Leaves of Gold
A Call To Return To The
Teaching Of The Bible
A ministry of Evangelist James
A. Nelson jan23@cox.net\
MASTER OUTLINE NUMBER THIRTY-SIX
"The Christian Life Bible", Thomas Nelson Publishers, notes by Porter L. Barrington
Old Testament Sacrifices
The sacrificial order was
instituted by God as a means whereby He could
(1) preserve His absolute holiness, which required that all sin be
punished;
(2) show loving mercy to man-His beloved, fallen creation.
In the Old Testament
order, God made the shedding of animal blood a picture of Christ's New
Testament payment for man's sins. Only Christ's unique sacrifice would be
sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of all who trust Him through the
ages (Heb. 9:11-14). !
After Adam and Eve had
sinned, they made aprons of fig leaves to cover the shame of their sins (Gen.
3:7; cf. Gal. 6:7). However, God replaced those aprons with coats of skin (Gen.
3:21). It is thus shown that human works are not an acceptable covering for
sin; blood must be shed, and that blood eventually would be Christ's.
Cain and Abel also brought
their sacrificial offerings; but Cain's self-grown vegetables were
unacceptable, while Abel's offering of a lamb was accepted (Gen. 4:1-7). All of
this pointed to the coming of Christ who would give His life and shed His blood
for the sins of the world, inviting all to partake, by faith, in the benefits
of this offering. John the Baptist saw and understood this when he said,
pointing to Jesus, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!" John 1:2.
God's laws pertaining to
the offerings are filled with spiritual lessons and benefits for the
believer. These lessons and the
patterns of the offerings constantly point to Christ and His offering of
Himself on the cross (1 Pet. 1:18-20). I
36 A. Offerings to the LORD (Leviticus
17:1-12)-As we meditate upon the sacrificial order which God laid
down in the Old Testament law, we fall on our knees anew to worship the lord,
to beg His forgiveness, to beg His approval, to await His sending us
forth, and to expect His future blessing. We enter the court of His tabernacle,
having His praises on our lips and Christ as our lamb.
(1) God's regulations for worship by sacrifice applied to all members of
the covenant community of Israel (vv. 1, 2). The high priest was specifically
included, as were the other priests. No one was above God's law in Israel,
unlike Egypt, where Pharaoh was a self-declared god. The worship of God is to
be performed by all, according to His revealed will.
(2) God's ceremonial worship was coupled with His call for obedience to His
law, both ceremonial (Lev. 17, above), and moral (Lev. 18). The sacrifices,
coupled with faith, made atonement for the broken law of God.
(3) Sacrifices had to be made at the tabernacle (vv. 3, 4, 8, 9). God
desired that Israel's worship be focused on His requirements for the
forgiveness of sins. Their energy was not to be consumed by endless arguments
as to where and how they should worship. It was clear that all sacrifices would
take place at the tabernacle. This requirement also kept the Israelites from
the temptation to join in idolatrous Canaanite sacrifices at the Baal groves.
(4) God's worship system brought peace to the human heart (v. 5)
(5) Those coming to God came through the divinely appointed agent (v. 6).
God had appointed a priesthood to sprinkle the blood on the altar and to burn
the sacrifice.
(6) Idol worship was forbidden (v. 7). The Lord clearly and forever forbade
mixing His sacrifices with sacrifices made to idols, animals, and demons:
"You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3) .
(7) The shed blood made the "atonement for the soul" (vv. 10-12).
Prefiguring the death of Christ by fourteen centuries, the Mosaic law made it
clear that this life-giving substance was to be the means of man's atonement.
36-B. Whole Burnt Offerings: Devotion (Leviticus 1:3-17)- The Hebrew
words for the whole burnt offering (v. 3) are olah and kalil (Deut.
33:10). The former means "that which goes up," and signifies that the
burnt offering entirely ascended up to God, except for the skin of a bull or
the discarded crop and feathers of a bird (w. 6,16). The latter means
"that which is complete or perfect," and speaks of this offering as
being devoted wholly to God. In the case of other sacrifices, the meat went to
the priests and Levites. This offering thus represented complete devotion.
(1) God clearly prescribed that even this whole burnt offering must be
offered only at His tabernacle, by His priests, and in accordance with His
instructions (w. 3-9). True religion cannot be invented by man.
(2) The offering of a male without defect reminds us that we ought to give
our best to God. The perfect male represents Christ (v. 3).
