As Pure As Gold - Day One
Perfectly Pure in Our Position!!
It would come as quite a surprise to many who knew me when I was a child, and even to many who know me now, to hear that I have been declared a saint! But it is true. Oh, I've certainly never done anything worthy of sainthood, but my position as a saint has nothing to do with my deeds. It's based entirely on the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is a glorious concept and I want you to understand it completely.
In order to gain a full understanding of exactly what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we must look back at the sacrificial system established by God and recorded in the Old Testament. That system is explained in detail in the New Testament book of Hebrews.
Read Hebrews 9:1-3.
In the verses you read, you discovered that the Old Testament tabernacle had an innermost room. Your version of the Bible may have called it the "Most Holy Place" or the "Holiest of All" or the "Holy of Holies". Keep reading in Hebrews 9:6-7 and write what you learn about the purpose of this holiest of all the rooms in the tabernacle.
You discovered in those verses that the priests carried on their duties in the outer room, but only the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and he only did that once every year for a specific purpose. He entered to offer the blood of the sacrificial animal to atone for the sins of the people. God had required that blood be shed as payment for sin (Leviticus 17:11), but it was not the blood of the people who committed the sins that was offered. A spotless animal was sacrificed as payment for the sins of the people. This practice had to be repeated year after year because it was impossible for the blood of animals to completely take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4)
But this Old Testament annual ritual painted a foreshadowing picture of what Jesus would one day do for us. Jesus would fulfill all of the requirements for the perfect sacrificial lamb and He would act as both our sacrifice and our High Priest when He willingly gave His life on the cross for our sins and then presented His own blood as atonement for our sins.
Keep reading in Hebrews 9:11-12. What are some of the differences between the sacrifice of animals and the sacrifice of Jesus?
Jesus didn't enter by means of an earthly tabernacle. Jesus didn't enter with the blood of animals. He shed His own blood. His sacrifice paid the price for sin forever and would never have to be repeated again.
Now, how is this payment for sin applied in our lives? How are we redeemed from the punishment and penalty of sin? The answer is found in a passage of Scripture that many have committed to memory. Look at John 3:16. Who is this one and only Son of God? It's Jesus who offered His own life as a sacrifice. How do we receive the salvation offered by God through His Son Jesus? It is simply by believing in Jesus and the work He did on the cross. But the word "believe" here means to put your complete faith and trust in Jesus. It's to trust Jesus plus nothing else. It's to place your faith in Jesus for your salvation; not your good works, your heritage, or anything else that you would be tempted to trust.
What happens when you place your faith and trust in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross? Look at Romans 5:1. We are "justified" by our faith in Jesus and that justification grants us peace with God! Justified simply means that we have been "declared righteous" or "holy" when we accept Jesus as our Savior. It means that because of our faith and trust in Jesus we are completely acquitted and exonerated of any penalty due us because of our sin.
Look at some additional verses that will confirm that God has made you holy if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus. Write down what these verses say about what has happened to you.
Romans 4:25
Romans 8:1
Ephesians 4:23b-24
Colossians 1:21-22
Hebrews 8:12
Hebrews 10:10
And look at Hebrews 10:14, "...by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (NIV). The grammatical tense of the first part of that phrase indicates a completed action that took place at one point in time, but the results of which last forever. Our perfection was instantaneous, yet everlasting. The most important indication of that grammatical tense is that the action was not completed by the object that was made perfect. The action was accomplished and completed on behalf of the object that was made perfect. Isn't that wonderful?
God made us perfect forever at the moment when we placed our trust in the sacrifice of Jesus. We did nothing to earn or to deserve it. Yet God has chosen to forgive and forget our sin. He has chosen to allow His own Son to pay the price we rightfully owe. He has chosen to cover us with the blood of Jesus and to look on us as being completely holy, righteous, and pure.
Yes, we are perfectly pure in our position in Christ.
Take some time today to thank God for making you holy. Thank Him that when He looks at you He chooses to do so through the blood of His own Son, Jesus. Thank Jesus for giving His life to pay the price that you should have had to pay for your sin. Ask God to show you through this study how you are to now live your life in view of His great mercy.
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