Atonement in Symbols--Part I
Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope
November 8, 2008
Larry R Evans
2. Forgiveness and overlooking sin are not the same? True or False?
3. Sin becomes sin when we become aware that what we are doing is wrong? True or False?
4. With God’s economy, both the poor and the wealthy must bring a sin offering. True or False?
5. There is no sin God cannot forgive if the sinner repents from it. True or False?
6. Sin and penalty cannot be separated from each other? True or False?
7. In the Old Testament we find many different offerings with complementary functions, while in the New Testament we find only one single sacrifice. True or False?
Introduction
I recently returned from a fascinating trip to some of the most remote parts of Indonesia. I remember one village especially. I was given permission to enter what was called a long-house which was essentially an elongated thatched hut. There were no windows and the door was quite small. Inside I saw a fire pit and above it I could see the charcoal soot. I could imagine what the lungs of those who lived there looked like. At one end was a storage area and possible stalls where animals were kept though I doubt very much their confinement was very strict. There was no TV, radio or computer all symbols of our “modern” times! In fact there was no electricity. As I left I went to shake hands with the lady of the house who had been so kind to allow us to go inside. When I reached out to grasp her hand I noticed that she had no fingers or should I say she only had stubs for fingers. I had been told earlier about the custom. To symbolize grief over the death of a husband’s relative or the husband himself the woman would cut off a section of a finger. This lady carried visibly on her body “symbols” of her grief. In a dramatic way this woman showed the world that she had been through many hard times. Symbols are a graphic way of illustrating a truth. We do it all the time – we have elephants and donkeys, red and blue states, crosses on churches, crossbones and skulls on bottles of poison. Symbols say a lot without being explicit. God also uses symbols as teaching devices and it is important for us to grasp the truths that He intends to convey. This week we will be uncovering some of God’s truths regarding the Atonement which are tied up in various symbols designed by God. We must not overlook the context of one of God’s most important symbols—the sanctuary service. In the midst of chaos and sin He placed “the Most Holy Place.” We must not ignore the significance of this action! It speaks clearly about our holy God wishing to dwell among us—an incarnation of God--though we are terribly vile and disobedient. He comes to us in the midst of our hopelessness. Placing the Most Holy Place in our presence also meant that the sanctuary services clearly depicted the cosmic conflict as a struggle between God and His people and the forces of evil. God has taken a proactive stance in this ongoing battle between good and evil.
Reflections From Our Study
1. The animal sacrificial system began with Abraham. False
It actually began much earlier. Note the following:
Gen 3:21-22
21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." (NIV)
Gen 4:3-5
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. (NIV)
2. Forgiveness and overlooking sin are not the same? True
Lev 17:10-11
11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. (NIV)
The sacrificial system had one fundamental function: There is a direct connection between the sacrifice, the use of blood, and the atoning process. Note the following three points implied in Lev 17:11:
a. Atonement is a divine gift. God provided the means.
b. Blood stands for life and it is endangered because of sin. God as the proprietor of life receives the life of the animal as if it were the life of the repentant sinner.
c. The verb for “to make atonement” (kipper) expresses the idea of ransoming life. Ransom and substitution are inseparable because the life of the victim stands in place of the guilty one.
Hence, forgiveness hardly means “overlooking” sin. In fact God’s forgiveness takes sin and its forgiveness very seriously.
3. Sin becomes sin when we become aware that what we are doing is wrong? False
Lev 4:27-28
27 "'If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty. 28 When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. (NIV)
When sin occurs it does so whether we know it or not. God’s atonement plan takes this into consideration – His sacrifice is all sufficient.
4. With God’s economy, both the poor and the wealthy must bring a sin offering. True
This is true but God does make an adjustment so as not to make it contingent upon one’s wealth.
Lev 5:5-13
7 "'If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the LORD as a penalty for his sin--one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, not severing it completely, 9 and is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. 10 The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
11 "'If, however, he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as an offering for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12 He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. It is a sin offering. 13 In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering.'" (NIV)
The principle teaching is this: God’s plan is designed so that nothing need to stand between the sinner and God – not even ones socio-economic status!!
After listing a number of possible offenses the Bible records these words:
Lev 5:5-6
5 "'When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned 6 and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin. (NIV)
The same holds for “intentional” sins. “If repentance did occur and the person properly repaired” [see Lev. 6:5] “the damage done, the Lord was always willing to provide a means of atonement.” Angel Rodriquez in Spanning the Abyss, p. 75.
The sacrificial system indicated that God was ready to forgive any sin except an expression of arrogant rebellion against Him that involved permanently resisting His gracious offer of sacrificial atonement.” (Ibid. 77)
6. Sin and penalty cannot be separated from each other? True
Lev 4:27-29
27 "'If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty. 28 When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. (NIV)
John 3:16-17
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (NIV)
The Old Testament reveals that the sacrificial system had its limitations. It was impossible for the sacrificial blood of animals to resolve the human problem. The Israelites knew that the problem of sin was so deeply rooted in the human heart that it would require God Himself to deal with it.
The Psalmist reflects this dilemma:
Ps 51:1-2
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
(NIV)
Reflective Review
Imagine the enormity of the challenge God faced. He had created man in His image with the desire for a close and abiding relationship. From the very beginning God had created a perfect world. From a physical point of view it was beautiful. From a relational point of view it had endless possibilities. There was one problem, however. The rebellion that began in Heaven with Lucifer was now knocking on the door of the new world. Deception won out when Adam and Eve chose to believe a lie and disobeyed the very One who created them and placed them in such a beautiful and intriguing home. What was God to do? He chose not to abandon His creation when He had every reason to do just that. The mystery that should haunt us is how God’s love for the disobedient could have developed so quickly – developed to the point where God was willing to give Himself as their ransom. Nevertheless, that was exactly God’s contingency plan. From the very beginning God saw the hopelessness of the situation without His direct intervention. The holiness of God, which is so repulsed by the very nature of sin, personally entered into a world not of God’s making in order to restore the fallen world to its original design. The issues are complex for they reach back to the rebellion in Heaven. How would He convey both His love for fallen man and the need to restore peace to the universe without out being arbitrary? God chose to use symbols laden with meaning so profound that we are still uncovering insights into the love God has for us. The sanctuary service conveyed God’s plan for dealing with sin but in so doing it also reveals His grand plan for restoring communion. While the atonement may be seen in such passages as John 3:16, the plan and cost of our redemption is not fully revealed in a single passage. The symbols of the atonement are an invitation to explore even further God’s plan for restoring hope for the hopeless, security for the insecure, and peace in the face of strife.
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