The first son of God Adam and his wife Eve fell for the words of the serpent, whereby they fell from their position, lost their dominion and the glory of God, wherewith they were clothed. They stood naked and guilty before God. Their deed of disobedience demanded a sacrifice, since sin leads to death. And so an innocent animal lost his life and became a sacrifice through the sin of man who stood guilty before God. This was all a reference to the coming of the innocent Man, Jesus Christ, Who gave His life and as an innocent Lamb was sacrificed through (and for) the sin of the guilty man and his seed.
God clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skins
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them (Genesis 3:21)
Man didn’t believe the word of God but rejected the word. Man disobeyed the word and commandment of their Maker and Father, the Creator and King of the heaven and earth. As a result, man fell and lost the glory wherewith they were clothed with.
Man stood guilty and naked before God and thought they could cover their guilt and nakedness with aprons of fig leaves.
Man considered this appropriate, but God didn’t
Adam and Eve had to be cleansed and sanctified from their sin that demanded the punishment of death.
Their act of disobedience to God demanded a blood offering for the atonement of their soul.
God chose innocent animals and killed them for the sin of man against the Most High. God made coats of skin and clothed Adam and Eve.
This was the first sacrifice of God for the atonement of man.
From that moment, sacrifices were regularly offered. And with the coming of the law of Moses, God set the sacrificial laws under the Levitical priesthood.
The sacrifices and blood of animals couldn’t make man perfect in regard to the conscience
However, despite the many sacrifices and the blood that was shed, nothing could be done about the fallen state and evil nature of man. No sacrifice could make a man perfect in regard to the conscience (Hebrews 9:9).
When people of the house of Israel committed an intentional sin, they dealt with this sin according to the word and judgment of the Lord, which is written in the Law of Moses. But for the unintentional sins that were committed in ignorance, a sacrifice was offered, whereby an innocent animal was chosen and sacrificed for the sin of the people.
And so the blood flowed of innocent animals that became sacrifices through the sin of the people. Innocent animals were offered for the sin of the guilty people and (temporarily) atoned the sins of man.
The corrupt sacrifices for the Lord
As time went by and new generations arose that didn’t fear the Lord but had a rather casual attitude and took the words and laws of God not seriously, the sacrifices for the Lord changed.
They didn’t sacrifice according to the word and commandment of the Lord. Instead of pure sacrifices for the Lord, they offered corrupt (blemished) sacrifices unto the Lord, whereby they despised and defiled God’s Name.
Blind, lame, sick and stolen animals were offered to the Most High, the Lord of hosts, while God made it very clear in His Law that no corrupt (blemished) animal be offered unto the Lord (a.o. Deuteronomy 15:21; Malachi 1:6-14).
Through their corrupt sacrifices they showed, that God was not worthy of the firstling and the best, but worthy of the leftovers and the worst.
God prepared Himself a holy sacrifice that was pleasing to Him
Until God had enough, and the time came that God took matters into His own hands and prepared Himself a holy sacrifice that He had already chosen before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20).
That spotless holy Lamb that would be sacrificed for fallen humanity was Jesus Christ, His Son.
God fulfilled His promise of the Messiah and sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth.
God not only sent His Son to preach and bring His Kingdom to the house of Israel and call the people to repentance, the removal of sin and obeying God’s commandments, but also to deal with the sin problem of man for once and for all.
Jesus walked after the Spirit in obedience to the Father.
In contrary to the first son Adam, Jesus resisted every temptation of the devil. Jesus refuted the devil’s lies with the truth of God.
Jesus showed through His life that it’s possible to walk from a perfect state in obedience to God and resist temptation.
There was no guilt in Jesus; Jesus stood blameless before God.
Jesus’ obedience showed His fear and love for His Father
Until His death, Jesus showed His fear and love for His father by staying faithful to the word and commandment of the Father, whereby Jesus fulfilled the law and was able to took the sin and guilt of God’s first son and his seed upon Himself, and go the way of sufferings of the cross and be offered as a spotless Lamb through and for the rebellion and disobedience of Adam and his seed.
And so God laid the guilt of his first disobedient son on His obedient Son. The innocent Son Jesus died for the guilty son Adam and all his seed, and dealt for once and for all with the sin and iniquity of fallen man. (o.a. Isaiah 53, Romans 5, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 3-10).
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth
Isaiah 53:4-7
The sacrifice of the Lamb of God pleased God
The sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, pleased God, which He showed by the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and left an empty tomb and ascended to heaven and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and gave His Holy Spirit to His new sons (both males and females) who were justified, healed and sanctified by faith and regeneration in Jesus Christ and clothed with His Son.
The highest sacrifice was executed by God. There was (and still is) no higher sacrifice than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the Lamb of God.
Jesus knew no sin but was made sin because of you and for you
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus knew no sin, but He took your rebellion, pride and way of life in sin and iniquity upon Him.
He bore the punishment of your disobedience to God in His flesh on the whipping post, and carried for you the punishment of sin on the cross.
Jesus entered death for you and conquered death for you, whereby He broke the covenant between you and death and hell.
This punishment did Jesus took upon Him. Because this is the punishment for sin for every person.
All people live under the guilt of Adam and are sinners, and shall be held accountable and punished for Adam’s unbelief and disobedience to God and His Word.
How to escape the judgment of God?
There is only way to get rid of the guilt and escape the judgment of God and punishment for sin and that’s through faith in Jesus Christ and the justification by His sacrifice and blood.
Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, took upon Himself this punishment for sin. So that, every one who believes in the Son of God and accepts Jesus as his personal Savior and makes Jesus the Lord of his life, be restored (healed) and clothed with Him, and be made perfect and stand blameless before God and as a result of this, walk in obedience to God.
If you are clothed with Christ, you have the nature of God and shall walk like Christ in obedience to God. (a.o. 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-22; 4:21-24; Colossians 3:9-11).
You shall present your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God.
You shall listen to His voice and obey His words. You’ll keep His commandments, whereby you do the will of the Father and exalt and please Him.
If you don’t do that and stay stubborn and keep walking in rebellion towards God in disobedience to His words and commandments, and sin willfully after you received the full knowledge of the truth, there remain no longer a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which is about to be devouring the adversaries of God (Hebrews 10:23-31)
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof
Romans 13:12-14
‘Be the salt of the earth’
