecting judgment (death preceded by "death begun") to fall on them if they don't do certain things e.g. paying tithes religiously in order to avert the "death begun" of devourers in one's finances and attending curse-breaking sessions in order to be free from generational and other curses that Christ hung on the cross to redeem us from. Such reject the Lamb of God as their one Offering. As if Jesus' blood is not enough to obliterate their lifetime of sins! Many try to prevent judgment by human effort at doing. There is only death here.

The wages of sin is death. Only the death of Jesus can meet this righteous requirements of the law.
Because many who profess Christ do not "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," aka see Him as their atonement for sins, many in the church are paying the wages of sin -death preceded by "death begun." Believers, let's not be found here. 

Don't let anyone deceive you into thinking that you are your own sacrificial lamb. We all are blemished of ourselves and can never qualify as our own atonement. All of the things that we do in order to escape judgment are like a "menstrual rag" according to Isaiah 64:6. Of ourselves, we can do nothing to escape the wages of sin; death preceded by death begun. Christ the Lamb of God paid it all. Only believe.

Believers, believe right. Christ has finished dealing with our sins. See Hebrews 8 (MSG):

27-28 "Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when He next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet Him is, precisely, salvation."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How does one partake of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner?

Repentance - what is it?

Forever righteous, even when we stumble!