Lest We Forget - Lesson 5, The Forgiveness

After making purification for sins, 

   Those five words represent the crux (main point) and the creed (fundamental beliefs) of the entire Bible. Jesus came to pay the price for the sin of all mankind, past, present, and future. 

   The Old Testament portion of the Bible has great history but also provides a path to understanding why we need forgiveness and why we can’t earn it on our own. The New Testament explains why Christ can and does offer that forgiveness fully and for all time.

   Let’s start with the Old Testament and why there needs to be a purification in the first place. There is nothing complicated about the word Purification. It’s one of those words that means exactly what you would think it means, making something pure, to remove all contamination. In this case, purification means to remove sin. Sin is simply an offense against God. Nothing complicated here either, basically any action, or thought which goes against God’s standards, direction, purpose, etc. If you simply start with the first commandment of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus chapter 20, You shall have no other gods before me, we likely fail every day. To have a god before the true God means to consider something or someone as a higher importance than God, think about the pursuit of money. How about, You shall not covet…, meaning you shall not yearn to have something someone else has. 

   These ‘rules’ are not given to restrict us, they are given to provide a roadmap to a less stressful life, but more importantly, to provide a roadmap to the cross where we finally comprehend that we cannot be perfect, we have sin, and we need forgiveness. God is perfect (pure) and you cannot mix impure (us with our sin) with a pure God as our impurity would contaminate the pure. Therefore, if we want to be in the presence of God, we need to be pure without sin to enter heaven.

   In the Old Testament people sacrificed animals without blemish to pay for their sin, but later in Chapter 10 of Hebrews we learn those sacrifices could never provide forgiveness. They instead showed obedience and a heart for God. However, when Jesus was crucified, his sacrifice actually did provide forgiveness, forgiveness for ALL sin for ALL time.

   The following is a bit more Scripture than what I typically provide in these notes. But, this message is so important, so critical to understand, I hope you will read every word so that you will understand and more importantly, accept that Jesus is the only option for forgiveness. And, the great news is that receiving that forgiveness is also very simple, just accept it as a free gift.

   Here is the whole truth to understand and accept, the crux and the creed of the entire Bible which is found in Hebrews 10:1-18. May God reach deep into your heart today with these verses… Pay particular attention to phrases like: For it is impossible; Once for all; For all time; Can never take away sins; There is forgiveness; No longer any offering for sin.

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 

2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?

3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” 

8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law),

9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second.

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 

   Please consider sharing this message and most importantly the Scripture above with anyone and everyone who needs to know, understand, and accept the love Christ Jesus has for them and the forgiveness he offers them. 

   If you have questions about this message, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via the Contact link.