Expiation or The Price Paid for Sin

EXPIATION! Another big word! It means paying for a wrong by suffering the penalty for that wrong. Adam and Eve had committed a wrong called sin. After that, their entire world changed. They no longer lived in perfect environment. They were spiritually separated from God, which means that they were dead spiritually. They had old sin natures. They would die physically. These things were all passed on to the rest of mankind. Mankind needed payment for the penalty of their wrong which was sin. We needed EXPIATION!

Romans 3:9-10 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;”

Who always steps in to save us? GOD! God the Father planned for His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price, the expiation, for everyone’s sins. Fallen man was not qualified to pay for sin.   It had to be done by someone who was a perfect man. The Lord Jesus Christ was that perfect man and God in one person. We all were liberated, or freed from the slave market of sin, because of the payment that Jesus Christ made. The payment was the Blood of Christ, or His spiritual death on the cross. His was a substitute payment for all. He took our place. What a great price Jesus Christ had to pay for us. What an EXPIATION!

1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

Before the cross, God had special training aids for people to teach them about salvation and rebound. Many of the people of that time could not read or write. They needed to see an example of what they were being taught. So, from Adam to the cross, innocent animals were sacrificed as sin offerings. The rich people used bulls, the middle class used goats or sheep, and the poor used doves. The animals life is in his blood. When the animal was on an altar and his neck was cut, blood spurted out everywhere and he died. Ewwww! This was very graphic or easily seen! God wanted to make sure that they got the picture!

Hebrews 9:13-14 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ [His spiritual death on the cross] Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Man’s life is in his soul. Innocent Jesus took our place as a sin offering. Jesus’ soul was separated from God the Father for three hours on the cross. This is when He died spiritually and paid the price for our sins. The “blood of Christ” refers to His spiritual death on the cross, or His soul being separated from God the Father. This was extremely painful for Jesus! We can’t even imagine how painful. He had never been separated from His Father. He knew no sin. Jesus Christ’s spiritual death was the EXPIATION for our sins. What a price He willfully paid!

Colossians 2:14 Having canceled out [wiped out, erased] the certificate of debt [handwritten IOU consisting of decrees against us [The Old Testament Law], which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way [removed], having nailed it to the cross [the means of removing the penalty was the blood of Christ – His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross].

The gory animal sacrifices were to teach the people about the salvation work of Jesus on the cross. They were never a means of salvation and forgiveness. Jesus’ spiritual death on the cross is the true means of salvation. His sacrifice is the EXPIATION. He is the only One that could satisfy the justice of God. Jesus did all of the work. All mankind has to do is BELIEVE in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Acts 16:31 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Some people believe that it was the real shedding of Jesus’ blood and physical death that saved us. However, we know from the Bible that this is not true. After Jesus had suffered and died spiritually for our sins, He said out loud, “It is finished.” This meant that salvation was finished, once and for all. Jesus Christ was now back in fellowship with God the Father. Then He bowed His head and said, “Into Your hands I commit My spirit; You have delivered Me, O Jehovah, God of doctrine.” ( Psalm 31:5; corrected translation) Jesus breathed His last breath and died physically AFTER salvation was completed. EXPIATION had been completed before Jesus died physically.

Luke 23:46; corrected translation And when Jesus had shouted with a loud voice He said, “Father [indicating Christ’s restoration to fellowship with God after salvation was complete], into Your hands I deposit My spirit,” and having said this, He let out His breath. [He died.

Activity Sheet for Expiation or the Price Paid for Sin   Unscramble the words:

mAad                  _ _ _ _ ins                       _ _ _ eid                      _ _ _ veE                     _ _ _ nioexpait            _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ytalnep               _ _ _ _ _ _ _ recip                  _ _ _ _ _ ooldb                  _ _ _ _ _ vaes                    _ _ _ _ lsaev                   _ _ _ _ _ eiveebl                _ _ _ _ _ _ _ sJseu                  _ _ _ _ _ yastsif                _ _ _ _ _ _ _  eciusjt                _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Expiation                 or The Price Paid for Sin References used:                     Robert R.McLaughlin Bible Ministries   www.gbible.org                                                            Lessons:  9-26-06, 10-03-06, 10-10-06, 10-17-06                         The Blood of Christ, R.B. Thieme, Jr.

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