Tes

I have never looked at that scripture or communion quite this way. I've always "remembered" what Jesus has done for me...which is more than enough and plenty to celebrate. However, now I see that there is even more to celebrate at each communion. I should "do this in rememberance" but also do this in "anticipation" and expectation of my future with Him as his bride. What a thing to celebrate!!

According to the slave-ransom analogy, who is the slave? : Mankind What is he enslaved by?: Sin Who offers the ransom?: God If Satan is involved in the enslaving process, why isn't the ransom paid to him?: Satan does not own mankind. He's more of a hired hand working for Sin to keep mankind living as a slave to Sin. He has no authority to release the slaves. Why isn't the slave-ransom analogy spelled out completely in the New Testament?:[/b] I think it is not spelled out because they had a much better understanding of the slave-ramsom process at that time than we do now. The New Testament writters did not need to go into detail because their readers understood by implication. As discussed in these lessons, we are much further removed from the issues of slavery and the need for a slave-ransom, so we don't understand the concept of Christ being our ransom and all of the implications of that analogy quite as easily.

Q4. In addition to our sins, the Servant also bears the punishment deserved by sinners. In what sense, if any, did Jesus bear the punishment due you when he died on the cross? Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Matthew 25:46 - "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Sin is to be punished by death, no execeptions. Sin is in this world and I am a sinner. I cannot free myself of sin. Since I am a sinner I should be punished by death. Instead of death and eternal punishment, Jesus took my place in the death that I deserve and gave me eternal life!!

Q4. What are the basic elements involved in a sacrifice for sin? (Leviticus 4:32-35; 5:5-6) Which of these are still necessary for forgiveness of sins today? Which are no longer necessary? Why? 1. Confession: Still VERY necessary. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins..." 2. Bringing a costly animal: not necessary for forgiveness, but necessary for true life. God calls us to bring OUR lives as a living sacrifice to Him (costly animal). Jesus died for us, but we are to give up the desires of our flesh, take up His cross and follow him. 3. Laying hands on sacrifice: not literally necessary. However, when we confess our sins to Jesus, we should leave our sins on Him and not take them back with us. When we leave our sins on Him, we are being freed from the burden of those sins, just as the Isrealites were freed from the burden of the sin they put onto the sacrifical lambs. The sacrifical lambs took away the sin. If we take our sins back with us after "confessing," have we truly confessed and relied on HIS forgiveness? 4. Burning the fat at the alter: not literally necessary. However, Jesus calls us to "repent." To repent is to "change one's mind, or make a change for the better." So He calls us to not only confess, but to change. It appears to me that the burning of the fat might symbolize the removal of the excess in our lives that cause us to stumble and sin. Only the lean meat is left... 5. Meat is eaten: communion is commanded. Jesus commanded us to take of his body and his blood. We do this in communion. He said to do this in "remembrance" of Him. Did the requirement that the meat of the sacrificed animal be eaten actually provide the forgiveness? Maybe it was commanded so that they would not take for granted the spilled blood of the animal for the sin. They had to "remember" the sacrifice when they sat down to eat, just as we are to remember Jesus' sacrifice when we partake in communion. Also, we are to told by Paul in 1 Cor. not to partake in communion unless we have "examined" ourselves and are not partaking in an "unworthy" manner. I think most of us believe that this means we are to ask forgiveness of our sins prior to communion. The Isrealites had to confess and sacrifice then eat of the sacrifice, and we are called to do the same.

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life? I think the responses to the question have gone a little more into "city folk" bashing than I appreciate. I am from "the city." However, I do work very hard to put food on my table, and am not pampered or spoiled. I just have a different job than some who work on the farm. I might be willing to trade... The thing is, there is a great difference between animal sacrifice and killing animals for food. I think that most of us, city folk or not, can apprecite that slaughtering an animal for a meal is messy business; but it is for OUR personal satisfaction. It is to fill our mouth up with flavors that we enjoy and our bellies up with food. (Contrary to some beliefs, we don't have to eat meat. We can survive just fine on vegetables and grain. Meat is a special pleasure that God only allowed after the flood.) However, the idea that that same, messy, sinky awfulness involved in slaughtering animals for food is REQUIRED for a sacrifice to CLEANSE a person from thier sin? How can it be? Cleansing should be clean, shouldn't it? We we think of clean we think of newly fallen snow and crisp white sheets that smell fresh; we don't think of dark red blood and the awful smell of death. Farmers do have an advantage in this area over us city folk. They deal with animals as product on a daily basis. They see the goodness that comes out of the yuck (newborn animals, clean milk, fresh meat, etc.). We (city folk) see animals more as members of the family and pets. We give our dogs baths so they don't smell, and take them to the vets to have their babies and to be "put down" when necessary. Therefore it may be more difficult for us to imagine that cleansing can come from animal sacrifice. In the end, we are all "pampered." Because of Jesus, none of us have to get our hands dirty to have our hearts cleansed. That just sends chills down my spine - oh how I love HIM!!