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| An actor portrays the crucifixion |
Before
I got born again, I didn’t quite understand why Jesus Christ had to die on the
cross. Like many other people, when asked that question, I would mechanically
echo the words that I had heard ever since I was a child: ‘He came to die for our sins.’ Nevertheless, if you would have
asked me to explain it in greater detail, I couldn’t have. I didn’t understand
why God couldn’t just forgive us without going through all that trouble. I
thought that simply asking Him for forgiveness every now and then whenever I
felt guilty was all that it took for sin to be dealt with. However, I was
terribly wrong. If that had been the case, then Jesus Christ would not have
needed to go through all the torment and pain that He did. The fact that He
suffered so much is a clear indication of the gravity involved in this matter.
It is important to understand the whys, whats and hows of His mission on earth
in order to have the right standing in one’s spiritual walk. Failing to do so
makes us prone to the many misconceptions and deceptions that plague mankind.
In light of
this, I would love to share the wealth of knowledge that came my way when this
vital truth finally became known to me.
In the Bible,
God makes it clear that blood is required in order for any sin to be forgiven.
Hebrews 9:22 says that “…without the
shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” This means that in order
for us to receive forgiveness from God, blood must be involved.
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| Image from bibleplaces.com |
Now, recounting
what happened in the garden of Eden, God firmly declared that committing a sin
would result in death. When God says something, it must come to pass unless
valid compensation can be made for it. In Leviticus 17:14, He stated that “the life of every creature is its blood”.
In addition, Romans 6:23 describes death as the wages of sin.
Based on these
facts, we can therefore conclude that:
1) Death = The Payment(Punishment) for Sin (Romans 6:23,Genesis 2:17)
2) Death = Loss of Life
3) Blood = Life (Leviticus 17:14)
4) Loss of Blood = Loss of Life = Death
Therefore:
5) Loss(Shedding) of Blood = The Payment(Compensation) for Sin
And:
6) No
Bloodshed = No Compensation for Sin = No Forgiveness (Hebrews
9:22)
Having
understood all this, the question now becomes: “What is its implication to us?”
Do we have to slaughter an animal every time that we have sinned and present
its blood before God?
The answer, as
you may have well guessed, is No. Nevertheless, God’s requirement of blood as
the atoning sacrifice for sin still stands. All that has changed is the source
of that blood.
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| Image from farm-dreams.com |
Jesus Christ is
described as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
He offered His own blood as the payment for man’s sin. Just as the animals
offered in Moses’ days were required to be blameless, Jesus Christ, as the Lamb
of God, was innocent of any sin. His death and suffering served as the
substitute for the eternal death and suffering that we deserve for our sins. It
was a case of life for life – the momentary loss of His life in place of the eternal
loss of ours. He was the one-time sacrificial offering for the sins of every
person who has ever, and will ever, live.
However, in
order for any of us to obtain the forgiveness that was purchased through this
blood, one thing is required from each one of us: We must all individually turn
to Jesus Christ in repentance and accept Him to be the Lord (i.e. governor) and
Savior of our lives, acknowledging and confessing our sins, and making the firm
decision to thereafter walk in holiness as stipulated in God’s word. This is what being born again entails, and
baptism is done so as to symbolize it.In John 3:3, Jesus said that “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
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| Image from gracecounsellors.com |
As the spirit of
the holy God, The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unclean place. The blood of
Jesus Christ must first cleanse a person in order to make him/her habitable.
The person must also remain habitable if The Holy Spirit is to continue living
in him/her. This can only be achieved by living a life that is founded on God’s
Word.
This call to
holiness is outlined in Hebrews 10:26-31 which says:
“If
we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the
truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of
judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who
rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three
witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished
who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing
the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit
of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and
again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
The blood of
Jesus Christ is holy, and it is the only kind of blood that could have met the
demands of the sacrifice required for our redemption. Only Jesus Christ ever
walked (and will ever walk) this planet without committing any sin, and
therefore only He could have overcome death – the punishment of a sinner. The
rest of us are all guilty of sin and must either repent and turn away from it
to receive Christ’s blood-bought forgiveness, or rebel and receive the due
punishment for our sins – eternal separation from God in the place of eternal torment,
what is referred to as “the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
Now that you
have known the truth about God’s plan of salvation, you are better placed to
position yourself appropriately as an heir of His saving grace. May His peace
be upon you as you do so, and may the following words bless you in a brand new
way:
“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.”
– John 3:16
You may click here to say the salvation prayer.