(3) The offerer laid his hand on the head of the sacrifice and it became an
atonement on his behalf (v. 4). The Hebrew word kippur, "covering"
or "atonement," shows that here too there is a covering of sin by the
sacrifice of the animal. The atonement of Christ for the believer was
vicarious-one suffering in another's place (2 Cor. 5:21).
(4) The blood was offered up to God by sprinkling it around the altar (v.
5). The blood was not to be thought of as discarded, for it made the
atonement for sin (Lev. 17:11). Thus, Christ saw His own bleeding at Calvary as
"the new covenant in My blood" (1 Cor. 11:25).
(5) The burnt offering, by being consumed entirely, symbolized one who
desired to be entirely consecrated or rededicated to the Lord (vv- 7-9; cf.
Rom. 12:1, 2). It reminds us of this goal and
need in our lives to be wholly His. .
(6) Every morning and evening a whole burnt offering of a lamb was to be
offered up to the Lord for the congregation (Num. 28:1-4). This speaks of our
need to rekindle daily our devotion to the Lord.
(7) A choice of burnt offerings could be made-bull, sheep, goat,
turtledoves, or pigeons (w. 2, 5, 10, 14). Here we remember that God sees our
limitations, and provides for the lowly and the one too poor to bring a great
gift. Whatever we give, however, it is to be wholly given to the Lord.
36-C Grain and Drink Offerings:
Thanksgiving (Leviticus 2:1-16)-Grain and drink offerings expressed
gratitude to God for His life-giving provision for His people. The Hebrew word minchah
is best translated '.'grain offering." The King James Version rendered
it "meat offering," meaning "food offering." Today people may
inadvertently take this to be animal's flesh, which it is not. This offering
consisted of flour, usually baked into unleavened cakes with olive oil,
incense, salt, and wine added. Psalm 104:15
singles out these three items in singing praise to the Lord's bounteous
and all-wise provision for mankind's needs and refreshment.
(1) The grain was the staff of life for nourishment.
(2) The olive oil had many uses, including fuel for light and use in
cooking.
(3) The juice of the grape provided a pleasant, sweet drink. We could have survived on grain and water,
but God in His kindness ordered a better menu for His human creatures. These
sacrifices thank Him for this. Cain's
vegetable offering was refused as an atonement for sin, while Abel's sacrifice,
in which the blood was shed for sin was accepted (Gen. 4:2-5). Thus, it is here
also demonstrated that grain and drink offerings were not given as atonement
for sin, but as an expression of gratitude by the people for God's provision of
food.
The three national annual
grain offerings were:
(1) The showbread. Twelve cakes representing the unity of the tribes
were baked fresh each week and placed in the tabernacle (Lev. 24:5-9).
(2) . The firstfruits. The first sheaf of the early barley was waved
before the Lord on the second day of Passover. The Feast of Pentecost was
celebrated on the fiftieth day after the second day of the Feast of Passover
(Lev. 23:10-14).
(3) Two baked loaves. At Pentecost they gave thanks to God for the
full and now complete harvest (Lev. 23:15-18).
Note the following lessons
for our time:
(1) The oil on the flour symbolizes the Holy Spirit giving unity; the
frankincense imparts a pleasing aroma to it (vv. 1, 2). Such unity in His
children is indeed a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
(2) This gift from God's people provided the physical food for God's
servants to live (v. 3). Such provision is still made today.
(3) That it was to be unleavened (vv. 4, 11) spoke of separation from sin,
which characterized all that was done on behalf of God.
(4) Man himself was forbidden to offer up his own gift at the tabernacle;
it had to be offered by the priests (vv. 8, 9). Even to thank God properly a mediator
is necessary, and that Mediator is Christ (1 Tim. 2:5).
(5) Note that even the portion that went to the priests is called
"most holy" (v. 10). It would have been easy for the donor to think
that this portion, not offered by fire to the Lord, was a wasted portion, Thus we learn that what we give to His servants is
given as if to Him directly (Matt. 25:40),
(6) The salt
is said to be "the salt of the covenant" (v. 13), a reminder that
thanksgiving to Cod, merely for His bounty in rains and harvests, is not
enough. Thanksgiving to God must be connected always with heart-felt gratitude
for God's deliverance from sin, and for His taking those who are forgiven into
covenant relationship as His people (1 Cor. 11:25).
36-D. Peace Offerings: Fellowship (Leviticus
3:1-17)-"Sacrifice of peace," zebach shalomim (v. 1),
literally "sacrifice [singular] of peaces [plural]," refers to
various offerings presented by loving and thankful hearts, grateful for the
peace and blessing that God has bestowed upon individuals and families. The
blood was sprinkled around the altar, and the fat and entrails were burned for
the sacrifice. Then the meat was shared by priests and the family of the one
making the offering, as a love feast of contentment for the Lord's blessing. It
expressed the believer's fellowship with God. Peace offerings could be of
several types:
(1) Thanksgiving'(Lev. 7:12). Gratitude to God was expressed for
some recent blessings.
