Monday, 30 July 2012

Forgivness of Sins

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I am Jewish, aren't all my sins forgiven at Yom Kippur?

No one's sins are automatically forgiven at Yom Kippur, even if one is Jewish, attends synagogue and asks for God's forgiveness on Yom Kippur. According to the Bible forgiveness is based on one thing only.

God in His mercy is willing to acknowledge the sacrifice of one innocent, who stands in place of the guilty as a substitute. God sees the innocent blood shed to be a basis for forgiveness. The Bible is quite clear that blood sacrifice is the only way our sins can be atoned for. We read in the Scriptures, "for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

At the same time, sacrifice cannot be made at just any location. The Temple in Jerusalem was the location for such sacrifices. Of course, the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, thus doing away with the only authorized place for sacrifice. In the first century before the Temple was destroyed, God provided the perfect sacrifice as Yeshua gave His own life as a substitute for our sins. This alone is the way our sins are forgiven.