AN END TO ALL PENANCE

AN END TO ALL PENANCE

And in thy seed shall all the nations of 

the earth be blessed; because thou hast 

obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:18).

s a t u r d a y 30

God chose Israel as a nation and blessed them. 

However, every year, the priest had to atone 

for their sins; an animal had to be killed on behalf of 

the people. The priest will lay his hands on the animal 

and confess the sins of the nation upon it; this was a 

yearly routine. Think about that! 

But  over  in  the  New  Testament,  the  Bible  tells 

us  that  Jesus  Christ  was  God’s  spiritual  Lamb  and 

He  didn’t  just  take  the  sins  of  Israel,  but  the  sins  of 

the whole world (John 1:29). He was God’s perfect 

sacrifice that settled the problem of sin forever. Today, 

no one needs to kill any animal in atonement for sin. 

Hebrews  7:26-27,  referring  to  Jesus  says, “For 

such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, 

undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher 

than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those 

high  priests,  to  offer  up  sacrifice,  first  for  his  own 

sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, 

when he offered up himself.” Also, in Hebrews 9:26, 

we read,  “For then must he often have suffered since 

the foundation of the world: but now once in the end 

of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the 

sacrifice of himself.”  

In  some  parts  of  the  world,  there’re  certain 

religions  where  people  punish  themselves  for  their 

sins; they whip themselves and lacerate their skin as 

penance for their sins. In some instances, the people 

are laid on a platform with protruding nails, piercing 

through their flesh with blood gushing out. They believe 

this would atone for their sins. How sad! 

O, that the world would know Jesus and all that 

He  accomplished  for  humanity!  Jesus  ended  all  of 

such penance. The Bible says there remains no more 

sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26). You don’t need to 

go through self-torture or self-recrimination because of 

your sins; Jesus already paid the full penalty for the sins 

of all men. This is the message of the Gospel! Christ 

Jesus paid it all! 

God’s not counting or holding your sins against 

you,  because  of  Jesus  (2  Corinthians  5:19).  Jesus 

already  bore  the  punishment  and  consequences  for 

all your sins. Therefore, serve Him with your life.

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for the Lamb of God that was 

slain for the sins of the whole world. And now, on 

the basis of Jesus’ glorious resurrection, I’ve received 

eternal  life;  I  live  in  righteousness,  victory,  health, 

and all the blessings of Christ. Amen.  

FURTHER STUDY:

Isaiah 53:5-6; Hebrews 9:26-28