Maybe this goes along with Brad's last post about loving people...

I've been studying Leviticus this month (you know you're jealous) and, for the second time I am learning in detail about the complex and cumbersome system of sacrifice and atonement that God set up for his people in the desert.

It's gory and gruesome and serves so well to inspire in me a new depth of gratitude to Christ, if for no other reason than His removal of our requirement to be elbow deep in calf guts.

But I digress. This week's study was on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) and the symbolism of the scapegoat, which is one of the most romantic themes in this great love story between God and creation.

As I studied, I was directed to Hebrews 9:22, which says:

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and
 without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

I know what this means for me in terms of my own forgiveness of sin - that the shedding of Christ's blood was necessary and is sufficient to cover my sins.

But my mind wandered over to Colossians 3:13:

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

And so I wondered, if forgiveness requires "the shedding of blood", and if we are to "forgive as the Lord forgave us", and  if "as the Lord forgave us" required some pretty significant amounts of His own son's blood - then are we doing our job? Might this mean that forgiveness - true forgiveness - should cost us something? Something equivalent to blood?

Posted by Amy

Comments

[Photoqueen]

That certainly makes sense as I think about some people I've struggled to forgive lately. Because forgiving them definitely causes pain - just because it's so darned hard!

[Brad]

I am convinced we must enter the mess. Whatever it is, real "relationship" means getting so close that their pain is ours.

[Just Matt]

This is good. I was reminded last week that our sacrifices need to cost us something - we need to feel it. It needs to hurt. Forgivness is a sacrifice - it is hard to do b/c we don't want to do it - it is not a natural action for our sinful nature.