The Blood of the Cross
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law
purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is
no remission.
The discussion today is about the remission of sin. God is holy and
perfect. There is no fault in Him. Man, on the other hand is corrupt,
defiled, and imperfect.
God clearly defines what sin is. The law gives us the knowledge of
sin. The law is found in the old testament books. Most folks know the
basic ten commandments. There are actually many more than ten. Some
scholars argue there can be as many as 600 and more commandments.
Regardless of how many there are, it is apparent man cannot keep them
all.
Because man is corrupt due to his inability to keep the law, he is
separated from God. There is no way a corrupt man can enter into the
presence of a holy God. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, God
swiftly cast him out of His presence.
It only takes one sin to make a sinner. Once sin has been committed,
there must be an atonement made to restore the spiritual severing of
the bond between man and God.
Blood must be shed to wash away the sin that has occurred. Per our
verse above, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission" of
sin. Lets look at a few examples from the old testament.
Leviticus 4:22-26 When a ruler hath sinned, and
done somewhat through ignorance against any of the
commandments of the Lord his God concerning things
which should not be done, and is guilty; Or if his
sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge;
he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a
male without blemish: And he shall lay his hand upon
the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where
they kill the burnt offering before the Lord: it is
a sin offering. And the priest shall take of the
blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put
it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering,
and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the
altar of burnt offering. And he shall burn all his
fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of
peace offerings: and the priest shall make an
atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it
shall be forgiven him.
Leviticus 4:27-31 And if any one of the common
people sin through ignorance, while he doeth
somewhat against any of the commandments of the
Lord concerning things which ought not to be done,
and be guilty; Or if his sin, which he hath sinned,
come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his
offering, a kid of the goats, a female without
blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned. And he
shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin
offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of
the burnt offering. And the priest shall take of the
blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the
horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour
out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.
And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the
fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace
offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the
altar for a sweet savour unto the Lord; and the
priest shall make an atonement for him, and it
shall be forgiven him.
The two examples from scripture above prove the point that blood must
be shed to satisfy the trespass against God's holiness. Both the rulers
and the common folks must offer a sacrifice for their ignorance.
We are without excuse before God. Be sure your sin will find you out.
Noone is fooling God. He sees it all and without the shedding of blood,
you have no remedy for the spiritual disconnect that sin imposes on
your soul.
Throughout history animal sacrifice were used by the children of
Israel to compensate for their ignorance. Eventually, this sacrifice
became a burden for God to bear. It became so much a burden that God
would no longer accept their sacrifices at all.
Isaiah 1:10-15 Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers
of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye
people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude
of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am
full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of
fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come
to appear before me, who hath required this at your
hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain
oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the
new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I
cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn
meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my
soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary
to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I
will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of
blood.
The children of Israel rebelled on every level against God. Even their
prayers and worship had become polluted from all of their sins. The
blood sacrifices of animals had now become a burden for God. God no
longer would accept them.
Fortunately for us, God is full of grace and mercy. This character of
God still requires an act of obedience from His children. We must hit
our knees and turn away from all ungodlyness. We must repent and be
converted! How is this possible if the blood of rams and goats is no
longer sufficient for remission of sins?
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Revelation 1:5-6 And from Jesus Christ, who is the
faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead,
and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his
own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto
God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of
sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
As we can see God has the answer in His Son. Jesus became the ultimate
sacrifice for all of humanity. When Jesus died on the cross he shed
his blood to pay the penalty for our sin. There is no other sacrifice
that can be made that replaces what Jesus did for us.
God has given us the answer in His Son. There is hope beyond the grave.
However, if we sin having the knowledge of His Son, we are without
excuse. Just as the children of Israel rebelled, so are they that sin
willfully in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we
have received the knowledge of the truth, there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
God the Father and Jesus the Son have given us the pathway for eternal
life. We have hope beyond the grave if we would only get right with God.
True repentance is to turn from our wicked ways and seek the God who
made us. The blood is key, but the heart that yearns to obey is what is
needed! Lets finish this meditation with a final remark from the lips of
Jesus our saviour.
John 6:53-58 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of
the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no
life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up
at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and
my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh,
and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in
him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live
by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall
live by me. This is that bread which came down from
heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are
dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Written by Mark Dickens 06/25/2022