Are our sins “covered over” (Rom. 4:7) or “put away” (Heb. 9:26)? What is the distinction between these two?
Our sins are “put away,” not “covered.” Hebrews 9:26 says clearly that the Lord was manifested once at the consummation of the ages to offer Himself as a sacrifice to put away sin.
How then can the phrase “covered over” in Romans 4:7 be explained? We must realize that the words of this verse are quoted from Psalm 32:1. In the entire New Testament, except for this verse, we cannot find another verse that says our sins are covered over before God. “Covered over” signifies that the sins of the people of the Old Testament time were covered over. In the Old Testament, every sin was only covered over and not put away until the death of the Lord Jesus. For “He is the Mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant...” (Heb. 9:15).
Let us first remember that “redemption” or “atonement” in the Old Testament means “to cover up” in the original language. In the New Testament there is no other place, except in Romans 4:7, where the phrase “covered over” is quoted. Second, in the Bible, the word propitiation, except in a few cases where it is translated in conjunction with cover, refers to a “sin offering,” that is, a sacrifice offered for sins. Jesus Christ is the sin offering. He offered Himself for our sins; He did not cover our sins.
The Lord Jesus came to put away our sins, not to cover them. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
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