NT Framework - Atonement, Covering or Cure?

Jeremey challenges the common assumption that Old Testament sacrifices aimed at spiritual salvation and show how Leviticus and Hebrews distinguish ceremonial cleansing from eternal forgiveness. 

More information about Beyond the Walls, including additional resources can be found at www.beyondthewalls-ministry.com 

This series included graphics to illustrate what is being taught, if you would like to watch the teachings you can do so on Rumble (https://rumble.com/user/SpokaneBibleChurch) or on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtV_KhFVZ_waBcnuywiRKIyEcDkiujRqP).

Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner. 

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and
our series on the New Testamentframework.
Today, a smaller, bite-sizedpiece from the larger lesson.
We hope you enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 (00:10):
That view assumes something.
It assumes, and this is actuallya deadly assumption.
I consider this to be the mostdeadly assumption of the word,
uh, that animal sacrifices inthe Old Testament function in
the same spiritual sphere asChrist's sacrifice.
Now, if that's the case, ofcourse, they did not atone for

(00:30):
people's sins or for bringforgiveness, did they?
Because that would mean you'resaved by animal sacrifices,
right?
If those sacrifices werefunctioning in the spiritual
sphere for spiritualcleanliness, spiritual
forgiveness, then that wouldmean that you could be saved by
animal sacrifices in the OldTestament.

(00:51):
And that's just not true, is it?
So that's the deadly assumptionof this idea, of this uh
covering thing, or covering ideaof atonement.
Um, the these animal sacrifices,I'm gonna just ask you a
question, and it may becontroversial because people
have ideas, but did the OldTestament animal sacrifices

(01:14):
atone for sin?
Yes or no?
100% yes, every single time.
And it says this all over yourOld Testament.
It says it every time in the OldTestament.
Every single time it says thatthey were atoned for.
Now that creates uh a problem ina lot of people's minds.

(01:35):
But again, it's because it'sunder the assumption that it was
functioning in the samespiritual sphere that Christ's
sacrifice functioned in, andthat is patently false.
It is biblically stated to befalse.
That's why I'm taking youthrough the word.
Now, let's go to um the secondmeaning here, which is the
actual more accurate meaning.

(01:56):
This word means to, kipper meansto smear or to so as to cleanse,
to smear so as to cleanse.
It's the idea that when theanimal sacrifice was brought, it
cleansed the offering, offerer,I'm sorry, and brought
ceremonial cleanliness orforgiveness in the physical
sphere.

(02:19):
You picked up impurities bodilyunder the Old Testament Mosaic
legislation.
And because you picked up theseceremonial bodily impurities,
you could not be in the presenceof God who dwelt in the physical
temple, right?
That's why you couldn't go therewithout sacrifice.

(02:43):
Because God is holy, and hereyou have ceremonial impurities
on your physical flesh that youpicked up, and that barred you
from being in his presence.
Okay?
So therefore, the offerer would,for these purposes, have
sacrificed, animal sacrifice, inorder to cleanse so they could

(03:04):
be in the presence of God, whodwelled in the temple.
Now, he doesn't dwell in thephysical temple today, does he?
Where does he dwell?
In us, spiritual temples, right?
This you'll see is thedifference.
Okay, now that Christ has come,there's going to be a difference
in his sacrifice and the spherein which it is applicable for

(03:25):
our salvation, so that he candwell in us, okay?
Um, so that's where we're goingwith all this.
But let's look at Leviticus 17,and then we'll go back to
Leviticus 4, and then we'll goto Hebrews to show you that this
is uh even exactly what Hebrews9 says explicitly.
There's a physical sphere forthe animal sacrifice, there's a

(03:49):
spiritual sphere for what Christwas doing.
Leviticus 17.
And I've taken you this beforeearlier in discussing sacrifice
in this series just a few weeksago.
Remember, 1711, the life of theflesh is where?

(04:11):
In the blood, okay?
And I've given it to you on thealtar to make what?
To make atonement.
It's there for what?
To make atonement.
Does it do that?
Well, yeah, that's what it'sfor.
That's what it was happening inthe Old Testament, okay?
Therefore I said to the sons ofIsrael, No person among you may
eat blood, nor may any alien whosojourns among you eat blood.

