In this article consideration will be given to items three and four sited earlier in this series. That is there must be a sacrifice that will be made to satisfy the justice of God, and there must be an alter on which the sacrifice will be offered.
The Law of Moses had only a shadow of good things to come, and not the things themselves. These shadows were a preview of good things to come, since they were only shadows the view they afforded was shadowy and dark The shadows were of good things to come, they were shadows of Christ and shadows of the his sufferings and death, and shadows of what was to be accomplished in his sufferings and death.
The many sacrifices of the Old Testament were only shadows, pictures, types, and representations of the one and only sacrifice that put away sin forever. The rivers of blood on Jewish alters was witness and promise of him that was to come, and of what he would accomplish. This testimony is clearly set before us in the epistle to the Hebrews chapter ten verses one through eighteen, if it please the reader to turn to that portion of Holy writ and carefully study the things contained therein, please do so now, as it will prophet much the understanding of the following lines.
The shadows of the Old Testament and the worship of God conducted there under could not make those who partook of that worship perfect in respect of the consciousness of sins. For if they could have made the conscience perfect by taking away sin forever they would not have ceased to be offered. Because the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins vs.2. But in those sacrifices which had to be offered every year, again and again, year after year, there is made a remembrance of those sins, because those sacrifices could not put away sin forever. The very sacrifices that were offered and the worship ceremonies that were conducted in the offerings were themselves a reminder of their sins. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should put away sins vs.4.
The Promised Messiah
Wherefore, when he cometh into the world he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared me; In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure vs. 5&6. This is a quote of psalm 40:6. The reason that God had had no pleasure in the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings is that they could not put away sin and so could not perfect the children of God. The reason they were required is that they were “a figure for the time then present”, chap.9vs.9. The Old Testament church was the church in its infancy, the fullness of time not as yet having come that Messiah should be sent into the world Gal. 4:4.
Note carefully Dear reader the words of Messiah “ but a body thou hast prepared me” God had required the sacrifices of the Old Testament as a figure of Christ for the time then present, but had no pleasure in them as that which should take away sin. To take away sin required a sacrifice of infinite dignity and perfection a lamb without spot, the Lamb of God. That is the human nature of Jesus Christ. God required a perfect man to stand in the law place of fallen men and so prepared a body in the womb of the virgin. The Son of God took that human nature into union with himself “ the Word was made flesh” Jn.1:14 and thus was made the sacrifice that could and has put away sin forever.
In that body the God man died and thus standing in the law place of his elect, he satisfied the justice of God for them forever. The sins of all his elect were laid on him, Isa.53:6; Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree…1Pet.2:24. In so doing Christ Jesus put away the sin of the elect forever, as far as the east is from the west. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, Hebrews. 10:14.
What ever the Lord Christ undertook, that he undertook in his whole person, what ever he undertook in his person was attended by both natures. It was the human nature of the Lord Christ that was offered and it was offered through the eternal Spirit, Hebrews 9:14. The debt for sin that was paid by the Lord Christ was the debt for sin owed by all the elect of God through all times; those persons are the sanctified that are referred to in Hebrews 10:14; they were sanctified in the decree of eternal unconditional election of God from all eternity. The Deity the Lord Christ upheld his humanity in his undertakings at mount Calvary, where he as the Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant offered the one and only sacrifice that was well pleasing to God for the expiation (taking away – removal) of the sin of his chosen people.
Christ the Alter
It is clear from what has been said, that Jesus Christ the God man was the officiating Great High Priest, he was the sacrifice, he was the alter (which we have Hebrews 13:10).The Christian alter is not on earth made with hands, but is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high and he is our Sabbath (rest). He is our all in all, not pictures, not images, not statues of figures of angels and men, (Numbers 33:52) but the God man Christ the Lord. Believers worship God in spirit and in truth. The God man Christ Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and he is God; he who in the beginning was with God is still with God and always has been, we worship him there by faith. Believers do not need objects, as statutes of angels and of Jesus; those things are obnoxious and abominable to God; Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (any statute) or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, (Christ Jesus is in heaven above) or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Exodus 20:4. Many religious societies claim to be of those who worship God in spirit and in truth, but when first you walk into their place of worship, the center attraction in front of your eyes is a picture of one who is supposed to be a representation of Jesus Christ. What do the holy scriptures teach us about those things? “ Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images,(all their statues) and quite pluck down all their high places; Numbers 33:52. See: Exodus 23:24,33; 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 12;3; Joshua 11:12. Some may object; we are not under the law! that is true, we are not under the law as an instrument of justification, but God has not changed nor has his law though we are not under the law, the law teaches us the mind and will of God in such matters. This is the New Testament lawful use of the law, 1Timothy 1:8. “But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully.”
It was the Son of God who up held and gave strength to the human nature of Jesus Christ while the billows of wrath from God the Father swept over him, It was the Holy Spirit of God that maintained the heart of him who died in a state of willing loving obedience to his Father while he was crushed to death for the sins of his elect. Thus it is the Deity of Christ that was the alter for his humanity while he paid the awful debt that he as surety of the New Testament paid for the elect of God. Ps. 42:7. Those who would make use of the Christian alter must in truth and sincerity bow their heart and pray to him who is on the right hand of the throne of the majesty on high wherever and whenever they are given grace to approach the living God. For it is JesusChrist who ever lives to make intercession for his people, it is he who saves to the uttermost. Jesus Christ himself is the covenant of his people (Isaiah 42:6); he is the officiating Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant (Psalms 110:4); he is the sacrifice for (Hebrews 9:26) and he is the alter of his people (Hebrews 13:10).We (believers) have an alter, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
A.J. Ison
No comments:
Post a Comment