Pardon. Have you been enjoying the freedom that comes with being pardoned?
Have you ever felt guilty about something? That feeling of having made a mistake is stuck with you. Maybe after some time the feeling fades. But you still know that the guilt is there.
But God changed all that. Last week, we were able to see how “one died for all.” God gave Jesus as a sacrifice for us. If you ever wonder why Jesus had to die on the cross, read Leviticus. Perhaps the most dull book in the Bible, Levitcus explains and details all of the sacrifices, festivals, and rituals that the Israelites were supposed to follow.
What a bloody mess! Literally everyday, animals were being cut open; their blood being poured out and sprinkled on the furniture in the tabernacle. Some of the animals were eaten by the priests while others were completely consumed on the Altar of Burnt Offerings. Leviticus 17 mentions “the life of every creature is in the blood.” The blood was important.
The blood of Jesus bought our pardon.
And because we are pardoned, we can have peace.
First the pardon and then the peace. Never the other way around.
Here are verses 17 and 18 from 2 Corinthians 5, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ,”
Verse 17 gives us the Pardon. Verse 18 contains the Peace.
We need to define reconciliation. Reconciliation is the result of Christ precisely exchanging His righteousness (his blood) for our guilt.
If someone is in Christ, that exchange has taken place.
That means that you and I stand before God completely free of guilt because our sins have been covered by the blood!
Can I end with a math equation?
Actually, I was thinking of something considerably more simple.
Two Minutes With Tim 