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Continuing our discussion from part two, as I explained in previous paragraphs, it is totally impossible for anyone to faithfully observe and keep every single commandment -- or mitzvah -- of the Mosaic Law. It just cannot be done. This is why it is such a burden. You can try as hard as you like for your entire life, and you will still never be able to satisfy God's requirements for sin. So if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, don't believe them. In fact, because we are unable to keep every single commandment of the Mosaic Law, the Bible informs us that we are not only guilty, but we are cursed as well. This truth becomes evident in the following two verses:

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."


"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not IN ALL THINGS which are written in the book of the law to do them."


You see that? If you don't continue IN ALL THINGS which are written in the Laws of Moses, if you miss keeping even just one of them, you are both guilty and cursed. That means that you are worthy of death. It is for that very reason that God the Father had to make another way. In fact, a much better way; and as far as we sinners are concerned, a much easier way. As we will see later in the Epistle to the Hebrews, it was "a better covenant, which was established upon better promises." As all Christians know, the better way which God the Father provided for us is of course through faith in Jesus Christ, who tells us the following in the Gospel of John:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."


The reason why Jesus had full authority to say that, even though His mission had not yet been fully accomplished, is because He knew in advance that He would become sin and a curse for us, within a very short period of time. He knew that He would take our place when He was cruelly nailed to that Roman Cross. He knew that our guilt, according to the Law, would be placed upon His shoulders. Our burden would become His burden, and He would lovingly accept our harsh punishment for us. He would give His life for our lives, because the wages of sin is death.

Several times now, I have mentioned the requirement of the Law, and that the Law needed to be satisfied in order for our sins to be annulled, and the sin and the guilt lifted from us. But exactly what was that requirement? What did God the Father specifically require to be done in order for sin to be atoned for, or expiated, during the Old Testament era? As I explain in other articles, that requirement is clearly spelled out for us in the following verse:

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.‭"


As you can see, it required the shedding of blood in order for remission to occur, and for the guilt of sin to be fully expunged. If you delve into a number of my other articles -- such as part three of my series "Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?" -- as well as into the Old Testament itself, you will see that it could not be just any blood. It had to be the blood of a goat or a lamb which was without spot or blemish. It had to be a perfect animal. Thus we see a clear connection between what occurred during the Old Testament period, and what Jesus did for us in the New Testament, when He became the Lamb of God "without blemish and without spot", as we see in the following group of verses:

"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he [meaning Jesus] entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself WITHOUT SPOT to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"


Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry . . . but now once in the end of the world hath he [meaning Jesus] appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."


"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, AS OF A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT:"


As we have now seen, Jesus Christ became the Lamb of God -- without blemish and without spot -- of the New Testament who willingly gave His life for the sins of the world. Why did Jesus do this? Again, so that we could be made righteous and justified before God the Father, and as a result, be found worthy of Forgiveness, Redemption and Salvation. We found Grace and Mercy in God's sight because of what Jesus did for us. Through His Sacrifice, the burden, the curse, the guilt, and the condemnation of the Mosaic Law was lifted from our shoulders, and placed upon His own shoulders instead, as we learned in part two.

Please note, however, that the shedding of Jesus' blood was not enough. There was another important condition which still had to be met. That condition was that Jesus had to also give His actual life. The Mosaic Law demanded a life for a life -- meaning Jesus' life for our lives -- before the New Covenant -- that is, the New Testament or New Agreement -- between the Father and the Son could take full affect. This fact becomes clearly evident by the following two verses:

"For where a testament ‭is‭, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.‭ ‭‭For a testament ‭is‭ of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.‭"


As many of you will know, Jesus Himself spoke of His coming betrayal and death a number of times throughout the Gospels. In particular, during His last Passover meal with the Twelve Apostles, He said the following to them:

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."


"And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many."


"And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."


So the New Covenant, or New Testament, between the Father and the Son was sealed by both Jesus' body, and also by His blood. As I mentioned in part two of this series, Christ was willing to pay the ultimate price for our Redemption. As Jesus and the Apostle Paul both tell us, the Lord paid the required ransom price for us, because we were being held captive by sin, death and even by the Devil himself, who at one time had the power of death. Consider the following set of verses which confirm these two points:

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;"


"Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."


"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."


"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."


"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."


"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men."


"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."


"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."


You will notice that in those last two verses which are found in the Apostle Paul's first Epistle to Timothy, we are told that because of what Jesus did for us, He has become the sole Mediator between God and men. Make no mistake. There's no one else but Him, so please beware of those people who point you to Mary, or to anyone else. Only Jesus Christ paid the ransom price for our sins. Therefore, only He is found worthy to be our Mediator. This Scriptural truth is confirmed for us in other verses as well. Consider the following:

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [meaning the name of Jesus] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."


