The Perfect Plan

Welcome back to “New Phone, Who Dis?”! We’re talking about the differences between the Old and New covenants and the sacrificial systems tied to them. In Part 6, we looked at the differences between the different amount of sacrifices. The Old covenant needed many different types of sacrifices to reach atonement through many different rituals. The New covenant required only one sacrifice that would last for the rest of eternity. No matter what animals or what rituals they used – they could not find that perfect atonement. Christ is the only way that we find that, through the one that bore the sin and its consequences for all of humanity.

In Part 7, we are talking about the perfect sacrifices. The Old covenant required perfect animals (animals without any blemishes or deformities), while the New covenant required one perfect life. Perfectionism will be a focus today, and it will be a fun ride.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How has perfectionism impacted your life?

The Perfect Offering

Let’s talk about those perfect animals, found in Leviticus 22:19:

AMP – so that you may be accepted – it must be a male without blemish from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats.

NRSVUE – to be acceptable on your behalf it shall be a male without blemish, of the cattle or the sheep or the goats.

VOICE – He must offer an unblemished male from the bulls, the sheep, or the goats in order to be accepted.

In the sacrificial system, the requirement for an unblemished male animal suggests the importance of purity and perfection in any offering to God. It’s reflecting God’s holiness and the need for the offerings to be without defect. The male animal represented strength and leadership. The usage of cattle, sheep, or goats were common in the communities of ancient Israel. Cattles were often used for burnt and sin offerings, representing strength and atonement. Sheep/lambs were used for the Passover sacrifices, represent deliverance and redemption. Goats were used in sin offerings and the Day of Atonement, representing the removal of sin.

The acceptance of the offer reflects the substitutionary nature of the sacrifice. The animal replaces the sinner, taking on the consequences of sin, which is death. The acceptance of the offering shows that God is willing to forgive and restore the relationship between Himself and the believer, based on if the offering met the standards of holiness and purity.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Seeking atonement required the perfect sacrifice. What kind of pressure do you think the Israelites felt to create these perfect offerings?

Worship Where You Are

God’s standards for what is acceptable are very high and very specific. For us, it shows us the nature of God and the seriousness that we should approach worship and offerings to Him.

When it comes to worship, we need to recognize why do we worship. Do we worship to give glory and gratitude to God? Do we worship because that’s what we were taught? Do we worship because we like the vibe? Some of these may be a yes, but what is the foundational answer? We need to worship because God deserves our glory and gratitude. There will be different worship methods that we may enjoy and we may not. There are different songs that we connect with, and those we tend to avoid. The biggest thing that we need to wrestle with when it comes to worship is: why do we worship and how are we doing it? Find the ways that you can connect with God, and if the environment makes it hard for you, see where you can find God in the environment. God will be with you and meet you where you are, and we need to work to try and make sure that we align our hearts to God’s will.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does worship look like for you? Does it feel perfected to you?

The Perfectness of Christ

Now, let’s look at how these processes were made perfect through the life of Jesus, found in Hebrews 9:28.

AMP – so Christ, having been offered once and once for all to bear [as a burden] the sins of many, will appear a second time [when he returns to earth], not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

NRSVUE – so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

VOICE – so the Anointed One, our Liberating King, was offered once in death to bear the sins of many and will appear a second time, not to deal again with sin, but to rescue those who eagerly await His return.

The sacrifice of Christ was a one-time event and was sufficient in the eternal atonement event. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was the finality of the sacrificial system and will last for the rest of eternity. Jesus would be the one to bearing our iniquities, available to all people that believe in it. I spoke more about this verse in particular during Part 6 of this series, so I want to leave it there as far as diving into the verse.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What emotions does it bring up to hear that the sacrifice of Jesus was done “once and for all.”?

Finding Perfection in Christ’s Path

The finality of Christ’s sacrifice reminds all believers that we can live in the freedom and assurance of their salvation. For us, this is a “get-out-of-jail” free card. This freedom is an eternal freedom that we can never be separated from God. We will be with Him in this life and the next. However, we can find freedom in this life, mainly freedom from the guilt and shame. While earthly values are to guilt and shame you when you did something wrong. God forgives and forgets. God doesn’t hold our sins over our heads. God doesn’t judge us over our past. God walks through the earthly consequences of our decisions, and helps us return to the path that He for created us. While our eternal life is secured through our relationship and belief in the sacrifice of Christ, we have work to do here on earth. Not just through our relationship with Christ, but to also represent what the Gospel is to all people. To not only share the story of Christ, but act out Christ’s ministry. Standing up for the marginalized. Care for the least of our social structures. Seeking justices for the unjust systems. Meeting the needs of the impoverished, hungry, naked, and more. I remember the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” What matters for believers is to make sure that our actions align with our words. Christians have been known hypocrites to all people because most don’t “practice what they preach.” We need to start walking the walk, and living out the heavy sacrifice that Christ made for us. It’s the least we can do.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can we best represent the sacrifice of Christ in our imperfect world?