THE INDIA BIBLE MISSION

CROSS AND CROWN

By Mrs Susanna Kotikala

 

“Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” Hebrews 9:12

 

Sin entered mankind from the first man Adam. In the Old Testament, it is written that God being the most Holy has set certain laws to the people of Israel to sanctify themselves before coming to Him. Hebrews 9:22 says “Under the law everything is purified by blood. Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”.  As a repentance of the sins, a sacrifice of an unblemished goat or calf had to be slaughtered to offer before the temple. Through these sacrifices the sins were forgiven and people present themselves clean and worthy to stand before the temple of God. But people sinned over and over again, and no amount of animal blood from the sacrifice could even cover it. A perfect sacrifice, a perfect man someone greater than all of us has to offer his life to overcome the sin. So God himself sent His only begotten Son as a perfect sacrifice to be laid on the cross on behalf of all the mankind.

 

Just like how sin entered through one man, the forgiveness of sins is also made possible through Jesus Christ, Son of God. Jesus came to this world as a Son of Man to pay a price for our sins by shedding His blood that is innocent and pure. Isaiah 53:5 says “He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities” ; Only through His blood we have redemption and forgiveness of our sins, because He was born, lived and died without sin.  Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous”. Adam sinned once, and thus humanity is cursed. Jesus died once, and thus His blood covered over a multitude of sins.

 

After Jesus died on the cross, just as He said, God raised Him on the third day. Death had no dominion on Him. He defeated sin and death. Jesus entered the Most Holy Place, where He is seated now on the right side of God Almighty. Through His resurrection we have hope that though we are buried in the sin, through the blood of Jesus we will be risen from that state and become righteous in the eyes of God. Furthermore we will be rewarded with the Crown of Righteousness in the Kingdom of Heaven through the eternal redemption by Jesus Christ.