THINK TOGETHER.
Do you remember what the Tabernacle was?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 16:6. By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for.
In the Old Testament the Hebrews celebrated the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement or, Yom Kippur, is still a Jewish holiday today. Yom Kippur was the day that God would atone for (erase) all of the iniquities (sins) of the past year for all of the people. The High Priest would sacrifice a goat and spread its blood on the mercy seat atop the ark of the covenant in the Holiest Place inside the Tabernacle. The people didn't have to do anything to have their sins atoned for except trust in the blood of the sacrifice. But the blood of that goat wasn't magical. It didn't really do anything. It just symbolized the steadfast love and faithfulness of God.
That's what Solomon wants his children to know, that it is God who takes away our sins, not us. We can't do anything to erase our sins. It is not our steadfast love and faithfulness that saves us from our iniquities, it is God's steadfast love and faithfulness that saves us from our iniquities. And that steadfast love and faithfulness of God came to us at the cross of Jesus.
The cross is God's pardoning of all of our sin simply because he loves us. Just like on the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament, we don't have to do anything to have our sins forgiven except trust in the blood of the sacrifice of Jesus, the final sacrifice for sins.
Sometimes we think that we can do things to earn salvation. We think we must be good enough to be allowed into Heaven. Or maybe we think that God forgives us because of our prayers or confessions, or because we promise to do better. But God forgives us because he loves us. Our salvation is not based on anything we do, only on who he is.
Because of Jesus all our sins ca be atoned for (erased).
With Jesus we can simply trust in God's love and faithfulness (not our own).
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Listen to and sing along to Nothing but the Blood of Jesus together.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, I believe you are the atonement for my sins. Thank you for your love. Amen.
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