Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Leviticus chapter 16 verse 34 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. That word atonement is key to understanding not just Leviticus but the Bible and salvation.

So Leviticus chapter 16 is the description of the day of atonement.

The day set aside once a year to provide a particular sacrifice and atoning sacrifice for

sin for the sins of God's people and that word atonement means a covering.

So God's people were sinners and their sin needed to be covered by the grace of God in order to be in the presence of God in order for him to dwell among them.

That's what Leviticus is showing us.

How can a holy God dwell among his people? Well here's how

through atonement through covering for sin. And so when we get to the New Testament and we read in a place like Romans

chapter 3 verse 25 God has presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.

The whole picture there is Jesus is our atonement.

What does that mean? He is our covering. His sacrifice covers over our sins.

The whole picture there in Romans 3 is that Jesus has paid the price. He has endured the just judgment of God do our sins in our

place on our behalf. Just like in Leviticus,

that would have been a sacrifice that would have been made

to endure the just judgment of God

in the New Testament. What we realize is Jesus is that sacrifice. This is the

gospel and its beauty never ever grows old. Just think about it. Right now all your sins, every single

sinful thought, thought, desire, word, deed, the things that you are really

thankful nobody else knows about.

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