Faith in His power to save is essential

Saving faith includes a steadfast confidence in Jesus Christ’s power to save us from our sin. In order to make this faith more tangible for someone struggling to believe in Jesus Christ’s power to save; I would like to explain the wisdom that God shares with us from the Old Covenant sacrificial system and how Jesus Christ’s sacrifice in the New Testament is the perfect fulfillment of this prophetic portion of scripture.

In the book of Leviticus; chapter 1: 3-5, God explains that a perfect animal sacrifice would cover the sins or make an “atonement” for the sins of His covenant people Israel. The detailed animal sacrificial system found in the book of Leviticus provided a remedy for God’s covenant people to have their sins dealt with; at least temporarily. The way it worked is as follows: The people who became aware of sins they committed would bring a lamb without defect to the priest who would place his hand on the head of the animal (thus signifying a transfer of guilt) and slaughter the animal in place of the culpable sinner. This animal sacrificial system and others like it needed to continue perpetually and generationally because the nation of Israel kept sinning, priests kept dying and the efficacy or potency of the atonement was only valid temporarily and not permanently; thus the fallible, mortal priests were forced to repeatedly cover offences from generation to generation in this manner.

Fast forward to the New Testament and something remarkable happens. After Jesus is lifted up on the cross and breathes his last breath; The veil of the Jewish Temple is torn from top to bottom; (Mathew 7:51) symbolizing the end to the previous way of receiving pardon from God through the Old Covenant which of course included the sacrificial system. Since that moment, people have access to God’s “redemption” or forgiveness of sins through the person of Jesus Christ who is the ultimate sacrifice that was shadowed in the animal sacrificial system given to nation of Israel. Hebrews 9: 26, 28 explain that Jesus Christ’s atonement permanently atoned for sin and not only covered sin temporarily, but removed it entirely! The prophetic wisdom of how God atones for sin is found in the book of Leviticus and was finally accomplished through the atonement of Jesus Christ.