20/01/2023
HOW SINS ARE FORGIVEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT DISPENSATION
Ref. (Leviticus 4:27-31)
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✓ Hello God's people, the gospel of the forgiveness of sins is very simple and clear but because we were loaded up with a lot of religious chuffs for a long time, we find it too strange to be true.
* In the old testament times, sins were forgiven thru the shedding of the blood of animals as stated in the book of Leviticus 4:27-31.
The question is, why the blood? The Bible says,
" For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Lev.17:11)
✓ Wow, because the life of the flesh is in the blood, which means when blood is shed, life is taken away!
Therefore, in the 1st covenant which is also known as old covenant, an animal's life had to be taken away on behalf of the people with sin. This was the practice however, God changed it saying,
" Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:" (Jeremiah 31:31-32)
✓ You see, God changed the covenant. This is what most people have not realized. The 1st covenant made with our forefathers was nullified and the 2nd one established! When the Constitution is changed, you can't continue to live by the old one!
This change came because it was established by the law which the people could not keep! And also those law practices could not wash away the sins of the people perfectly. (Romans 10:1-5)
✓ Now listen, the law had a shadow of the good things. The Bible says,
" For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. (Heb.10:1)
✓ What was in the law became a shadow of the reality of the good things. For instance, as one of the good things, the animal offered to give life as a sacrifice for sins was a shadow of Jesus Christ!
* Now in the new testament dispensation, Jesus came as the Lamb of God to offer himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world! He offered himself to shed blood and wash away our sins. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law. As it's written,
" And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb.9:22)
✓ When Jesus' blood was shed on the cross, his life which was carrying our sins was taken away. This fulfilled all the requirements for our sins to be forgiven.
✓ Now in the new testament, our sins were forgiven not because we pleaded with God but because Jesus she'd his blood! And when we believe in the blood that washed our sins away, and not in the practice of the rituals again, we receive the forgiveness of sins. The physical baptism in water does not bring about the forgiveness of sins! It's only when we believe in what Jesus accomplished on the cross that we become free from sins. The shedding of blood brought about perfect forgiveness of all of our sins!
- We receive forgiveness not by confessing sins, asking for forgiveness or by making intercessory prayers but by simply BELIEVING! Believing is receiving! We receive things from God by faith, and not by practicing again the old covenant rituals! This is the gospel! Thank you and God bless you.