How was Jesus’ crucifixion and sacrifice different from sacrifice and forgiveness in the Old Covenant?
God is the source of life; He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) God’s antithesis is Satan, whose realm is darkness and sin. From the beginning God made it clear that sin will lead to death. (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23)
Sin separates us from God
When Satan with his wiles managed to deceive Eve, and in turn Adam ( Adam was not deceived; 1 Timothy 2:14 ... and Adam was not deceived; but the woman, having been deceived, was in transgression.) , to disobedience, sin entered into their nature. This sin came between them and God like a veil, separating them from the source of life. Spiritually speaking, they were dead in their trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1) Sin had entered the world, which was cursed, and all living creatures also had to die a physical death.
The sin that entered Adam and Eve’s nature was passed on to all their descendants. This “sin in the flesh” is not guilt for committed sins, but a strong inclination to do our own will rather than God’s. If we follow this inclination, for example when we are tempted, we commit sin. To help His people stay on the right path, God gave them laws that spelled out His will for them.
Unfortunately, people were incredibly weak and not one person ever managed to keep pure from sin. In fact, even the best of them usually sinned daily in thought, word and deed. In other words, all people were guilty, and Satan could use this as a letter of accusation against them, demanding that they should die. (Romans 5:12) In the temple, the symbolic house of God on earth, a large, thick veil hung in front of the Holiest of Holies, symbolizing the sin in the flesh that separated people from God. Anyone passing that veil would die instantly, as no sin could stand in the presence of God.
Forgiveness through sacrifice
God, in His longsuffering, gave people a chance: by sacrificing an animal without blemish, the people could get forgiveness. Once a year the high priest could enter the Holiest of Holies, carrying the blood of the sacrifice, and obtain atonement for the people. Through the spilling of the blood of an innocent sacrifice, the debt of sin could be paid. (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22)
However, the blood of animals couldn’t take away the root cause of the problem, the sin in human nature. After their sins were forgiven, the people continued to sin, meaning that they had to come back and sacrifice again, year after year. Not even the high priest could help them; he himself was a sinner, and the sacrifice was for himself just as much as for the people. (Hebrews 10:1-4)
God hated this frightful state of affairs. His longing was to have communion with people and to save them. He looked for someone who could lead the people out of the vicious circle of sinning and forgiveness. But, despite the fact that there were righteous, God-fearing people throughout history, none of them were blameless, and none of them could “stand in the gap” between God and mankind. So then God sent His own Son to carry out this greatest work in history. (Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 41:28; Isaiah 60:16; Isaiah 63:5; John 3:16-17)
Jesus: a human being in every sense of the word
Jesus is the Son of God, but He willingly “emptied Himself” and become the “Son of Man” – a human being in every sense of the word, with the same human nature as all of us. This meant that Jesus was tempted as we are. But Jesus was also born of God’s Spirit, and this HolySpirit accompanied Him His whole life, giving Him the strength to carry out the task He was sent for. (Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8; Isaiah 61:1-3)
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8. It was as a man that Jesus had to learn obedience, because, being a man, He had His own self-will, or sin in the flesh, and was tempted. There He learned to deny Himself, “take up His cross daily” and put that sin to death. The result was that He never sinned and was without sin. (Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 5:7-8)
When Jesus spoke out against sin and against the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of the time, He spoke with authority and conviction. But because the death over sin was taking place in His inner man, hidden from people’s sight, He was misunderstood by nearly all His contemporaries. So much so, that in the end, He was arrested and crucified. The pure, righteous, blameless Man died as a criminal, punished for sins He had never committed. Why?
Atonement – and a way to follow
Being blameless, the only human being in all history who was completely pure and without sin, Jesus was the only one who could “stand in the gap,” the only one on whom Satan had no claim. He was the only one who had not deserved death, either physical or spiritual. But, fulfilling the purpose for which He had come to earth, Jesus voluntarily offered Himself. He was crucified as the ultimate, blameless sacrifice. He died as the Lamb of God, the atonement for all mankind. He bore the punishment of all our sins, and died, the just for the unjust. (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18) Not only did He die a physical death, but He even experienced separation from God while He was hanging on the cross. (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) Through this sacrifice, all those who believe in Him are able to obtain forgiveness.
Jesus’ death on the cross on Calvary, though absolutely one of the most momentous and powerful events ever on earth, is actually only part of the Christian story. By the strength of the Spirit that was with Him from birth, Jesus had “suffered in the flesh” by denying it and not giving in to the inclination to sin that He had in His nature as a human being. In this way the sin in His flesh was condemned and He “put it to death,” “crucifying” the lusts and desires. So though He was tempted, He never sinned. (Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:16)
When Jesus died on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished!” At that moment, every last shred of the sin He had inherited, the original sin being imputed upon Him, in His human nature had been crucified, and His redemption work on earth was finished. When Jesus died, the heavy veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The debt had been paid; the way back to the Father was open.
Jesus’ victory over sin was also a victory over death. He did not remain in the grave, but arose from the dead with a glorified body, containing the whole fullness of God’s own nature. Forty days later, He ascended to heaven, where He is sitting today at the right side of His Father. (Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9)
Jesus’ brothers!
So how was Jesus’ crucifixion and sacrifice different from the sacrifice and forgiveness in the Old Covenant? How does Jesus’ death on the cross take away the sin in our flesh? Why are we still tempted? This is because forgiveness alone was not the ultimate goal of Jesus’ life, nor is it the ultimate goal of a Christian. In fact, forgiveness is only the beginning. Jesus Himself indicated this very clearly: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23.
Jesus’ purpose was not only to be the atoning sacrifice for people’s sins. He wanted disciples, those who follow Him. We can’t follow Him to the death on the cross on Calvary, but we can take up our cross daily!
By following Him on this way, we become His disciples, and He sends us His Holy Spirit to give us the same strength that He had to overcome sin. We also suffer in the flesh, we also crucify the flesh with its lusts and desires, we also put to death the “deeds of the body” by the Spirit and, we also cease from sin, we become “members of His body,” we become Jesus’ brothers, and we become partakers of divine nature! (1 Peter 4:1-2; Galatians 5:24; Romans 8:13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Hebrews 2:11; 2 Peter 1:2-4)
Jesus’ death on the cross of Calvary was the culmination of His incredible work of love for us people. By His death He reconciled those who believe in Him with God, and through His life He opened a way back to the Father for those who follow Him. Through death over sin, Jesus conquered death. (Hebrews 2:14-15) By His life He gave us life. May His sacrifice not be in vain – may He have many disciples, whom He is not ashamed to call His brothers!
AUTHOR: Milenko van der Staal
1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.
Hebrews 9:22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Hebrews 10 :1-4 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
Ezekiel 22:30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
Isaiah 41:28 For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
Isaiah 60:16 You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles,
And milk the breast of kings;
You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Luke 1:30-35 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, hand will be called the Son of the Highest; and ithe Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became oobedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Hebrews 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 5:7-8 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He .
Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
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.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
Matthew 7:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Philippians 2:5-7
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became oobedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 2:9
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
1 Peter 4 : 1-2 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
1 Corinthians 12 :12-14 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
Hebrews 2:11
For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
2 Peter 1 :2-4
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Hebrews 2 :14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of adeath, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
No comments:
Post a Comment