"God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice …" (Rom. 3:25a).
For the past few studies, we have been examining the building of the tabernacle and the institution of the priesthood. These instructions given by God to Moses are packed full of symbolism, foreshadowing, and figures—all pointing forward to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because this is so integral to the text in Exodus, we will spend the next eight studies examining the doctrine of the Atonement.
The first thing we will study about this topic is the need for an atonement. Atonement is the basis of reconciliation. In this case fallen man is reconciled to God through the work of Christ. Some people maintain that an atonement is absolutely not necessary—that man, by his own works, can approach a most holy God in his own righteousness. Some people simply believe that salvation comes by death—once you die, you go to heaven. Others hold out the hope that God’s standards are not so high, or their sin is not so bad, and therefore on the basis of God’s “good will,” they will have eternal life.
These people do not understand the necessity of the Atonement because they do not understand the holiness and perfection of God, and they do not understand how great an offense sin is against a holy God. This was the point emphasized in the laws of the Old Testament. Time and again, as we have studied Exodus, we have seen how God’s holiness is emphasized, how His inapproachability is characterized in His dealings with Israel, and how the sinfulness of the people is constantly brought to the fore as they see their need for mediation and intercession, for an atoning sacrifice.
We need the cross of Christ because we are sinners and God is holy. Justice demands that a penalty be paid for our transgressions, and God’s holiness (as well as the covenant He made with Adam, the head of our race) demands that we be righteous. This righteousness cannot come by our own works, but only by Jesus Christ who has made atonement for our sins by His sacrifice on the cross. God cannot simply overlook defiance, and His justice cannot clear the guilty. Paul teaches in Romans 3:25–26 that it was necessary that Christ die for the justification of sinners. For God’s justice to be maintained while sinners were reconciled, Christ had to die.
Read Exodus 34:7; Psalm 5:4–6; Nahum 1:2–3; and Romans 1:18. Is there any chance that God will overlook sin? What is it about God that makes atonement necessary? Can you stand before the holiness of God on your own, uncovered by the righteousness of Christ? Can any of your “sacrifices” atone for your sin?.