By Rev. Peter Youngren
“…but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Hebrews 9:26)
There is a tabernacle in heaven, which Moses built a replica of. We read about the morning and evening sacrifices, burnt offerings, sin offerings, Day of Atonement offerings, all presented in the tabernacle. Every offering was designed to deal with the sins of the people, though on a temporary basis. Now in stark contrast we see a provision that deals with sin once for all. The temporary sacrifices in the Old Testament could never “make those who approach perfect” (Hebrews 10:1), while Jesus’ sacrifice has made us “perfect forever.”
Instead of concerning ourselves with getting God to do something, why not look at what He has already done. We put such focus on what we do, our spiritual efforts, while sadly, we know so little of what God has done in Christ. Jesus anticipated every sin we would ever commit and paid for it in advance. Does that mean sin is harmless? Not at all; sin will ruin your life, your business and your family. The Biblical admonition is clear: “do not sin.” Notice how I interject this time and again in my teaching, just like Paul did in his.
When you teach the gospel, as good as it is, some will think you are making an excuse for sin, or legitimizing sin. Many preachers never have to pause in their sermon and explain, “I am not encouraging you to sin.” That is because most preachers do not preach the gospel that Paul preached. When we fully preach the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we need to remind ourselves from time to time, that we are not saved to sin but from sin. Those who teach a message that mixes law and grace never need to make such explanations.