Forgiveness of Sin in the Atonement

Matthew 26:26-29
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[b] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Hebrews 9:22
Because all things are purged by blood in The Written Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Leviticus 4:20,26,35
And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement for them, and it shall be forgiven them

Leviticus 6:7
And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Hebrews 9
Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.


6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.


The Blood of Christ​

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining[b] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God!


15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.


16 In the case of a will,[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[e] 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Conclusion: The forgiveness of sins is found only in the blood of Christ- His life which He gave as a sacrifice for sin. That is the heart of the Atonement. It is what the New Covenant is found upon His blood/life which was given for our sins. Forgiveness is only found in His blood/life that He gave on our behalf. That is how are sins are removed and taken away. That is what the Law required for sin was the blood of the animal/sacrifice.

There is no "punishment" above anywhere. There is a sacrifice provided which covers and provides forgiveness of sins. The entire book of Hebrews is built upon the OT Law and how it is fulfilled in Christ. Why did the Author of Hebrews leave out the "penal" aspect of the Law with the sacrifice ?

Someone please help me out here ?

Thanks !
How do these verses fit into forgiveness and the cross?

. . . if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV

. . . Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me . . .
Matthew 16:24 NKJV
 
How do these verses fit into forgiveness and the cross?

. . . if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV

. . . Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me . . .
Matthew 16:24 NKJV
The words of Jesus in Matthew 6 have theological ramifications that cause our minds to struggle. What does He mean? Is my forgiveness of my friend the condition upon which God forgives me? Or is my unwillingness to forgive an indication that God does not really live in my heart?

In order to understand Matthew 6:14-15, we have to turn to Matthew 18, where Jesus tells us a story about the nature of true forgiveness.

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.

“So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you? And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.

“So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21–35)​


What was Jesus teaching us through this parable? The king represents God; the servant is all of us. We owe a debt of sin we could not possibly repay. Our little attempts to pay our debt would be like those of the servant offering to pay his huge debt. It’s ridiculous! We have nothing in our account but zeroes! And yet, because of His great love, God forgave us our astronomical debt. Now the question is, will we be like the evil servant—someone who wants to take all the forgiveness God can give, but is not willing to give it to somebody else?
 
The words of Jesus in Matthew 6 have theological ramifications that cause our minds to struggle. What does He mean? Is my forgiveness of my friend the condition upon which God forgives me? Or is my unwillingness to forgive an indication that God does not really live in my heart?

In order to understand Matthew 6:14-15, we have to turn to Matthew 18, where Jesus tells us a story about the nature of true forgiveness.




What was Jesus teaching us through this parable? The king represents God; the servant is all of us. We owe a debt of sin we could not possibly repay. Our little attempts to pay our debt would be like those of the servant offering to pay his huge debt. It’s ridiculous! We have nothing in our account but zeroes! And yet, because of His great love, God forgave us our astronomical debt. Now the question is, will we be like the evil servant—someone who wants to take all the forgiveness God can give, but is not willing to give it to somebody else?
Yes, the words for Christ are a stern warning that we need to choose to forgive others if we expect to be forgiven ourselves.

That can be a difficult process, a personal cross.
 
Yes, the words for Christ are a stern warning that we need to choose to forgive others if we expect to be forgiven ourselves.

That can be a difficult process, a personal cross.
Sounds right to me. I do have a few more thoughts on this topic. I read this quote in a book on forgiveness “He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must someday pass.”

Does Jesus mean that unforgiveness indicates an unregenerate heart? If we remain unwilling to forgive our friends and enemies, does that mean we have never truly come to faith in Christ? It may.

I would never suggest that someone might lose his or her salvation by committing some sin—it is by grace, through faith, that we are saved, and our salvation depends wholly on the finished work of Christ on the cross and nothing else.

And according to Romans 8:9, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” If unforgiveness fills our heart, it seems clear the Holy Spirit does not.

I like the way Eugene Peterson has rendered this in The Message:

This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.

Or say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a minute. Make the first move, make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out without a stiff fine. (Matthew 5:21–26; see also Mark 11:25)

The Bible clearly says that if we come to the altar and remember that someone has something against us, or if we have something against someone else, we must go find our brother, be reconciled to him, and only then come back and talk to God.
 
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