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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Age of Reconciliation, #4
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. (Psalms 22:15-17)
The severest test took place in Gethsemane. The response of the Lord Jesus was:
Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
At this point the Lord Jesus was fully reconciled to the Father. God now had an anchor, a fixed point from which to begin the age of reconciliation.
The Day of Atonement
The term atonement has many meanings ranging from "covering of sin" to "removal of sin," including forgiveness, cancellation of debt, remission, and so forth. We prefer to use the word reconciliation because this term seems to best sum up the various shades of meaning of "atonement." We may think of the Day of Atonement as the Day of Reconciliation.
The Day of Atonement (Reconciliation) is described in Chapter 16 of the Book of Leviticus.
There were two main ceremonies that took place on the Day of Atonement. The first ceremony included a slain goat. The blood of the slain goat was sprinkled on and before the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
The forgiveness aspect of the atonement made by the slain goat is understood by the Christian ministers. Forgiveness through the atoning blood of Christ is correctly preached as being the foundation of the Christian redemption.
The second ceremony utilized a living goat. The sins of Israel were confessed by the High Priest and placed on the head of the living goat. The living goat, the scapegoat, was then led away into the wilderness.
The atonement made by the living goat, the deliverance aspect of atonement, is not understood nearly as well by the Christian ministry. Deliverance from sin through the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus is not taught as clearly as the forgiveness of sin and removal of all condemnation.
It is obvious at some point our imputed (ascribed) righteousness must be changed to actual righteousness. No one believes the holy city, the new Jerusalem, will be holy by imputation; that the people will continue to be sinners but God will view them as righteous because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus.
Several passages of the New Testament speak of the salvation, the deliverance, the redemption to come in the future. This means there will arrive a point in history when the Lord will remove the presence of sin from His Church.
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:11,12)
"Our salvation [deliverance from the presence of sin in our personality] is nearer than when we believed."
We look forward with joyful anticipation to the future because we know the day will come when God removes the presence of sin from us.
To be continued.