You know, most people today don't like spending much time reading the Old Testament, especially the books of law. Most people will say, "we'll those people back then were under the old covenant and now we have a new covenant." It can be really tough sometimes to make a connection of relevance between what happened to the nation of Israel and how that should affect the way we live.
I was in Leviticus 6-7 for my daily bible reading and something that kept coming up or stuck out for me was how specific everything was for the sacrifice. All these sacrifices that needed to be made and a very detailed process of preparation before each sacrifice. A reoccurring word that comes up time and again through out the book is "holy." Another word that comes up a lot is "atonement."
Then it occurred to me how we talk about Jesus being the atonement for the sins of those who place their trust in Him. Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins. However, without context that simple statement doesn't mean much. I'm sure knowing that we are "bad" people full of sin must be convicting on some level. But really I don't think that most Christians take the statement, "Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins, " seriously enough. We don't make much of it, or not as much of it as we could. And I think that's because most Christians today just don't come from the same background and culture as the Jews during the days of the Apostles. We aren't familiar with the highly detailed and laborious system of sacrifice the early Christians practiced before they came to Christ.
I have a new appreciation for the "dry" books of the bible because they illustrate the depth of God's love for me. The standard and holiness of God exemplified through the old testament law magnifies the love of God shown in Jesus death on the cross. Saying that, "Jesus died for my sins," carries greater weight because I more fully know the depth of my depravity compared to the Holiness of Almighty God.
I was in Leviticus 6-7 for my daily bible reading and something that kept coming up or stuck out for me was how specific everything was for the sacrifice. All these sacrifices that needed to be made and a very detailed process of preparation before each sacrifice. A reoccurring word that comes up time and again through out the book is "holy." Another word that comes up a lot is "atonement."
Then it occurred to me how we talk about Jesus being the atonement for the sins of those who place their trust in Him. Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins. However, without context that simple statement doesn't mean much. I'm sure knowing that we are "bad" people full of sin must be convicting on some level. But really I don't think that most Christians take the statement, "Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins, " seriously enough. We don't make much of it, or not as much of it as we could. And I think that's because most Christians today just don't come from the same background and culture as the Jews during the days of the Apostles. We aren't familiar with the highly detailed and laborious system of sacrifice the early Christians practiced before they came to Christ.
I have a new appreciation for the "dry" books of the bible because they illustrate the depth of God's love for me. The standard and holiness of God exemplified through the old testament law magnifies the love of God shown in Jesus death on the cross. Saying that, "Jesus died for my sins," carries greater weight because I more fully know the depth of my depravity compared to the Holiness of Almighty God.
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