Expiation

Expiation is necessary because sin is punishable by God

Exodus 32:30 NET 2nd ed.

The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a very serious sin, but now I will go up to the Lord—perhaps I can make atonement on behalf of your sin.”

See also Nu 16:46–48; Dt 21:8; Ps 79:8–9

Expiation and the sacrificial system

Unintentional sins expiated by the sin offering

Le 4:1–5:6; Nu 15:22–29

Unintentional sins requiring restitution expiated by the guilt offering

Le 5:14–6:7; Le 19:20–22

The nation’s sins expiated on the annual Day of Atonement

Exodus 30:10 NET 2nd ed.

Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; once in the year he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

See also Le 16:3–34; Heb 9:7

Blood as a symbol of substitutionary sacrifice

Leviticus 17:11 NET 2nd ed.

for the life of every living thing is in the blood. So I myself have assigned it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.

See also Eze 45:19–20; Heb 9:22; Heb 13:11

The rite of expiation administered by the priests

Leviticus 9:7 NET 2nd ed.

Moses then said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and make your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement on behalf of yourself and on behalf of the people; and also make the people’s offering and make atonement on behalf of them just as the Lord has commanded.”

See also Le 7:7; Le 9:15; Le 10:17–18; Nu 6:11

Expiation and special provision for the poor

Leviticus 12:7–8 NET 2nd ed.

The priest is to present it before the Lord and make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law of the one who bears a child, for the male or the female child. If she cannot afford a sheep, then she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.’ ”

See also Le 5:7–13; Le 14:21–32

The sin offering as a constant reminder of the need for expiation

Sin offerings for occasions of dedication

Exodus 29:31–33 NET 2nd ed.

“You are to take the ram of the consecration and cook its meat in a holy place. Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that was in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting. They are to eat those things by which atonement was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy.

See also Le 8:14–15; Nu 8:12; 2 Ch 29:21–24; Ezr 6:17

Sin offerings for occasions of purification

Le 12:6–7; Le 14:19–20; Le 14:49–53; Le 15:13–15; Le 15:28–30; Nu 19:1–13

Sin offerings as part of the regular cycle of worship

Nu 28:15; Nu 28:22; Nu 28:30; Nu 29:5; Nu 29:11; Nu 29:16

The death of Jesus Christ as the fulfilment and replacement of the old sacrificial system

The death of Jesus Christ as a substitutionary, expiatory sacrifice

1 John 2:2 NET 2nd ed.

and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.

See also 1 Co 15:3; Ga 1:4; Heb 1:3; 1 Pe 3:18

God’s provision of Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrice

Romans 3:25 NET 2nd ed.

God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.

See also Is 53:10; Ro 8:3; 1 Jn 4:10

The blood of Jesus Christ as an atonement for sin

Hebrews 9:13–14 NET 2nd ed.

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

See also Mt 26:28; Eph 1:7; 1 Jn 1:7; Re 1:5

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ as final and unique

Hebrews 7:27 NET 2nd ed.

He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all.

See also Ro 6:10; Heb 9:25–10:14