Gtcotr/ws050113
Romans 5
1 ¶ Therefore, having been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God.
Commentary
When
God first created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, it was
God’s intent that they should have unrestricted fellowship together with Him.
The Bible says that God walked with them in the cool of the day. Later sin
entered the picture and mankind lost rights of access to the presence of God. From
that point forward contact was very limited and then accomplished mostly by
heavenly messengers who made man to understand the will of God and worked with
man on God’s behalf.
Angels
provided the communication link between heaven and earth seeing that mankind
were sinners and no sin could stand in God’s presence. God loved, missed and
longed for relationship with His creation. For this reason He established a
ritual through which a man’s sin could be temporarily covered allowing God’s
Spirit to descend upon the earth without threat of consuming all flesh.
The
ritual of sacrifice was instituted and a Tabernacle was constructed according
to strict instructions after the heavenly pattern. This Tabernacle was
consecrated by the continual sacrifice of bulls and goats. The daily sacrifice also
reminded God and man of the sin which separated them and the hope that one day
a greater sacrifice would restore relationship and grant man unrestricted
access to God’s presence and even to His throne.
The
Temple which was built in Jerusalem was patterned after the Tabernacle in the
wilderness. They both had three distinct areas of sacrifice and service. The
outer court was the largest of the three allowing everyone to bring a sacrifice
for sin and receive temporary reprieve. Many other rituals were performed in
the outer court which were but shadows and symbols of a greater day to come in
which Messiah, the Lamb of God, would take away the sins of the world forever.
The
Inner Court was only accessed by the Levitical Priests to do service and
minister to the Lord and then only entered after passing through several steps
of ritual cleansing so as not to appear before the Lord’s instruments of
worship unclean and unworthy to perform the service – this could cost them
their lives. Daily prayers were offered in the Inner Court and lifted
heavenward in the smoke from the Altar of Incense. This was a holy duty indeed
but still demanded that communication cross the great gulf between heaven and
earth to reach the presence of God.
The
third area of this earthly replica of God’s heavenly Temple was the Holy of
Holies. This sealed inner sanctuary which was covered a thick curtain called
“the veil” held the Ark of the Covenant and represented the very throne room of
God’s presence. Only the High Priest of Israel was allowed to enter one time
each year, humbly and fearfully reaching out to God on the Day of Atonement to
sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, and then only after meticulous
preparation had been made. Nothing more symbolizes the future hope of Messiah
than this event.
The
great curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from view and denied access to
God stood as a veil between God and man. However, on the day when Jesus was
crucified, along about the sixth hour of the day, the sun grew dark and Jesus
cried with a loud voice and said, “It is finished”, then He died. At that
instant the earth shook and the veil of Temple guarding entrance to the Holy of
Holies was torn by the hand of God from the top all the way to the bottom. Access
was granted by the blood of Messiah.
Jesus
made a way for us that we might enter into the presence of God. He broke down
that middle wall of separation and thereby created new access to God having
made atonement for all who would come through Him. Now, those who are “In
Christ” have that access to God and are accepted in the beloved. Therefore we
come boldly to the throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to
help in the times of need.
Key Scripture:
Ephesians 3:12 In Christ we
have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself
is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of
separation.
Ephesians 2:18 For through
Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need.
The
bold approach spoken of in Hebrews is best understood when we rightly define
this particular concept of boldness. The term “boldly” herein means:
·
With
openness; honesty; clean heartedness
·
Without
fear; deception; ambiguity
·
With
humble assurance and cheerful courage
·
Confident
in our approach
Important Points
1.
The blood of Jesus abolished the veil of separation between God and
man.
2.
Mankind now has open access to God through Christ Jesus.
3.
Those who are “In Christ” can approach God’s throne with confidence.
4.
Ephesians 1:6 To the praise
of the glory of God’s grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
Let
us remember, God did this all through the sacrifice of His Son because He
wanted to, not because He had to. This is God’s grace; we have access.
Supporting
Scriptures
·
Matthew
27:50-51
·
Hebrews
9:3
·
Hebrews
10:20
·
Hebrews
6:19-20
