Verse 19b tells us that Aaron was to cleanse the altar and “sanctify it from the uncleannesses of the sons of Israel.” This signifies that all the world’s sins were gathered upon the cross of Christ and were cleansed away.
The word “uncleannesses” in verse 19 refers to our sin, to our leprosy, to our rebellion, even to the satanic nature within us. Because the people of God were still in this uncleanness, even the altar used by God for the redemption of His people was contaminated. By this we can see how contagious is the uncleanness of God’s people. This uncleanness has its source (Satan), its birth, and its living, which is leprosy. Therefore, we are a totality of uncleanness discharging unclean things to contaminate others and make them unclean. By the cross of Christ this uncleanness has been dealt with and taken away. Now there is a clean situation in which we and God may enjoy each other.
Verse 20a speaks of Aaron’s finishing “making propitiation for the holy of holies, the tent of meeting, and the altar.” This signifies that the sin offering is offered not only for the removal of uncleanness but also for the perfecting of holiness.
The holy of holies, the most holy place in the universe, was contaminated by the uncleanness of God’s redeemed people. Because the holy of holies was contacted by unclean people, even it needed propitiation. The same was true of the tent of meeting and the altar. The fact that propitiation was made for all these indicates that the sin offering is not only for the removal of uncleanness but also for the perfecting of holiness. What Christ accomplished on the cross was not only for the removal of our uncleanness but also for the perfecting of God’s holiness, into which we have been brought. Now we are in this holiness enjoying God as our holiness.
“Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy of holies, and leave them there. And he shall bathe his flesh in water in a holy place and put on his garments; then he shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make propitiation for himself and for the people” (vv. 23-24). This signifies that after we have received the redemption of the Lord Jesus and the problem of our sins has been solved, we need the cleansing of the Spirit that we may take Christ as our burnt offering to live for God by the life of Christ.
Before Aaron bathed himself, he offered the sin offering for himself and for the people. Then after he bathed, he came to the altar to offer the burnt offering for himself and also for the people. From this we can see that the sin offering is for the burnt offering, that the sin offering is offered in view of the burnt offering. In other words, the sin offering has a purpose-to bring us to the burnt offering. This means that we sinners have been redeemed for the purpose of becoming God’s satisfaction. We have been redeemed so that, taking Christ as our life and life supply, we might become those who in Christ live absolutely for God. Thus as redeemed ones, we are no longer sinners but those who are absolutely for God’s satisfaction. The complete redemption of Christ implies not only the removal of sin but also our living for God absolutely. This is the purpose of Christ’s redemption.
If Christ’s redemption only removed our sin but did not enable us to live for God absolutely, His redemption would not be complete. We praise the Lord that through Christ’s redemption not only has our sin been taken away, but we have been made by Christ into those who in Him as our burnt offering may now live for God absolutely. In this complete redemption, Christ is both the sin offering and the burnt offering. He is our sin offering for the removal of our sins, and He is our burnt offering to make us those who are absolutely for God. By taking Christ as our burnt offering and by living in Him by His life and with His life supply, we are able and qualified to live for God absolutely.
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