(2) Vow (Lev. 7:16). This offering commemorated the making or
completion of a vow made to Yahweh.
(3) Freewill (Lev. 7:16). The offering was without any specific
reason, but out of the sheer delight in being in fellowship with the Lord and
knowing His peace.
Lessons which can be
applied to the New Testament believer include the following:
(1) The sacrifice of joy was not restricted to a male animal, since it did
not directly portray Christ on the cross (v. 1).
(2) The blood sprinkled around the altar signifies today that even our
peace and prosperity in daily life depend first on Christ's blood having been
shed for our sins (v. 2).
(3) God, who demanded a sacrifice without defect (v. 1), called for the
burning of only the inedible portion, and left the good meat to be eaten by His
people. This shows that peace and fellowship here flow two ways. God is good
(Lev. 2:3).
(4) "A sweet aroma to the LORD" shows that the Lord delights in
the well-being of His people, and in their proper expression of love and
gratitude to Him for His care (v. 5).
(5) "Male or female ... without blemish" (v. 6) demonstrates
that, despite certain sacrifices specified as
male, femaleness was never regarded by God as a defect.
36-E. Sin of Ignorance Offerings:
Righting Wrongs (Leviticus 4:1-35)- The Mosaic Law consisted of both moral
commandments and ceremonial directions, which were often given in great detail.
It was not difficult for even the sincerest of God's followers to violate one
of these ceremonial laws occasionally. In loving-kindness God made special
provision for the forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration of one who
inadvertently broke His law.
Lessons to be learned
include the following:
(1) God, the moral Judge of the universe, makes a distinction between those
who unintentionally violate His statutes and those who intentionally trample
them (v. 2). Thus, the one who willfully gathered sticks on the Sabbath, who
defied God openly soon after the commandment was issued, was stoned (Num.
15:25-36). By grace, however, in the trespass offering (see Point 36-F,
"Trespass Offerings: Forgiveness,) there is mercy for the penitent (Heb.
12:5-11).
(2) Even unintentional violations of God's law are still regarded as sin,
for which. there must be atonement.
(3) Even God's faithful people sin, whether intentionally or
unintentionally (v. 3): God knows their limitations, but does not lower His
holy standards. Nor does He make exceptions for His specially anointed people.
On the contrary, their liability is greater (James 3:1); but He provides for
their cleansing and restoration (1 John 1 :9).
(4) The requirement to sprinkle the blood seven times before the veil, and
to place blood on the horns of the altar of incense referred particularly to a
sacrifice for an unintentional sin of the high priest-for example, if he
defiled himself by touching a dead body or by eating an unclean item. The
mediator-priest of the people had to be cleansed before he could serve.
(5) The enormity of the sin of the high priest would be dramatized to the
people by requiring that the flesh, head, legs, and entrails be burned outside
the camp (vv. 11,12). These were totally unclean, and, as a symbol of
sin, had to be utterly removed from the presence of God and His people. Thus
Christ our High Priest carried our sins outside the camp (Jerusalem) at
Calvary. Unlike the Old Testament high priest, He was without sin, but He was
made "to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him" (2 Cor. 5:21; cf. Heb. 13:11-13).
(6) A whole congregation could sin corporately (vv. 13-21). When this was
discovered-looking back over the past year or years-the elders had to take the
necessary steps for forgiveness, and right the wrong.
(7) Leaders (v. 22) and common people (v. 27) were not exempt
from the consequences of unintentional sins. It is not enough merely to forget
about it, and turn over a new leaf; forgiveness must be sought, and amends must
be made.
36-F. Trespass Offerings: Forgiveness (Leviticus 6:1-7)- Trespass offerings pertain to
acts committed willfully against one's fellow man, which are also sins against
the Lord-such as robbery, fraud, embezzlement, theft, extortion, or retaining
property unlawfully. All of these sins involve apparent guiltplainly
breaking God's law, whether willfully or through yielding to temptation.
Observe also:
(1) Sins of
cheating one's spiritual brother are also trespasses against God (vv. 2, 6).
(2) Not only
must divine pardon be sought, but God demands that restitution be made, plus
one-fifth interest and penalty (vv. 4, 5).
