Finding Significance in the Lord’s Ultimate Redemption by Relating with God through the Lord’s AtonementTRUTH AND PURPOSEGod appointed the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) to mark a solemn day of redeeming the people from sin and defilement.
So what does atonement mean? Based on the Hebrew word, kaphur, it means to cover, cancel, cleanse, pardon, purge, redeem. In essence, you make atonement by offering a substitute as a sacrifice. So the life blood of the animal was exchanged as a substitute for the life blood of the people. It is based on the principle of an innocent life sacrificed for a guilty one. So God prescribed the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) as a day when the high priest would offer a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people and redeem their life. In essence, souls were cleansed from the defilement of sin. It was the one day of the year when the high priest would go into the tabernacle, behind the veil into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkle the blood of the covenant sacrifice over the Mercy Seat. From within the cloud of God’s glory over the ark, God saw the sacrificial blood as evidence of man’s atonement of sin; reversing His judgment to mercy. RELEVANCEIn the Lord, Messiah Yeshua-Jesus, however, you have a greater redemption. As High Priest He offered up Himself as a substitute sacrifice. So He became the ultimate sacrifice. By His blood, your sins are covered and debt to God canceled. You are cleansed, pardoned, purged, and redeemed! His sacrifice– and your redemption– is greater because His blood was poured out as a sacrificial love offering. As a result, God’s judgment of sin is reversed to mercy for everyone who calls upon His name, believes in the heart and receives His redemption.
So this is a time to appreciate the Lord’s redemption by receiving the pour of His love. In addition, you receive the greater grace of the Holy Spirit living inside you. As a result, you enter into a new dimension of grace. Consequently, you are offered the new life of the Spirit and taste of God’s glory!
So in receiving the pour of God’s love through the Holy Spirit, you gain access to God’s manifold grace gifts (v. 2). You, therefore, come into a huge dimension of grace! You can experience a variety of grace gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit grants such gifts (see Romans 12:4-11). Along with those grace gifts you can expect to experience the glory of God! REFLECT AND RELATEHow might you express greater gratefulness for the victory over sin and death that the Lord has won for you? In what ways could some of your attitudes reveal a posture of gratefulness to the Lord? What new safeguards or attitudes can you establish to help you resist the powers that tempt you to sin so you can keep a clear conscience and experience God’s love, redemption, and victory? Read slowly and meditate on 1 Corinthians 12-13. Ask the Lord to reveal to you the fullness of the dimensions of the grace gifts described in the passage. REFERENCESLeviticus 23:26-31; Psalm 51; Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:38; 3:19; NEXT STEPSVertical movement: As you receive the Lord’s redemption, you realize how easy it is to receive conviction of sins and confess wrong attitudes, desires, thoughts, actions etc. This also makes it easier to shake off guilt and condemnation and walk in greater discipline to experience greater blessings and glory. Horizontal movement: The more you experience the Lord’s grace of redemption, the more you will likewise experience His amazing grace of restoration. Return to Pathways to Glory main page. |
Day of Atonement: Ultimate Redemption in the Lordhldiamond2021-03-13T12:00:47+00:00