Leviticus 1:4 — He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
The idea of atonement concerns cleansing a person who has sinned or become defiled in some way. A person separated from God by their sins came to the tabernacle (later the temple) to be ritually cleansed by making a blood sacrifice. Remember that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), so either the sinner or his substitute must die to pay the penalty for sin.
The sinner would bring an animal, place his hand on its head, and then kill it himself. The sinner was responsible to slay the innocent animal who died in his place. The shed blood would atone for (take away) the sinner’s sin, and he would once again be acceptable in God’s sight. Throughout the centuries, how many animals died to atone for the sins of men?
When Jesus died on the cross, it was as though all humanity put their hands on the head of Jesus and transferred their sins to Him. As the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus served as the perfect sacrifice for all our sins. His blood was shed to take away every sin forever. Christ’s substitutionary atonement was the last sacrifice for sin in God’s eyes, because the sacrifice of the Son of God was so infinitely great.
Because of what Jesus did, we are accepted by God when we put our faith, trust, and hope in Christ alone. By grace we are saved through faith, not by anything we have done (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus is called “the Lamb” 28 times in the book of Revelation. It is the Lamb who sacrificed Himself and won the victory over sin and death at Christ’s first coming; it is the Lamb who will defeat Satan and his legions and then establish Christ’s kingdom here on earth at His second coming.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12). Praise the Lamb today.
11/23/2024 Devotional
" By grace we are saved through faith, not by anything we have done (Ephesians 2:8-9)."
As growing Christians, it is time for us the necessity of going beyond the love motive to the life motive. "For to me to live is Christ." Our consecration, surrender, or commitment will never hold up if it is our responding to Him from any other motivation than the response of His life in us. Yielding to Him on any different basis will simply amount to our trying to live for Him in the self-life. From Green Latters, Book Club.
11/23/2024 묵상
"은혜로 우리는 믿음으로 구원을 얻었고, 우리의 행위로 구원을 얻은 것이 아닙니다(에베소서 2:8-9)."
성장하는 그리스도인으로서, 사랑의 동기를 넘어 삶의 동기로 나아갈…