4 December | EVERYONE
"Not that [Christ] should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Hebrews 9: 25,26
In Israel's time, the sinner, recognizing that they had sinned, would bring an animal to the altar, place their hand on its head to transfer their sins to it, and then sacrifice it with their own hands. The death of the animal represented the death of the sinner themselves. The sacrifice was a symbol of how God deals with human sin. Attaining salvation requires the blood of an innocent victim. There is no forgiveness without bloodshed. In Old Testament times, a lamb often died, but this little animal symbolized the Lord Jesus Christ, who would die one day on the cross of Calvary.
We were the ones who deserved to die because we sinned, but when we ask for forgiveness, we say to God, "Lord, I recognize that I have sinned. I feel that I deserve to die, but I am afraid of dying. Can you forgive me?" And the only way God could deliver us is by allowing someone else to die in our place. That someone was Jesus.
He did not deserve to die. He was completely innocent. As a human being, He was tempted in every way but was without sin; He only deserved life, and yet He willingly gave himself up to die for us. It was an atoning death on our behalf.
After dying on the cross, Christ rose and, as we have read in today's text, went to his Father with the sacrifice of Himself already consummated. And He did it only once and for all.
Take Action
Do you accept the reality of Christ's sacrifice in your life today? And thanks to that, do you finally live with a clear conscience? If not, ask yourself if you have not yet grasped the value of the Cross and the immensity of God's love.