Holiness to the Lord

Gentle Readers,

I told you the other day that I would give you three reasons why Yom Kippur and what we call the Day of atonement is so special to us and how God has worked on our behalf to make us more than we could ever imagine.

The first reason that God wants us to be holy is that God Himself is holy. In the beginning of the 19^th Chapter God says of Himself "Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy; for I Jehovah your God am holy. Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father; and ye shall keep my sabbaths: I am Jehovah your God." ( Lev 19:2-3 )

The second reason is that the High Priest (Jesus Christ) is holy. As the tabernacle was a three-fold structure–outer court, holy place, and holy of Holies, so the nation of Israel was arranged in a three-fold way which corresponded, i.e. the congregation, the priesthood, and the high priest.

And the third reason is that we are to be a holy people is that the Sprit who indwells us is holy. As the shekinia light shone above the mercy seat and between the arching wings of the two cherubim in the holy of holies (Exod. 25:22, Num. 7:89 ), so the divine spirit indwells each of us who are blood-bought, members of the body of Christ, making us "temples of the living God 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19 Must we not as human sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit allow His to so possess and control us and suffuse us that all of our words and works and ways are holy?

And yet Gentle Reader, there is even a deeper more concept to be grasped. Our Saviour , "but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; Heb 10:12( "He died unto sins once" For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God. ) Rom 6:10 and is the glory of the gospel that this one Offering is and was all-sufficient! By His one offering Christ was at the same time the great Antitype of the Passover Lamb (He is our Passover) offered without priest or altar in Egypt, and the goat of the Day of Atonement, who blood was taken by the High Priest within the veil.

The scriptural doctrine of Sacrifice for Sin falls under a two-fold principle:

1. Redemption, "deliverance from" being the uppermost thought.

2. Atonement, "access to" being the uppermost thought.

We will use two words in the New Testament to help us see this distinction, namely exodus, meaning "going out or a way out" and eisodus meaning "a way in". The word exodus is found in Luke 9 :31 ( where Moses )Law( and Elijah ) the Prophets speak of the "decease" which the lord should accomplish in Jerusalem. The word eisodus is found in Hebrews 10:19, where the results of the atoning work of Christ as both Offering and High Priest, are expressed by the words "boldness to enter"

We find this two-fold aspect of the Saviour’s Sacrifice in several parts of the New Testament.

Redemption or exodus aspect Ephesians 1:7 where the word translated "forgiveness" is aphesis, which means set at liberty Luke 4:18.

Atonement or eisodus aspect Ephesians 2:13 "made nigh"

Redemption without atonement would be as if Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt and then abandoned them in the wilderness. Atonement put before Redemption would be as if Moses had ignored the Passover and erected a tabernacle in Egypt. He Who led Israel out of bondage led them in to His presence. A redeemed and reconciled people. It is evident that the translators of the A.V. were perfectly familiar with the word "reconciliation" and yet chose to use the word atonement. The fact is that the word "atonement" means reconciliation. To be made nigh. Or brought in fellowship with the Most High God. What was being taught to those wandering pilgrams was that God simply was not saving them but was bringing them into "fellowship" with a thrice Holy God.

Think about that Gentle Reader, that God loves you and me so much that He chooses to "fellowship" with us!

Atonement (at one ment) One with God.

Love,

Denis

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. (Gal 2:20)