(04:35):
So when any man from the sons ofIsrael or from the aliens who
sojourns among them in huntingcatches a beast or a bird which
may be eaten, he shall pour outits blood and cover it with the
earth.
Why?
Well, because the life is in theblood, and so you would pour out
the blood and cover it with theearth, because the blood
belonged to God.

(04:57):
And therefore the hunter was notsupposed to consume it.
Or verse 14, the life of allflesh, its blood, the life is
the is the blood, with its life.
Therefore I said to the sons ofIsrael, You are not to eat the
blood of any flesh, for the lifeof all flesh is its blood.
Whoever eats it shall be cutoff.

(05:20):
Alright, so it was somewhatserious, right?
Well, let's read on a little bitso we see more.
When any verse 15, when anyperson eats an animal which dies
or is torn by beasts, whether heis a native or an alien, he
shall wash his clothes and bathein water.
What did I say earlier aboutcertain sacrifices being related

(05:43):
to uncleanliness of the body,physical, which barred you from
being in the presence of God?
I said that, right?
Because uniquely in the OldTestament, you have God
indwelling in the tabernacle andlater the temple, and you had to
go up to Jerusalem or to thetabernacle, right, in order to

(06:04):
worship.
Now, do we have to do that now?
Do we have to go to Jerusalem?
Do we have to bring sacrifice?
Do we have to make this annualjourney?
No.
Remember what Jesus said?
There is coming a day whenneither here or there will you
worship, you know, this mount orthat mount, you worship God, but
all men will worship me inspiritual truth, right?
Just wherever you are.

(06:24):
Why?
Because the temple's in you.
You don't have to go to it, it'sin you, right?
So things have changed with thedeath of Christ.
But in the Old Testament, youhad to go.
And you couldn't go into God'spresence if you had physical
impurities.
And that's what it's sayinghere.
You're unclean.
You have to do this ritual ofgoing through washing the
clothes and bathing in water andremain unclean until evening,

(06:46):
then you will become clean.
So there's different proceduresfor ceremonial purity in the Old
Testament.
This one did not requiresacrifice, but others did.
Let's go back to chapter 4,Leviticus chapter 4, which also
speaks about atonement.
Chapter 4 and verse 20.
It's talking about bringing abull and what the priest will do
and so forth, how he cuts up theanimal, what is offered, and so

(07:09):
forth.
And then in chapter 4, verse 20,he the priest, the priest shall
also do with the bull, just ashe did with the bull of the sin
offering, thus he shall do withit.
So the priest shall makeatonement for them, and they
will be what?

(07:31):
You can say it, but it's okaybecause the Bible says it.
It's just that modern you knowtheology hasn't quite clear.
So the priest is gonna makeatonement for them with this
symbol of the sin offering, andthe individual will be uh
forgiven.
Um that's what I'm saying.

(07:52):
They they were forgiven, butthis forgiveness relates to
ceremonial impurities that theofferer had brought.
It was physical impurities, itwas not providing for their
spiritual well-being orspiritual salvation.
That's something that onlyChrist could do.
Right?
Does everybody agree with that?
Well, let's go see if the authorof Hebrews agrees with that.

(08:13):
Hebrews chapter 6.
On the way, as we go, I'llmention that the first usage of
this word atonement is withrespect to the ark.
Noah's Ark.
You remember that after theybuilt the Ark, they put a pitch

(08:33):
on the external surface of theArk to waterproof it, right?
We don't know exactly what thissubstance was.
We think of something like a taror something like that.
Whatever it was, though, it wassmeared.
See, it was smeared on the arkso as to signify that all its

(08:54):
inhabitants were cleansed.
It is our for first idea orpicture of what atonement will
do.
Okay, that it will cleanse thosewho are smeared, so to speak.
Okay, and the ark was smeared,so those within it were cleansed
before God.
Everything outside the ark wasuncleans, right, and therefore

(09:14):
destroyed.

SPEAKER_00 (09:16):
Thank you for joining us on Beyond the Walls
with Jeremy Thomas.
If you would like to see thevisuals that went along with
today's sermon, you can findthose on Rumble and on YouTube
under Spokane Bible Church.
That is where Jeremy is thepastor and teacher.
We hope you found today's lessonproductive and useful in growing

(09:37):
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And until next time, we hope youhave a blessed and wonderful
day.