Because I know my sin separates me from You, I seek the forgiveness of my sins this day. I pray that You will cleanse me of my unrighteousness and fill me with Your Holy Spirit that others may see You in me.
I pray that You will also come alongside each lady reading this study today and bless her with every spiritual blessing. I pray that You will help her throughout her day and give her peace to handle each situation that arises.
In Jesus' name......amen."
Please read:
1 John 1:5-2:12
In these passages of scripture, does it say that all men are sinners?
If I say I am not a sinner, whom do I contradict?
What cleanses me from my sins?
What role or part does Jesus Christ play in my life when I sin?
Who is my Advocate?
- We looked at the word for Advocate used here in 1 John. According to the concordance, this word means:
- veil; covering
- legal representative
- counselor
- comforter
- helper
- defender
- one who pleads the cause of another
The Gospel of John is the only other book in the New Testament that uses the same Greek word for Advocate as the one found in 1 John.
Please read and take note of how the term "Helper" is used:
John 14:16
John 14:26
John 15:26
John 16:7
Do you see the parallels between the same Greek word being used for Advocate and Helper?
From what you have read here today, what does Jesus do for a Christian who sins?Please read:
1 John 2:1-2
1 John 4:10
Who is the propitiation for our sins? If God Himself came to be the propitiation for our sins, what does that tell us about God and His love toward us?
Please read:
Rom 3:24-25Heb 9:5
In these verses, the Greek word used is: Hilasterion and it means "mercy seat."
Heb 2:17- here the word used for propitiation is Hilaskomai and it means "make reconciliation for".
Let's summarize what we have learned here so far about Propitiation:
Jesus Himself becamse the propitiation for our sins. It was given freely by faith as a sign of God's mercy toward us. It represents the covenant promise God made with us to satisfy us to God.
***********************
Let's look more at what is called the "Mercy Seat"...I have included a scan of the layout of the Tabernacle from Kay Arthur's Precept on Precept study of 1 John used with permission. (1)
Click on it for a closer look:
As you look at the layout of the Tabernacle, you can see where the mercy seat is. It was the lid, or covering, to that Ark of the Covenant. Inside the Ark were 3 objects: the tables of the Law, the pot of manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded. (1)
The Hebrew word for mercy seat is kapporeth.
Please read:
1 Chron 28:11- here the Holy of Holies is called "the House of Kapporeth."
Ex 25:8-22
1 Chron 28:2
Ps. 99:5
Ps 132:7
The "footstool" is the Ark of the Covenant"
Num 7:89
Lev 25:9
Ez 44:27
Ps 130:4
So, we see that 1 John is telling us that Jesus was the propitiation for our sins.....the mercy seat of God.
- He was the testimony from God
- He is God's footstool
- He is the covering & remission of sins
- He is the Atonement for sins
If you ever have a chance to study world religions, you will discover there are many similarities between most religions. But only ONE has the Atonement for sins: Christianity.
All other religions rely upon works of men as a means of achieving presence with God. Because man is finite and flawed....man can NEVER achieve being in the presence of a holy and pure God.
That is why the propitiation had to be equal with God...equally as pure, as holy, and as infinite as He is....otherwise the atonement would not work.
Look up the following verses that explain more about this Atonement:
Ps 103:12
Is 38:17
Is 43:25
Micah 7:18-19
From these verses, what can you deduce is the purpose of the scapegoat?
What was necessary to make Atonement for out sins?
Lev 17:11
Heb 9:22
The blood of bulls, goats, and lambs covered the sins of the people temporarily. That is why time after time the priests and the people had to come to the Tabernacle or the Temple to make Atonement for their sins because the sacrifices and the priests were flawed.
But God in His infinite mercy became that final Atonement sacrifice once and for all so that now we can commune with this holy and perfect God ONLY through Jesus, His Son.
Heb 10:1-22
Once and for all time....Jesus is our mercy seat, our covering, our Atonement, our Lamb of God....our Savior.
Spend some time today praising Him for all that He has done for YOU.
1(Used with permission from 1 John Precept Upon Precept, 2001, Precept Ministries of Reach Out, Inc.)
**************************************
Life Application
We took some time here to read through a portion of Kay Arthur's Precept study of 1 John in order to have a complete understanding of what Advocate and Propitiation really means. I wanted to take a look at the verses that explain what these words mean so that as we read through 1 John, we can have a clearer understanding of what Jesus did for us.
John understood it because he had witnessed it, but we need to understand it with the same clarity.....as though we were there watching Jesus die on that cross.
So, how do we apply what we have learned today?
By studying what Jesus is and what He did for you, you should have a very different picture of what sin is and what it does. ....and what it cost.
But we are not to dwell on our depravity or our sin. Heavens no! We are instead to focus on Christ Jesus.
Please read:
2 Cor 10:4-6
Every thought is to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ so that we are ready for war.
Take time today to study the Tabernacle layout and notice how the line from the Gate to the Bronze Altar all the way to the Ark of the Covenant is straight. Then notice how the line from the showbread and Lampstand help form a cross signifying that Jesus is the Tabernacle and each piece of furniture inside it represents Him.
Ponder on this for awhile and see that all He accomplished in the Old Testament and the New Testament was for you.
Rom 8:29-30
Jonn 17:22
Oh how He loves you and me!
*************************
Until next time.....
"The regenerate may backslide and fall into sin. In so doing they oppose their own new nature, and the Holy Spirit convicts them of their sin and compels them to repent and be restored to righteousness. When regenerate believers manifest a humble, grateful desire to please the God who saved them, the knowledge that He has pledged to keep them safe forever increases that desire."
-New Geneva Study Bible Commentary on "The Preserverance of the Saints." (1995, p. 1781)
Blessings,
Ruth
No comments:
Post a Comment