Having watched his people struggle with and fall into sin for generations, God knew that we needed a powerful way to be free of sin once and for all, and to commune with him in the personal way he originally intended. Previously the Israelites had sacrificed animals without blemish to receive absolution from sin; God now provided his own son, also without blemish, as a sacrifice:
‘Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us … How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.’ Hebrews 9:12, 14-15.
Jesus Christ was born into the earth without evil and hence was able to obey all of God’s laws and dwell fully in God’s presence. As Jesus’ soul was untarnished by sin, it was offered and accepted as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind and, as a result, we no longer need to make animal sacrifices for atonement.
It’s important to note that God didn’t wait for us to be perfect before he provided Jesus:
‘God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ Romans 5:8 (emphasis added).
Jesus’ death and resurrection was a direct victory over the sin and death Satan had brought into the world:
‘For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.’ 1 John 3:8.
Through Jesus, humanity was given another option. Rather than continually sinning and seeking salvation from that sin, Jesus’ sacrifice gave us the power and freedom to overcome sin entirely:
‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.’ Romans 8:2.
Sin remains a part of our world and we still have to make the choice as to whether we will take part in it or follow God’s laws. Jesus himself explained that while his death fulfilled the law of transgression or sacrifice, it did not do away with the other laws, which he said would continue until his second coming:
‘For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’ Matthew 5:18-19 (see also verses 20-48).
This means that breaking God’s laws and acting contrary to his will remains a sin. The difference is that before Jesus came, we only had ourselves to rely on to follow God’s commandments, and therefore frequently failed. Now, in Jesus Christ we have the help we need to obey the laws and thereby remain continually in God’s presence.
It’s true that our souls are no longer saved through following the law or animal sacrifice, nor indeed through anything we alone can do as it is received by grace and faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, all efforts to obey God’s laws will be rewarded at Jesus Christ’s return, and works are just as important as faith (see James 2:14-26). Christian Israelites believe that for those who accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah and seek his strength to obey God’s laws, there is the reward of immortality:
‘In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.’ Proverbs 12:28.
Paul says that ‘the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good’ (Romans 7:12). It is therefore important that we continue to abide by it - with the help of the Holy Spirit, which we'll turn to next.
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