Notice what John the Baptist says of the lord Messiah Jesus:
John 1:29: The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Now let’s see what the Lamb that Yehovah chose from before the foundation of the world became for us:
2 Corinthians 5:21: For He [Yehovah] has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
This verse is much misunderstood by many Christians, for they have understood this verse to mean that Jesus the Messiah became sin. That by dying on the cross he somehow became sin who before that time knew no sin, had not ever committed a sinful act in his lifetime. Who had been sinless until somehow at the cross he became sin, who knew no sin?
The misunderstanding occurs when people don’t understand that when the verse says “he became sin for us, who knew no sin” it, in reality, is saying that Jesus became a sin-offering for us, who knew no sin.
Now there is a huge difference between Jesus becoming sin for us and what he really became for us, a sin-offering! Huge difference!
Many people don’t understand that all the sacrificial offerings mentioned in the book of Leviticus point to the lord Messiah Jesus and what he did for us when he shed his blood for us when he was crucified. The sacrifices and offerings of the Law of Moses were a type of the final and perfect sin-offering.
Notice: I Peter 1:18-20:
Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conduct received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of the Messiah, as of a lamb [The Lamb of God] without blemish and without spot: Who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Jesus offered himself according to his own voluntary will. Neither Yehovah nor anyone else forced him to surrender himself to the suffering and torture he underwent before and including his crucifixion. He became a willing sin-offering sacrifice for us, who know no sin!
Under the Law of Moses, the animals that were to be sacrificed were to be without blemish, the animal selected was to be without blemish, the best of the flock. The sacrifice was brought to the door of the tabernacle courtyard. The one who brought the offering [lamb] placed his hands on the lamb which represented that the sins of the man passed to the sacrifice. The one who brought the offering [lamb] then killed the lamb. We understand from scripture that the one offering the animal [lamb] was required to do his part, but only the priest could make atonement for him. After God explained each sacrifice in the book of Leviticus, the following was repeated: "The priest shall make atonement for them, and it [their sin] shall be forgiven them." [Leviticus 4:26]
In like manner, Jesus was perfect in every way; he was in fact the only perfect man who has ever lived. He was sinless and therefore without blemish, and as such acceptable before Yehovah as our sin-offering sacrifice. Because he was/is our sin-offering sacrifice when we repent of our sins, our God and Father Yehovah forgives us our sins because of the sin-offering sacrifice of His uniquely begotten son Jesus, who is our High Priest.
Notice: Hebrews 9:1-28:
The Messiah Offered a
Now the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the showbread; which is called the Holy place. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies; having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally.
Now, these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services; but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: the Holy Spirit thus signifying, that the way into the holy place had not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle was yet standing; which is a figure for that time; according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the worshipper perfect, being only (with meats and drinks and divers washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.
But the Messiah has become a High Priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God [as Yehovah’s chosen lamb], cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause, he is the mediator of a new covenant, that a death having taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, they that have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it, for a testament comes into force where there has been death: for it does not come into force while he that made it lives. Whereas the first covenant was not dedicated without blood, for when every commandment had been spoken by Moses unto all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you-ward.
Moreover the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the blood. And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood, there is no remission.
It was necessary therefore that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For the Messiah entered not into a holy place made with hands, made like in pattern to the true; into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place year by year with blood not his own; else must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once at the end of the ages has he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself [as a sin-offering]. And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this comes judgment; so the Messiah also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many [as a sin-offering sacrifice], shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation.
Hebrews 10:1-14:
Moses’ Teachings with their yearly cycle of sacrifices are only a shadow of the good things in the future. They aren’t an exact likeness of those things. They could never make those who worship perfect. If these sacrifices could have made the worshipers perfect, the sacrifices would have stopped long ago. Those who worship would have been cleansed once and for all. Their consciences would have been free from sin.
Instead, this yearly cycle of sacrifices reminded people of their sins. (The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.) For this reason, when the Messiah came into the world, he said, “You did not want sacrifices and offerings, but you prepared a body for me. You did not approve of burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.” Then I said, “I have come! (It is written about me in the scroll of the book.) I have come to do what you want, my God.”
In this passage, the Messiah first said, “You did not want sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings, and sacrifices for sin. You did not approve of them.” (These are the sacrifices that Moses’ Teachings require people to offer.)
Then the Messiah says, “I have come to do what you want.” He did away with sacrifices in order to establish the obedience that God wants.
