Under Grace

So today I was reading in Exodus, all about the covenant that God continues to promise and His people continue to fail to grasp. Chapter 29 goes into great detail about the sacrifices and offerings that are necessary in order to be in right standing with God. I was pretty struck by all that was required - just one part for example, is the daily sacrifice of two lambs and 1 bull:

This shall be a continual offering throughout your generations at the door of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you to speak there to you (Verse 42).

A continual offering is what is required to meet with the Lord. The depth of the depravity of sin is astounding. Our holy God is so offended by it that He can't even look at us without the fragrant smoke of our offerings. We cannot be in right standing on our own. All that we do is never enough.

Thankfully, God had a plan. One of the things that is distinct to Christianity is this: that our God came down. He lived, in the person of Jesus, and walked among us. And He took to the cross, giving Himself up as an offering. This offering did what thousands of lambs could not do; it put us in right standing with the Lord not for a day but for eternity. Christ lived in our world, but knew no sin. He took all of our sin - past, present, and future - onto Himself and put it to death by crucifixion. And because He was raised, that sin is forever defeated. God can look through Christ as our living lens; that's what it means to be under grace.



And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Acts 2:38-39

Well then, as one man's trespass [one man's false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man's act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men. So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord. Romans 5:18, 21