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NASB | Genesis 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 2:17 but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly die [because of your disobedience]." |
Bible Question:
I've been thinking about Jesus's death and the need for it. And I've been thinking about how in the old testament sacrifices were made as atonement for sins. In this light, I understand why Jesus had to die. But I'm having a slight problem with this. Why do you think God requires a blood sacrifice? How does killing something and offering it up to God really erase sin? My faith is still strong, I'm just trying to understand this a little better. Thanks |
Bible Answer: Greeting Chynna! I just recently posted this note to a fellow forum member and I am copying it for you to consider in light of your question. Blessings, Mommapbs. This is taken from "The Fragrance of Death" In reading the book of Leviticus, we learn about all the sacrifices that the Israelites were required to make. There sure were a lot of dead animals! Although I understood the necessity of blood (“for without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” Hebrews 9:22), I did not understand how these offerings could be “a pleasing aroma unto the Lord.” Lev 4:31 I’ve smelled burning flesh and it is anything but sweet! I’ve also smelled death. To me, the stench of death is repulsive; yet what I was reading in Leviticus prompted me to ask, “Why is death an attractive fragrance to God?” I found the answer in a devotional by Tommy Tenney called The Daily Chase. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? II Corinthians 2:15-16 I asked, “What was the “aroma of Christ?” God, through Tenney, answered: “It was His death!” To God, the smell of death is pleasing; I finally understood why God required so much blood! The penalty for sin is death and the Life is in the blood. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” Lev. 17:11 Something had to die, for without the shedding of blood (death) there is no forgiveness. Without forgiveness, there is no way for God to come close to US! God wanted His people to be able to draw near unto Him. Yet He is Holy and our sin prevents the intimacy that God longs for; so He provided a Way - from the first sin covered by the bloodied skins of animals to the last covered by the perfect blood of Christ - we come to God only through the blood. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 Those who been bathed in the shed blood of Christ are a pleasing aroma in God’s nostrils. Yet, to “those who are perishing,” we, who wear the “perfume” of the Christ, are odious. Non-believers will make every effort to close the windows of their souls or run for the bag of lime to remove the repulsive insult of Jesus to their senses . . . John the Baptist was the first to understand the sacrifice of self that God calls us to make when he said, “He must increase but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) And the Apostle Paul instructs believers to “present our bodies as living sacrifices . . .” (Romans 12:2) We do this by denying our “self will” in exchange for His “good will!” Jesus tells us, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 By doing so, we can live the “abundant life” that God so longs for us to have with Him daily. When we are “dead” to self, Christ is able to live His life with and through us to accomplish His purposes. God loves the smell of death . . . Jesus said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:25 What fragrance are you wearing? How you “smell” to God is the only thing that matters! Are you bathed in the sweet aroma of Christ? Have you become a “living sacrifice” or are you still crawling off the altar? Are you dead yet? Deny yourself, die to self and live! |