Saturday, March 31, 2012
1 John 2:1-2 Jesus Christ ... Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
COVERED!
Though solidly made of acacia wood and covered with beaten gold, in itself the lid of Ark of the Covenant had no power to shield or protect sinners from the accusations of God's holy Law. Every last one of us stands justly condemned for our sinful thoughts, words, and actions. But in its message the lid of the Ark of the Covenant did effectively shield sinners from the condemnation of the Ten Commandments -- from the righteous judgment of the Law of God.
For, on the cover of the Ark two golden cherubim – fighting angels – faced each other with their wings outstretched. The place between them was known as the "Mercy Seat of God." It was here that Old Testament high priests sprinkled the blood of the appointed sacrifices on "Yom Kippur," the Great Day of Atonement. The lid of the Ark gave divine protection from the accusations of the Law to all who believed the promise of forgiveness pictured there ... because of the blood.
Of course, the stain of guilt on your heart and mine could not be removed "by all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain." That cleansing, that forgiveness, could only be brought about by the blood of a substitute who was actually one of us, who had truly kept the commandments which rightfully condemn us, and who could absorb the full force of the Law's condemnation in our place.
The LORD, who in His blueprint for the Ark of the Covenant pictured a covering of the Law's accusation of us guilty sinners, actually provided a cover that would be an effective shield for the Law's accusations when Jesus offered His own blood in sacrifice for sin on the cross.
And that is why in his first epistle the Apostle John was led by the Spirit of God to use a word He knew from His Greek Old Testament, from the description of the Ark of the Covenant. You see, where in English we have the word "propitiation" or "atoning sacrifice," in 1 John 2:2 the actual word is "the mercy seat," "the cover of the ark."
By His blood Christ our Lord shields us from the Law's condemnation.
