SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/9/2018
9:47 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
The Price of Redemption (Christ’s
Death)
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
1:7a
Message of the
verse: “In
Him we have redemption through His blood”
We begin another sub-section from
John MacArthur’s commentary, and I mentioned in our last SD that when Christ’s
blood is mentioned that is speaks of His death because Levities 17:11 ’For the life of the flesh is in the blood,
and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of
the life that makes atonement.’”
As we see in this verse that the life is in the blood and that is why
the Lord required in the Old Testament the sacrifices of different animals to
pay the price as a substitute for people.
This did not save them from their sins, but it looked forward to the coming
Messiah who would shed His blood to permanently pay the price for redemption of
those who will accept this free gift of salvation. There are many Christian songs that speak of
the blood of Jesus Christ and I am not saying that they are wrong in their
meaning, what I am saying is that the shedding of His blood showed that He
died, and because He died those who will accept His sacrifice will live as we
live in Christ which we have already discussed
John MacArthur begins by writing “The
price of redemption is ‘His blood.’ It
cost the ‘blood’ of the Son of God to buy men back from the slave market of sin
(cf. Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).” Hebrews
9:22 states “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission.”
To further make the point that the blood signified the death of Christ
all we have to do is look at the OT sacrifices and remember that the priest had
to kill the animals in order to get the blood to put on the altar, as they
never just took some blood from and animal and then set it free, it had to die,
and so with Christ, He had to die in our place.
MacArthur goes on to write “Shedding
of blood is a metonym for death, which is the penalty and the price of
sin. Christ’s own death, by the shedding
of ‘His blood,’ was the substitute for our death. That which we deserved and could not save
ourselves from, the beloved Savior, though He did not deserve it, took upon
Himself. He made payment for what
otherwise would have condemned us to death and hell.” “Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept
is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or
concept.”
For the remainder of this SD we will
look at some more verses that speak of Redemption.
“For it is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb. 10:4).”
“By this will
we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all (Heb. 10:10).”
He “gave Himself up for us,
an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma (Eph. 5:2).”
“For this is My
blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins
(Matthew 26:28b).”
“12 and not through the blood of goats
and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all,
having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and
the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the
cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9:12-14).”
“18 knowing that you were not redeemed with
perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited
from your forefathers, 19 but with
precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of
Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).”
I
pray that these verses will help us all understand how we are redeemed and then
will give us more opportunity to praise the Lord for taking our place on the
cross to pay for our sins in order to save us.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have to say that I understand the gospel
and the fact that Jesus took my place on the cross, and it is my desire to let
others know this life-changing truth in order for more to be saved.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to allow me to better
understand my Sunday school lesson for this week so that I can teach it in a
way that will be understandable and helpful for those in the class.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “In word, conversation,
charity, spirit, faith, purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).”
Today’s Bible question: “What Scripture gives God’s first promise of
a Saviour?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/9/2018 10:50 AM
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