Scripture also teaches that Christ, as our High Priest, sacrificed Himself to God for the propitiation of our crimes, which were laid on Him.
Paul declared that Christ, out of love, gave Himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.
No Old Testament lamb ever "gave itself" up as a sacrifice, but God's Lamb gave Himself as a sacrifice, not to the devil, or to some ideal of cosmic justice, but rather to God, to atone for our sins.
Hebrews lays out in detail the active role Christ played in making Himself our sacrifice. He was appointed by an oath by God to be our high priest, to reconcile us to God, to represent us to God, and God to us, in His incarnate humanity, being made like us.
Christ as our high priest offers Himself as an appeasing sacrifice for our sins to God.
When first introduced, this truth shocks us. In Hebrews 7:28, Christ is said to have offered a one-time sin sacrifice for us, when He offered up Himself!
But Hebrews grows more explicit: Christ being a better High Priest, not with animal blood, but by His Own blood, entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us!
The Aaronic priests went often into the tabernacle with animal blood, that could never take away sin. They sprinkled it on the mercy seat before God to make an atonement.
But Jesus presented His Own blood to God to appease God's wrath and purchase our redemption! He "offered Himself without spot to God," purging our consciences from dead works to serve the living God!
Thus, Christ is the mediator of the superior New Covenant, such that by means of His death, He bought redemption for His people for the law we had broken. |