(3) From the
dual requirements here presented, that is, to seek forgiveness from both God
and man, we conclude:
(a) One who
makes restitution to one's neighbor, and who does not make peace with God,
remains unforgiven.
(b) One who
offers sacrifice to God, but fails to restore the loss to his brother, remains
unforgiven.
(4) True
inward conversion, such as in the case of Zacchaeus, is expressed by a sincere
outward effort to make amends for wrongs (Luke 19:8-10).
(5) Having
made restitution and sought God's forgiveness, one must then by faith accept
God's forgiveness, and should no longer harbor feelings of guilt (Eph. 1:7).
(6) How kind
God is to His people to provide for forgiveness of even willful sins! Therefore
we also are to forgive one another (Eph. 4:32).
(7) How
available Christ is today to forgive, cleanse, and give a new life and new
direction to those who flee to Him for forgiveness of their trespasses and
guilt (Rom. 4:5-8; cf. Ps. 32:1, 2).
.
36-G. Special Offerings (Leviticus 12:6-8)- The following special sacrifices
are of particular interest, and convey vital and touching lessons to the
believer:
(1) Mary and
Joseph, according to Luke 2:22-24
offered a pair of turtledoves or pigeons, after the birth of Jesus, to
comply with verse 6. While in Leviticus both a lamb and a bird (turtledove or
pigeon) are commanded, if one had no lamb or could not afford one, one could
instead bring a second bird. This was the case with Mary and Joseph, as
described by Luke. Their poverty was evident in that they were only able and
required to bring turtledoves.
(2) The
sacrifice of the red heifer, a female cow (Num. 19:1-13), required that the ashes
of this offering be placed in water. This water then became the water of
cleansing, and was sprinkled on anyone who became ceremonially defiled by
touching a dead body. We note that even cleansing by water must be based on
prior sacrifice of blood (Heb. 9:22).
(3) The
Passover sacrifice, on the fourteenth day of the first month of the religious
calendar-March/ April (Lev. 23:5)-was to be a lamb for a household (Ex. 12:3).
This was a family sacrifice. The blood of the lamb was applied to the doorposts
of each family dwelling to save the firstborn from the plague (Ex. 12:7-13).
This slain lamb was a type of Christ (Rev. 5:5-13).
(4) The Day
of Atonement (Yom Kippur, "Day of Covering") occurs on the
tenth day of the seventh month of the sacred calendar-September/October (Lev.
23:27). On this day two goats were brought before the high priest and the
congregation.
(a) One was selected, by lot, for
death. Its blood was sprinkled within the veil, upon the ark, as an atonement
for the sins of the people.
(b) The second was the
"scapegoat." The sins of the people were confessed over it. It was
then led off to be lost in the wilderness, showing that sins confessed and
atoned for were now removed from God's sight (Lev. 16:7-10; cf. Ps. 103:12). (These studies will continue)
The New
Testament Church....a Local Body, A. J. Kirkland, Chapter IV
The Bible
Tells of Churches, Plural
God says what He wants to say in the
Bible. He does not say one thing and mean another. If He did, then we would be
left to guess as to what the Scriptures teach. But since God says what He
means, and means what He says, we can depend on it. When the Lord speaks of a
church at a given place, like the church at Jerusalem, the church at Antioch,
or the church of God at Corinth, He always speaks of just one church. The word
is in the singular form. Likewise, when God speaks of several congregations in
a state, or territory, He always uses the word churches. This is called the
plural number and the plural number denotes more than one. It may be two or it
may be a thousand. This fact alone, if there were no other reason, proves that
the church of Christ is a local congregation and never a universal, invisible,
or general thing which covers the whole country. If there were only one, it
would never be spoken of in the plural number, but it would always be spoken of
in the singular number.
Now let us notice some of the
scriptures where the Lord tells about churches which are scattered throughout a
territory or state.
Acts 15:41: And he went through
Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. Here Paul is on his second
missionary journey. He took Silas with him this time and went to some of the
same places that he had visited on the first journey. Syria and Cilicia were
Roman Provinces lying along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The
cities of Derbe, Lystra and Iconium were in the province of Galatia, and we are
told that Paul went through these places confirming the churches. We are also
told in Acts 16:5 that the churches were established (built up) and increased.
In Acts 14:23 some of these cities are referred to along with a place called
Antioch on the coast of the sea, and it is said that he appointed elders in
every church.
The thing that is important is that
in these countries and cities the different church bodies are referred to in
the plural number, not in the singular number, churches, not church. If there
had been just one big universal church, then, it would be church, not churches.
