Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Jesus Christ who forgives our sins .
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" - Hebrews 9:14
The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar. In the Old Testament, the High Priest made an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement. This act of paying the penalty for sin brought a restored relationship between the people and God. After the blood sacrifice was offered to the Lord, a goat was released into the wilderness to symbolically carry away the sins of the people. This "scapegoat" was never to return. It was the only time during the year when the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the innermost chamber of the Temple or the Tabernacle to make atonement for the sins of all Israel. The Day of Atonement was a yearly feast instituted by God to completely cover (pay the penalty) for all the sins of the people of Israel. When the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, the Jewish people could no longer present the required sacrifices on the Day of Atonement, so it came to be observed as a day of repentance, self-denial, charitable works, prayer, and fasting.
Why did God require the blood of animals to forgive sins? Since the penalty for sin is death, we are supposed to die when we sin. So God had graciously provided Israel with the sacrificial system as a means to deal with sin. An animal’s life was to be given in exchange for the lives of the worshippers whose sins placed them with the penalty of death. The sacrificial animals were to be without blemish. But even if they were, their blood was ultimately inadequate to take away sin.
For Christians, atonement was made for our sins when Jesus died on the cross. It is not necessary for a high priest on this earth to present himself and sacrifice for our sins yearly, as in the Old Testament. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross constantly reminds us that our sins have been atoned for. We just have to receive this. He became the Lamb for us. Christ came as a high priest by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. Christ exchanged His blood for previous sacrifices of bulls and goats. Jesus offered Himself without blemish for the purpose of cleansing our sins and conscience from the dead works and to serve the living God. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, priests had to come before God yearly for the congregation’s sins. The Blood of Jesus settled that for us. God sees us through the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a finished work.
The Tabernacle and the Temple gave a clear picture of how sin separates humans from the holiness of God. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies by passing through the heavy veil that hung from ceiling to floor, creating a barrier between the people and the presence of God.
Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter and offer the blood sacrifice to cover the sins of the people. However, at the very moment when Jesus died on the cross, Matthew 27:51 says, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom ".Thus, Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross of Calvary is the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. Hebrews chapters 8 through 10 explains how Jesus Christ became our High Priest and entered the Holy of Holies, once and for all, not by the blood of sacrificial animals, but by his own precious blood on the cross. Christ himself was the atoning sacrifice for our sins; thus, he secured for us eternal redemption. As believers, we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Yom Kippur.
Why did God require the blood of animals to forgive sins? Since the penalty for sin is death, we are supposed to die when we sin. So God had graciously provided Israel with the sacrificial system as a means to deal with sin. An animal’s life was to be given in exchange for the lives of the worshippers whose sins placed them with the penalty of death. The sacrificial animals were to be without blemish. But even if they were, their blood was ultimately inadequate to take away sin.
For Christians, atonement was made for our sins when Jesus died on the cross. It is not necessary for a high priest on this earth to present himself and sacrifice for our sins yearly, as in the Old Testament. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross constantly reminds us that our sins have been atoned for. We just have to receive this. He became the Lamb for us. Christ came as a high priest by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. Christ exchanged His blood for previous sacrifices of bulls and goats. Jesus offered Himself without blemish for the purpose of cleansing our sins and conscience from the dead works and to serve the living God. We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, priests had to come before God yearly for the congregation’s sins. The Blood of Jesus settled that for us. God sees us through the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a finished work.
The Tabernacle and the Temple gave a clear picture of how sin separates humans from the holiness of God. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies by passing through the heavy veil that hung from ceiling to floor, creating a barrier between the people and the presence of God.
Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter and offer the blood sacrifice to cover the sins of the people. However, at the very moment when Jesus died on the cross, Matthew 27:51 says, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom ".Thus, Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross of Calvary is the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. Hebrews chapters 8 through 10 explains how Jesus Christ became our High Priest and entered the Holy of Holies, once and for all, not by the blood of sacrificial animals, but by his own precious blood on the cross. Christ himself was the atoning sacrifice for our sins; thus, he secured for us eternal redemption. As believers, we accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Yom Kippur.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank you for paying the price for our sins once and for all, through your sacrificial death on the Cross. Forgive us our sins, remove our transgressions, and fill us with your life and healing; in Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Thought for the Day
If our sins are as high as the mountains, the ocean of His atonement is like Noah's flood, covering the utmost summit - Spurgeon
Mrs Anila Eapen
Mar Thoma Church -South Florida
Mar Thoma Church -South Florida