March 23, 2025
The concept of atonement is one of the major doctrines of the Bible. In fact, one could claim accurately that atonement is the major doctrine of the Bible.
The concept of atonement affirms that God has reconciled sinners to Himself through sacrifice. Jesus is the one agent of reconciliation.
The Old Testament sacrifices point to the sacrificial death of our High Priest, Jesus, for the sins of the world. “After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).
Even as high priest, Aaron could not enter the tabernacle and Holy of Holies whenever he wanted.
The seriousness of the proper worship of God was demonstrated by the deaths of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu. The brothers “presented unauthorized fire” upon the altar (Lev. 10:1).
God instructed Aaron through Moses that as high priest he could not enter the Holy of Holies any time he wanted or else he would die. Worshipping God is serious. How does our culture view sin and its consequences?
According to the Bible, individuals must enter the presence of God in a careful manner. God required Aaron to enter the place of worship after offering a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
The sin offering served the purpose of purifying the sanctuary from unintentional sin. The required sacrifice for unintentional sin depended upon the status of the worshipper. If a priest or the congregation sinned, then a bull was the proper sacrifice.
A male goat was the offering for a leader of the people. Any other Hebrews offered a female goat or a lamb. The poor offered two turtle doves or two young pigeons. Mary offered the sacrifice of the poor, which indicates to us the financial status of Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:24).
The offerings on the Day of Atonement affirm the importance of the proper worship of God.
God instructed Aaron to prepare to offer two goats as a sacrifice. The sacrifice of the first goat cleansed the tabernacle.
The second goat was not sacrificed. Instead, it was sent into the wilderness to an uninhabitable place. The sending of the scapegoat into the wilderness depicted the sending away of sin.
Ultimately, Jesus fulfilled the offerings associated with the Day of Atonement. He was the only one who could pay sin’s penalty.
The fact that the Jews celebrated the Day of Atonement yearly reminds believers of the seriousness of sin. But the sacrifices were never effective to cleanse people from sin in a final sense.
The New Testament explicitly affirms Jesus as the Scapegoat offered on our behalf as our Paschal Lamb. With whom can you share God’s gracious gift of Jesus as our substitute?
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This lesson was written by Mark Rathel, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., and originally published by The Baptist Paper. This study is based on the Explore the Bible curriculum from Lifeway Christian Resources. The Sunday School lesson outlines are provided by Lifeway.