In Romans
16:4 we find Paul referring to "the churches of the Gentiles," and in
the same chapter, verse 16, he says, "The churches of Christ salute
you." In both passages Paul uses the plural number, churches, and not the
singular number, church. If there had been just one big universal church, he
would have said, "The church of the Gentiles," and, "The church
of Christ," but the Holy Spirit was telling Paul what to write and He knew
exactly what He wanted to say.
It is this last passage, Romans
16:16, "The churches of Christ salute you," that Campbellites use to try to prove their name, "The
Church of Christ." They prove themselves to be both silly and dishonest in
making such an argument. This is true first of all because the passage says churches,
not church. Then, too, the words "churches of Christ," is not a name,
but a phrase. A name always begins with a capital letter. Campbellites know
this and they know that they are trying to deceive people when they use this
passage to try to prove their name. There is no such name as, "Church of
Christ," in the Bible.
But the Campbellites argue that you
cannot have a plural number without having a singular number in the plural.
They say that if there are churches of Christ, and the singular is in the
plural, then there must be "The Church of Christ." That is like
saying that since a city has houses; you talk about the houses of the city, and
since the singular is in the plural, then you would have the house of the city.
You may have houses of the city, but you cannot find "The House of the
City." You may talk about the rivers of America, but where would you go
find "The River of America"? You may find the mountains of Europe,
but where could you find "The Mountain of Europe"? You may find the
trees of the forest, but where can you find "The Tree of the Forest"?
That is just how ignorant and silly the Campbellites are.
It is amusing
also to use the same argument that the Campbellites are trying to prove their
name in other passages. Let us observe, for instance, Paul says in Romans 16:4:
"The churches of the Gentiles." All right, since the Campbellites say
the singular is in the plural, and, since we have churches of the Gentiles,
there must be, "The Church of the Gentile." So, if I should build a
church house and organize me a church, then put up a sign in front of the
building, and write on that sign, THE CHURCH OF THE GENTILE, my new church
would be just as Scriptural as the Campbellites' church, for I find churches of
the Gentiles in the same chapter in which they find churches of Christ and they
say, "The singular is in the plural." Campbellites are deceivers.
We return now to the main thought,
showing that the churches of a province are never spoken of as one big church,
but many churches. In II Corinthians 8:1, we find: Moreover, brethren, we do
you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia.
Macedonia was
a large province in Greece. Philippi was its chief city, and it was there that
Paul was put in jail and the Philippian jailor was saved, (Acts 16). There were
many churches in the province of Macedonia. If all the congregations put
together make one big, universal church, then, why did Paul say "churches
of Macedonia"? Why did not he say "the church of Macedonia"?
There 26
were many
churches in Macedonia, but there was no such thing as "The Church of
Macedonia." There just is no such thing as a universal or invisible
church.
Again, when Paul wrote the Galatian
Letter, he addressed it to churches and not to a church. Galatians 1:2: And all the brethren which are with me, unto
the churches of Galatia. Galatia is another province or state known as Asia
Minor. There were many churches established there by Paul on his first
missionary journey. Now he writes them a letter. This letter was to be read in
all the churches of that state, so he addresses it to all of them. If there is
just one big, universal church, it does look like Paul would have known it,
especially since he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and was writing what God
was telling him to write. The Lord knows what a church is. He knows it is a
local assembly and not a universal, invisible something, so God just said what
He wanted to say, and He let us know that it was not "The Church of
Galatia," but "the churches of Galatia."
While there are many other examples
which could be given showing that the churches are many in a state, it seems
that one more should be sufficient. In Revelation 1:11, Jesus is speaking and
He says:
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and
the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven
churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos,
and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia and unto Laodicea.
It would be
difficult indeed to find a passage which could more clearly state the truth
than this. Asia is a great country. There are seven cities named and it is
stated that there was a church in each city. And if it could be any stronger
for Jesus to say it than for the Holy Spirit to have it written, then it has
that strength, for, these are the very words of Jesus. Jesus said that there
were seven churches in Asia. He named each city where they were and sent each
one of them a message. If there was just one big, universal, invisible church
in Asia, then Jesus would not have made such a mistake as saying that there
were seven. He would have said, "The Church of Asia."
In the light of God's truth, the
idea of a universal, invisible or general church is a false notion and an
impossibility. The Bible Church is a local assembly of baptized believers,
keeping house for God.
Evangelist James A. Nelson also publishes a monthly
Spanish magazine "Hojas de Oro" which is available at:
jan23@cox.net or can be seen at: www.hojasdeoro.com
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