Cultivating Assurance: Certainty from the penal, substitutionary atonement of Christ

Christ’s Sacrifice

Penal

Sin deserves punishment.

Christ was punished on the cross for sin.

Substitutionary

Though Christ was punished on the cross for sin, He was not punished for His sin.

That He was a substitute means that He stood in the place of His people and took the punishment for their sin.

Atonement

The word atonement is an OT word.

It is used to convey the idea of cleanse (see Lev. 14:53).

Leviticus 14:53 ESV

And he shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”

The word usually appears in the context of sacrifice, either a blood sacrifice or the payment of a certain amount of money.

The idea here is that someone or something is unclean due to sin, and payment or sacrifice is required in order to be made acceptable or acceptable.

Most often, atonement concerns the cleansing of people who have sinned or become defiled in some way. The most common uses of the word atonement have to do with sacrifices for individual sinners or a group of people.

Numbers 5:7–9 ESV

he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.

Numbers 8:12 ESV

Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites.

Though the word atonement is not used in the NT, the idea is clear. In his summation of the gospel, the Apostle Paul clear that what Christ accomplished on the cross came by means of atonement:

1 Corinthians 15:3 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

Atonement & Assurance

Why do we need atonement?

Because God is holy and we are not

Isa. 6:3-7.

Isaiah 6:3–7 ESV

And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

The holiness of God was evident to the angels and to Isaiah.

Isaiah recognized how unholy he was when he was confronted with the holiness of God.

Cleansing was necessary for that which is unholy to be in the presence of that which is holy.

Because God is just and we are law breakers

During the reign of one Roman Emperor, it was said, “It is indeed bad to live under a prince with whom nothing is permitted, but much worse to live under one by whom everything is allowed.” - Quoted in Dever, “It is Well”.

Justice is good. Though we are law breakers, we possess a desire for justice (perhaps evidence that we bear God’s image).

King David, at the end of his life said this:

2 Sam 23:3-4.

2 Samuel 23:3–4 ESV

The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

Because we do not keep all of God’s law all of the time, we are law breakers:

James 2:10.

James 2:10 ESV

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

So the fact that God is just is good, but it also means, because we are law breakers, our sin is a problem between us and God.

Another reason we need atonement.

Because God is merciful but we cannot merit it

How is it possible for God to be merciful and just at the same time?

The reality is, both ideas are present in the Bible… present in the OT. God is just and therefore punishes sin and God is merciful.

Ex. 34:5-7.

Exodus 34:5–7 ESV

The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

There are the two seemingly opposing truths of God: a God who is merciful and gracious and who will by no means clear the guilty.

Praise God, He is merciful, and His children are recipients of His mercy, but to understand how it is possible that God is just and merciful at the same time we must turn our attention to how God atoned for our sins. And as we consider how God atoned for sin, the reason we can be assured of our salvation, I believe, will become more clear.

To pursue the “how” of the atonement, we will go to a key event on the Jewish calendar. Yom Kipur or the Day of Atonement is outlined in the OT. Specifically, we find it in Lev. 16.

Leviticus 16 ESV

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel. “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. “And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Now as we continue, keep your bibles opened to Lev. 16. I will reference various verses of this chapter.

How did God atone for our sins?

Context:

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron the High Priest offered unauthorized or strange fire before the Lord. We don’t know details. We do not know the specifics of the offense here, but it seems that the two brothers were guilty of a casual entry into God’s presence. So God wants to be sure that the casualness is stopped. Remember, God is holy and He is just. God is about to demonstrate this to the people of Israel.

Now, I want us to look at this through a certain lense. Certainly it will benefit us to gain a deeper understanding of the Day of Atonement, but ask yourselves throughout our consideration how the atonement of Christ provides assurance.

Aaron’s Garments

Leviticus 16:4 ESV

He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.

Leviticus 16:23 ESV

“Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there.

In the OT, priests had ornate and elaborate clothes to wear as they fulfilled their duties. The High Priest had even more ornate and elaborate clothes to wear.

But as you can see in v. 23, on the Day of Atonement, the high day of the year, he does not put on the high priestly garb. He puts on a garment of simple white linen. Why? This symbolized that he had nothing to bring. Before God, Aaron had no status, no emblem of office, so authority. He was a man in need of atonement.

When he spoke to the people for God, he wore the ornate robes. When he spoke to God for the people, he wore simple, plain linen.

You and I cannot loose sight of the fact that we are not at peace with God because we are somehow less in need now than we were before God first provided is the salvation that affords us peace with Him. We bring nothing to God. God brought Christ to us, and unified us to Him. Knowing the answers, emotional stability, consistent bible reading… whatever is not the substance of our assurance.

Veiling Smoke

Leviticus 16:12–13 ESV

And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.

mercy seat may not be the best translation. It’s really better understood to be the atonement cover. It was a lid that had carvings of the cherubim on it and the tablets of the Ten Commandments inside it. The atonement for the sins of the people would be made on it.

The atonement cover had to be concealed because, as the Lord told Moses, no one may see me and live. Incense is brought into the Most Holy Place, and it hides the atonement cover. Ever since the fall of man in the garden, there has been a need for a visible separation to exist between God and sinful man.

John also tells us what God told Moses

John 1:18 ESV

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

It is only through Jesus that we can know God. Only God can reveal Himself to sinners. This is what happened in the atonement. The curtain was torn in two, right? Why do you and I presume to be confident that the promises of God have been applied to us? Because Jesus, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known. Jesus did the revealing. Jesus did the work.

Sin Offering

Leviticus 16:3 ESV

But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

Leviticus 16:11 ESV

“Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.

In verse 11, Aaron makes atonement for his own sin and the sin of his household. This is where the events of this day began. The High Priest deals with his own sin and the sin of his family.

Why sacrifice? Why death? We need too be clear on this. God does not tolerate sin. He’s not ok with sin. He does not relate amicably to those marked by sin. This truth is displayed in the death of the sacrifice.

Aaron’s offering was preparation for him to make the offering for Israel’s sin as a whole. We see this in

Leviticus 16:5–9 ESV

And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering,

So, what’s clear is that Israel sinned against God. What should be done about that? The death of a substitute in their place. This sacrifice would take the penalty due them.

And what was God teaching the people through these sacrifices? He was pointing to what was to come.

1 Peter 3:18 ESV

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

The Day of Atonement was an annual event. It’s no longer necessary because Jesus suffered once for sins.

There are two goats, separated by casting lots and the scapegoat was chosen.

Notice the word azazel in v. 8. We really don’t know what the word means. It’s used 3 times in the OT, and those instances are in this chapter. This is the scapegoat.

Now how did the scapegoat function? This goat carried off the people’s sin into the wilderness, symbolically doing away with it.

So we have one goat sacrificed and the other sent into the wilderness. We might be tempted to think that the scapegoat has it easy, but sending this goat into the wilderness was as much of a death sentence as the other goat received. Really, sending the goat out from among the people was a symbol of being cut off… of being thrown out.

The symbol of the scapegoat is performed just before the sacrifices are made.

Leviticus 16:21 ESV

And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.

So the sins of the people being transferred to the scapegoat is symbolized by the placing of the hands on its head. And the freedom from the penalty of sin is symbolized by sending the goat out.

This imagery is picked up in the NT:

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.