Christian Living

OUR LIVING SACRIFICE

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
01/12/17
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"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

Please read (Leviticus 16:7-10) and (Matthew 27:15-24) in preparation for this blog.

In ancient times, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On this day, the high Priest would make an all-important sacrifice.  He would present two goats of identical stature; one of which would be sacrificed for the sins of the people, the other would be released.

He would then reach into a holy urn and pull out two stones, one in each hand. Each stone would have a different Hebrew word inscribed on it. He would then place the stones on the heads of the two goats. One stone identified the goat that would die as the sacrifice for the sins of the people. The other identified the goat that would be released.  So before there could be a sacrifice, there had to be the presentation of the two goats before the people and the apportioning of the two destinies.

Like this ancient ritual, before His sacrifice Jesus and the thief Barabbas were presented before the people. One would be let go, while the other would be sacrificed. The people chose Barabbas to be let go, leaving Jesus to be the sacrifice.

Fast-forward to the 21st Century, what is the analogy of this old ritual? In order for God the Son to die for our sins, He would have to die in our place. He would have to become like us, a man of flesh and blood.

In (John 1:1-2), we see that the Son, Jesus Christ, the Word, was forever in existence with God the Father.  In (John 1:4-5), we see Jesus was the light of the world, the light given to all men. This light implies the life that is in Christ, which denotes salvation and deliverance, as well as judgment to those who refuse Him. (John 8:12) (John 9:5) (John 11:25) (John 14:6)

Yes, Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son (John 3:16) did in fact become flesh and blood and did dwell among men. (John 1:14)  He came into the world to save all who would come to Him. (John 1:12) 

Sad to say even though the darkness did not overcome the light, the world failed to recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, the Creator, Savior, etc. (John 1:10-11) And nothing has changed, down through the centuries. The world still does not recognize Jesus, as the Christ, the Savior of the world, the one and only way to God. (John 14:6)

As before mentioned, the sacrifice given once a year by the high priest on the Day of Atonement was to fulfill the ancient Hebrew law.  Like the sacrificial lambs, only the God-man could be an adequate Savior of Mankind for He must be human in order to be able to suffer and die, and he must be God to make that death effective as a payment for our sins.

Unlike the yearly sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, we can now come to Christ at any time, for we are not under the law, but we are under grace of God. (John 1:17) This grace is free to all those who will take God by faith. It is not what we may do, what we may pay, or whom we may know that makes the difference in our lives. It is simply our faith in God's free grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

I thank God for the high priest of Israel, and for the reverence shown to the deity of God. (1 Cor. 8:16)  I thank God for the Son, and His sacrifice made on that cruel cross for our redemption.(Isaiah 53:3-12)  I thank God for His Holy Spirit, who brings conviction and guidance to us all. (John 14:26)  Amen!     

So we must each live today as one sentenced to judgment, but who has instead been set free and given a second chance of life because of the love and sacrifice of Christ.

 (Certain excerpts written here were taken from "The Book of Mysteries" by Jonathan Cahn.)  

 Author's Postscript:

In our introductory scripture, John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the people.” Why this particular analogy? You see, lambs are known to be harmless and innocent with meekness. Thus, a lamb is a perfect analogy of Jesus Christ.

Yes, Jesus is the one and only Lamb that God has provided to take away our sins. There is no other (John 14:6) as "Of God" means simply that God sent Jesus to bear our sins. He is God's gift to us. (John 3:16)  He was made to be sin for us. (2 Cor 5:21)

As this blog alludes to, Jesus' sacrifice of Himself put an end once for all to the Jewish sacrifices. (Hebrews 9:24) (Hebrews 10:18) Amen!

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