We have been set apart as holy because Jesus the Messiah did what God wanted him to do by sacrificing his body once and for all.
Every day each priest performed his religious duty. He offered the same type of sacrifice again and again. Yet, these sacrifices could never take away sins.
However, this High Priest made one sacrifice for sins, and this sacrifice lasts forever. Now he holds the honored position; the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. Since that time, he has been waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool. With one sacrifice he accomplished the work of setting them [disciples of the Messiah] apart for God forever.
Some people think that when Jesus was on the cross that
Yehovah could not look upon him because he as our sin-offering sacrifice our
sins were placed on him as the Lamb of God. If that would be true then Yehovah
our God would have had to look away from the
Jesus is clearly set forth as the High Priest and, as such, the mediator between God and man. I Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man the Messiah Jesus;
Jesus indeed is in a much-esteemed position in that no man
comes to the Father but by him (John 14:6). Righteousness and redemption are
by the faith of Jesus the Messiah ["The faith of Jesus" implies
everything he accomplished by his faith and obedience] (Romans 3:21-25;
Galatians 2:16). We have peace with God through our lord Jesus the Messiah
(Romans 5:1). Through him, we have received the atonement (Romans
Romans 5:10: For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
2 Corinthians 5:18: …. All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus the Messiah, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
Colossians 1:19-20: For it pleased the Father that in him should all [His] fullness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.
Last but not least:
People
think that when Jesus cried out: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me” [Mark
What is
stated here contradicts other Scriptures related to the same subject. The night
he was taken captive, he told the disciples that everyone would leave him, but
he would not be alone "because the Father is with me" (John
Like so many other things that he did and said, his utterance was a fulfillment of prophecy; this one is recorded in Psalm 22. As Jesus was coming to the end of his life, he obviously was reflecting on this Psalm and perhaps began to utter it.
A comprehensive reading of the Psalm reveals that David, the writer, was not implying that God had abandoned him. Rather, he was praying for God’s help. In the latter part of the Psalm, the Lord’s Kingdom and the Messiah’s reign are mentioned. Jesus was praying for help and reflecting on God’s promise about his future. Hebrews 12 tells us that "for the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross."
Throughout his suffering and crucifixion, he constantly referred to the future when he will reign; the joy that was set before him.
Some people have arrived at a wrong conclusion based on a convoluted logic that God forsook Jesus because he became sin. The thought is that a holy God could not associate with a sinful man.
Jesus never sinned, nor could he become sin. He was the antitype for the animal sacrifice of the old covenant. The animals were offered as a substitution for the sinner. They were the sin-offering. The animal did not become sin, and neither did Jesus become sin. He was the sin-offering. His God and his Father did not separate Himself from His dying Son. He was there patiently enduring with him.
My son wrote me a letter recently and here is part of what he said:
I had a great chance to witness to an unbeliever last night, I was guided to only speak of God's love for people and Jesus as his son (in the flesh) and by both of their sacrifices, we have access to eternal life! I say the sacrifice of both God and Jesus because as a dad it would be impossible for me to stand by and watch someone persecute my son and then kill him without doing something drastic.
God made an unbelievable sacrifice in giving us his only begotten son to redeem us to Him. Jesus in turn sacrificed himself to do what His Father had directed him to that led to his persecution and ultimate humiliating death. They both sacrificed for us in order for us to be reconciled and have a chance at life with them eternally because of Love.
That we should know and exhibit such love to everyone we come in contact with should be our one goal in this life, as it is the perfect service of following in the steps that Jesus took as an example of what his God and Father and ours wants!
So, as we have the opportunity to witness to others we are to do it in Love and not in condemnation, as the orthodoxy of the church does today. They preach a gospel of fear, "if you don't believe, you are going to Hell".
Instead, we are to bring a good news message of Hope and Love for the possibility of having eternal life in a perfect place with God and His Son, our elder brother.
I believe that people presented with Hope and Love will turn away from those things that are not good for them as God will direct and guide them further down the path, as that which is then between them and God. As Paul says " work out your salvation with fear and trembling "not" work out others salvation by making them afraid and judging their actions"!
As we preach the Gospel, the good news message of Love and Hope then it is for God and that person to decide what will take place, as we have spread the Good News. If asked about what we believe after this point we are to continue in gentleness to help guide a person to a committed faith letting God be the judge of their heart.
God's love conquers all!
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