"But now hath he [meaning Jesus] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."


"And for this cause he [meaning Jesus] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."


"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."


Another way to say it is that Jesus is the only propitiation for our sins. Derived from the Koine Greek word "ἱλασμός‭" -- which is transliterated into English characters as "hilasmos" -- this word means to propitiate or to appease. As I pointed out in part two, Jesus met the demands or requirements of the Mosaic Law, so that we could be forgiven. He appeased the Law and He paid the bill for our Salvation. That is, He paid the ransom price. Consider the following verses where this word "propitiation" is used:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"


"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."


"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."


So because Christ was willing to suffer "without the gate" -- meaning outside the gated wall of Jerusalem at Golgotha -- we can now draw nigh to God with boldness and without fear, and be symbolically cleansed from our sins, by Christ's precious blood. We are washed in the blood of the Lamb of God. Again, this important point can be verified by Bible verses such as the following:

"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate."


"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."


"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;"


"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."


"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"


"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."


"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."


Please notice in that last verse how when Peter is addressing the brethren, he makes a clear reference to how Moses likewise sprinkled the people with blood in the Old Testament, as we saw in part two of this series. That act, like many other acts which were done during the Old Testament period, was merely a foreshadow of what Jesus Christ would do for us in the New Testament, when He cleansed us with His own precious blood.

By way of this series, we have traveled an amazing journey through the Scriptures, and revealed God's plan from start to finish. That is, from the first entrance of sin and death into the world in the Book of Genesis, to God's solution to the problem in the New Testament, which culminates with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you have wondered and questioned how you can be saved, it is my hope that this series has clearly answered any questions which you may have.

Equally important, I hope that you have come to understand that you simply are not capable of saving yourself. You can't be good enough or righteous enough, to ever merit God's Mercy and Grace. No matter how many Biblical laws you try to keep, you will never achieve justification or righteousness of your own accord; because as we have seen, if you break even just one of God's Laws, you are guilty of breaking all of them. As we discussed in part one of this series, the Prophet Isaiah wrote that our righteousness is as filthy rags. That is how God views it. Let me share that verse with you one more time:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."


So again, you will never be found worthy of Salvation and Eternal Life by your own merit. Your works and adherence to the Law alone will never cut it. You will fall short every single time. The only real solution to this problem of sin and death, is God's Solution, as I have outlined for you in this series. That means that you must be willing to humble yourself, recognize your sinful condition, and then embrace God's Grace and Mercy which is extended to you through the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul also clearly wrote in two of his Epistles:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."


"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"


In the Old Testament writings of the Prophet Isaiah, God pleaded with the Israelites to repent of their wickedness, rebellion and sins, and to return to Him. In the opening chapter of that Book, we find the following verse which reveals how our slate can be washed completely clean, if we will simply humble ourselves, call upon the Lord, confess our sins, and thus be saved:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."


If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the previous verse is my call to you today. Aren't you tired of carrying the weight of sin around by yourself? Do you want some relief? As we learned in part two, Jesus said "Come unto me", and He will give you the rest that you so desire. Let me share those three verses with you one more time:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."


If you do come to Christ, humbly confess your sins, and seek God's forgiveness, you have the promise that you will in fact be forgiven, and cleansed from all your unrighteousness. God will embrace you as one of His dear adopted children, and you will become a member of His household. And please remember that God does NOT lie. He keeps His word. Consider this group of Bible verses which validate these various points:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."


"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"


"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"


"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."


"Having predestinated us UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN BY JESUS CHRIST to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"


"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."


"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but YE HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together . . . For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, WAITING FOR THE ADOPTION, to wit, the redemption of our body."


"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."


"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"


With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

A Discussion Regarding Philippians 2:12
All Are Given a Chance, But . . .
Are Christians Obligated to Keep the Sabbath?
Backsliding, Divine Chastisement and the Divine Agreement
Beholding the Evil and the Good
Dead to the Law: God's Laws Written on Our Hearts
Did the Apostle Paul Start the Christian Faith?
Do You Want Love and Light, or Rod and Wrath?
Free From the Fear of Death: Law and Works vs Grace
Free Will and Personal Choice
Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?
Is the Message of Salvation Meant for All Men?
Jesus Christ or Yeshua Messiah?: More Christian Zionist Legalism
Message to the World
Not Everyone is a Child of God
So You Really Think You Are So Humble?
The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words
The Lamb of God Was a Goat!
The Royal Law: Thou Shalt Love

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