1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.
I don’t think anyone takes great joy in being reminded of their sins. I know I don’t. But yet, this element of our Christian walk is important too.
If we look at biblical history the law in its entirety is designed to show us our sin, and to point us to Christ, who is our salvation from the penalty of that sin. This is just a simple gospel message, and it is not hard for us to grasp. While trying to understand why God would do such a thing (make a way for blatant sinners to find their way into heaven), and the mysterious and miraculous incarnation of Jesus and his atoning sacrifice - may be a bit more difficult But the fact remains, it has happened. What we need to concentrate on is not the why of God’s plan, but rather to simply be grateful for it.
Up to the point of Christ’s work on the cross, all things that happened in God’s plan for His people happened with a foreshadowing of things to come; not just ‘things’, but ‘good things’. We now live in the time of ‘good things”! It is good that the work of salvation is done. It is good that we live with the hope of things to come, knowing that all will be glorified by God. It is good that while we still live in a fallen world, the things of glory and eternal await our arrival in the presence of Jesus. But I also feel that it is good that we get the occasional reminder of our depravity before God.
James was good enough to provide us with the biblical truth that temptation in and of itself is not a sin. My good friend Justin Alfred is always kind enough to remind me that it is not the sin that defines the man, it’s the brokenness, or lack thereof, that will define a man ( or woman) of God. Getting back to James he knew that a life without sacrifice, sacrifice of self and the flesh for the work of the kingdom is a life devoid of the fruit of your salvation and appreciation to Christ for His work. A lazy spiritual life removed from being in action for the kingdom, is a life removed from the Spirit of God, a place none of us would choose to be. Getting back to Justin, his reminder is one of grace, practicality and truth. As long as we live, in spite of the Spirit being alive in us, we will have failures. But what do we do with that failure? Do we brush it under the rug without a word spoken, moving on to the next inevitable failure, or do we confess and repent? It is our brokenness in our sin before god that defines us as a Christian who recognizes his place before a pure and prefect righteousness in God.
While it may not be a great idea to seek out reminders of our sinful nature so that we are mindful of our place before a Holy God, it is good that we have them from time to time just the same. Just as the sacrifices in ancient Israel were reminders to the people of the sin before God, it was a regular reminder that we must have a saving relationship with our Creator.
In short, our sin should remind us of our separation from God, and our brokenness should bring us to a place of humble submission and reverence for a God that has done so much for us – when we never deserved it.
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