Consider God's holiness, goodness, glory, and light. Contrast that with the darkness, evil, and ugliness of sin. The two cannot coexist.
The day that sin entered the world, a barrier was formed cutting off the beautiful relationship between God and his beloved. A veil that could only be approached with a blood sacrifice. I was reminded this week that Adam and Eve were given garments made of animal skin to wear after that first sin made them aware of their guilt. These animal skins were the very first of many, many blood sacrifices that would need to be made to cover the shame of sin.
Until the final sacrifice.
Christ’s excruciating death provided the final solution to this barrier. Our loving Father reached out to his sinful children to offer us a way to commune with Him once again.
Hebrews 10:11-14
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
One awful, ultimate, complete, beautiful sacrifice.
One merciful path back to a holy relationship with our loving Father.
Instead of offering a temporary sacrifice through a high priest, we can now humbly go beyond the veil and, as Hebrews 4:16 says, “…approach the throne of grace with confidence...”
Hebrews 10:19-23
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
