AN END TO ALL PENANCE
And in thy seed shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed; because thou hast
obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:18).
s a t u r d a y 30
God chose Israel as a nation and blessed them.
However, every year, the priest had to atone
for their sins; an animal had to be killed on behalf of
the people. The priest will lay his hands on the animal
and confess the sins of the nation upon it; this was a
yearly routine. Think about that!
But over in the New Testament, the Bible tells
us that Jesus Christ was God’s spiritual Lamb and
He didn’t just take the sins of Israel, but the sins of
the whole world (John 1:29). He was God’s perfect
sacrifice that settled the problem of sin forever. Today,
no one needs to kill any animal in atonement for sin.
Hebrews 7:26-27, referring to Jesus says, “For
such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher
than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those
high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once,
when he offered up himself.” Also, in Hebrews 9:26,
we read, “For then must he often have suffered since
the foundation of the world: but now once in the end
of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the
sacrifice of himself.”
In some parts of the world, there’re certain
religions where people punish themselves for their
sins; they whip themselves and lacerate their skin as
penance for their sins. In some instances, the people
are laid on a platform with protruding nails, piercing
through their flesh with blood gushing out. They believe
this would atone for their sins. How sad!
O, that the world would know Jesus and all that
He accomplished for humanity! Jesus ended all of
such penance. The Bible says there remains no more
sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26). You don’t need to
go through self-torture or self-recrimination because of
your sins; Jesus already paid the full penalty for the sins
of all men. This is the message of the Gospel! Christ
Jesus paid it all!
God’s not counting or holding your sins against
you, because of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:19). Jesus
already bore the punishment and consequences for
all your sins. Therefore, serve Him with your life.
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for the Lamb of God that was
slain for the sins of the whole world. And now, on
the basis of Jesus’ glorious resurrection, I’ve received
eternal life; I live in righteousness, victory, health,
and all the blessings of Christ. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Isaiah 53:5-6; Hebrews 9:26-28
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