Jesus Christ's Sacrifice
Day 21
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Our atonement through God's blood
It took death to pay for even one sin, so God out of love for us chose sacrificial blood as the substitute price for a person's life. In the Old Testament, God revealed to the Jews that it was necessary for them to shed the blood of animals (without blemish) to cover their sins. The animal sacrifice became the person's substitute when he laid his hand on it and killed it. The life of the animal, its blood, was the means of temporary atonement or covering of their sin.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. / If he brings a lamb ... for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish and lay his hand on the head ... and kill it for a sin offering ... Then the priest shall ... pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar ... And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. Leviticus 17:11 also 4:32-35 ESV®
What does atonement (kapar) mean? Kapar is a Hebrew word which means covering that changes the appearance or nature of the thing covered like when you cover wood with paint. It can also mean to cancel and forgive.
The Old Testament sacrificial system was a picture of what Jesus' sacrifice would do to give us permanent atonement for our sins. Jesus' sacrifice removed all of our sins thereby forgiving and cancelling them, changed our hearts and gave us an intimacy with God that I still marvel about. Instead of putting our hand on an animal's head and killing it to deal with just one sin, we now put our faith in Jesus Who sacrificed Himself to forgive all sins. (Hebrews 10:10-22).
... Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. / ... To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. Romans 3:24b-25a; Revelation 1:5b ESV®
Sacrifice of love
God didn't take pleasure in animal sacrifices. He knew animal sacrifice could never deal with our sin problem. Something permanent needed to be done to stop eternal death and it wasn't killing animals. So God the Father out of great love for us had God the Son, leave His throne in heaven to be sacrificed on the cross as our sinless lamb. Jesus shed His divine blood for our atonement – the eternal covering for all sins. (John 1:29; Hebrews 1:3, 10:3-18).
... knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV®
Is fear suffocating you? Is uncertainty keeping you anxious? Perhaps envy is killing your peace or you find it hard to forgive. Are trials making it impossible for you to trust God? Do you find it tough not to lie or steal? Maybe you find it difficult to love or even like certain people. Whatever your sin is, and we all are sinners, remember Jesus sacrificed Himself for that sin. Confess or agree with Him over your sin and He will clothe you in righteousness and wipe away the ugliness of sin. (Ephesians 4:2–5:2; Philippians 4:1-13; 1 John 1:9).
A man heard his daughter screaming in their backyard. As he ran into the yard he saw three wild dogs biting her. The father ran between the dogs and his daughter. A neighbor saw the situation and called 911. The father's life blood had drained from his body leaving his daughter covered with his blood. Both looked dead, but his daughter was miraculously alive because her body was protected by her father's. Jesus compassionately protected us from certain eternal death by sacrificing His own flesh and blood on the cross for us.
What are your thoughts on Jesus Christ willingly sacrificing Himself for you?
Life Application
A sacrifice beyond words
To attempt to tell adequately and fully the magnificence and sacrificial nature of God's love has always seemed to me a undertaking too great for me or anybody. No written word except God's words can rightly explain God and His love lived out for us through Jesus Christ. To be honest, there are times I just stare at the computer screen, feeling incapable of writing something that resembles the miracle of what God in Jesus has done for us.
All the Gospels give details about Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us. Read Matthew 26:47-68, 27:11-56; Mark 15:1-41; Luke 22:39-23:49; John 19:16-37. I know it's a long read but well worth it. It will give you a rich view on Jesus's sacrificial road to the cross for your atonement. Prayerfully try to envision what Jesus endured for you.
To ponder: I can rush headlong into new undertakings or stay too long with unwise old ones, giving little thought to what God wants me to be doing. In other words, I am a sinner. Yet, Jesus knew my sinful wanderings and still willingly sacrificed Himself for me. Would you define that as love? I would.
Reflect on Revelation 1:5.