APOLOGIES: Due to personal issues my Blog has been offline for a number of weeks. Also, problems with WordPress means I’m not able to show any media at this time. Thankfully i am now able to resume normal service but without the media.

SHOULDA – WOULDA – COULDA

We’ll continue this series by looking at past sins, mistakes and failures.

Many Christians still struggle with incidents of the past. They know God has forgiven their sin but  guilt, condemnation, shame and hopelessness still plague their lives.

This is because we lack a full understanding of the work of forgiveness.

Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (NKJV)

Forgiveness is a two stage process: Stage 1  Jesus has forgiven our sin.  Stage 2  Jesus has taken away our sin.

It is this second stage, the taking away of our sins, that many are ignorant of. Thankfully this whole process is shadowed forth for us on ‘The Day of Atonement.’ (Lev 16)

On this day, the whole congregation of Israel stood at the entrance to the Tabernacle of Moses. Two goats were presented to the High Priest. One was called the goat for sin, the other, the goat of escape. Let’s look at these in detail.

The Goat For Sin: Aaron (High Priest) would take this goat and lay his hands on it’s head. He would then confess over the goat the sins of the nation for the previous year. The goat now became a substitute in place of Israel and a symbolic transference of sin passed from  Israel onto the goat.

Aaron then offered the goat up as a sin offering on the altar of sacrifice. He took the blood of the goat into the Most Holy Place where the ark of the covenant stood. The presence of God’s glory would descend to rest on the mercy seat on top of the ark. He then sprinkled the blood with his finger 7 times upon the mercy seat.

When God saw the blood, it was the evidence to Him that the punishment for sin had been carried out on the goat instead of the people of Israel. This enabled God to release His mercy and forgiveness for sin upon the people.

On the cross of Calvary, Jesus fulfilled this shadow when He was offered up as the goat for sin. The Father transferred the sin of the world onto Jesus who became our substitute. When He died and shed His blood, it was the evidence to God that the punishment for the sin of mankind past, present and future had been carried out. This enabled God to release His mercy and forgiveness upon all mankind.

This is the forgiveness we experience when we invite Christ into our life,

The Goat of Escape: Aaron would take this goat and again lay his hands on it’s head and confess over it the sins of the nation. But instead of sacrificing the goat, he would take it to the front gate of the tabernacle and release it to escape into the wilderness, never to return.

This symbolised that the sins of the people had not only been forgiven (goat for sin), they had also been ‘taken away.’ The people now knew they were free from sin.

On the cross of Calvary, Jesus not only took the punishment for our sin (goat for sin), He also became the goat of escape. That is, He took our sins away. How did He do this? When He died, He went down into the grave. God then resurrected Him from death. As He rose in resurrection life to become the firstborn from the dead, He left behind Him in the grave, all the sin of mankind. Haleljah! Praise the Lord!

This signifies that God is saying to us that our sin is not only forgiven but has also been taken away never to be brought back to remembrance, never to be brought back to condemn,  make us feel guilty or ashamed. Completely removed!

Thus, when satan seeks to accuse us of past sins, mistakes and failures, we can stand against him and remind him that all sin has been forgiven and taken away. There is nothing left for him to accuse. He’s been made redundant.

Meditation Point: Father, please open my eyes to see this wonderful revelation, that in Christ, my sins are not only forgiven but removed completely.

Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”  (NKJV)

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