The Forgiveness Of Sin
I can only put it in simple terms as I understand it. Let’s look at forgiveness of sin first. Enter the 7 Noahide laws or the seven laws of Noah. The foundation of all 7 laws seems to come from various sources. Break a law and you’re a sinner. What does not appear to be listed is the consequences, how you have your sins forgiven, or a pathway to eternal life.
Next, a generalization of the commandments and laws given by Moses. Break a law and you’re a sinner. Consequences listed as blessings and curses of the law are found in Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. Still, no pathway to eternal life is mentioned or how you have your sins forgiven. The Blessing and curses are things will go well for you on the earth, or things will go badly for you on the earth.
Now, we get to the Tabernacle. It is through the sacrifice of a lamb at the Tabernacle that Israel’s sins are forgiven.
In terms of the afterlife, we have Sheol for the Old Testament.
Sheol (Sheol Wikipedia) in the Hebrew Bible is a place of still darkness which lies after death. Although not well defined in the Tanakh, Sheol in this view was a subterranean underworld where the souls of the dead went after the body died.
Within the Hebrew Bible, there are few – often brief and nondescript – mentions of Sheol, seemingly describing it as a place where both the righteous and the unrighteous dead go, regardless of their moral choices in life. The implications of Sheol within the texts are therefore somewhat unclear; it can be interpreted as either a generic metaphor describing “the grave” into which all humans invariably descend, or, it may be interpreted as representing an actual state of afterlife within Israelite thought.
The Path Of Redemption
So where is the pathway for redemption? First, you need to find the starting point.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The pathway is always a woman and child. Rebecca and Jacob (Jacob wrestles with an angel for Jacob’s ladder) Hannah and Samuel. Classical Rabbinical literature adds that he was more than an equal to Moses, God speaking directly to Samuel, rather than Samuel having to attend the Tabernacle to hear God. (Reference Samuel – Wikipedia). Jochebed and Moses. From Moses, we get the law dealing with sin, but we also get a picture. Where it is much easier to see the redemption. It is in the phrase, Let my people go. Pharaoh represents a type of Satan in the bible.
Exodus 8:1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
No Moses, and you don’t even make it out of the car park in terms of Satan Kingdom. Figuratively, God is going to crush Satan’s head through Moses. Starting with his wise men throwing down staffs that turn into snakes, and then through the plagues of Egypt.
Jesus Is Both A Path For Redemption And The Forgiveness Of Sins
I have not done an exhaustive search through scripture. For the context of how the Father is used in the Old Testament. Yet, with those two concepts in mind. We can now talk about Jesus and hopefully bring some meaning to some of the scriptures we will be looking at. It starts when his ministry does. At his baptism with John the Baptist.
This is for the forgiveness of sins. John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
For the pathway of redemption, we get Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him; 17 and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus is being declared the son of God. The pathway is now into the family of God. Where before, you were a chosen people of God. You don’t even make it out of the car park for being in the family of God without Jesus. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob changes too. Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name through Jesus.
John 14: 1- 7 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go, ye know the way. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know we the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also: from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
No one cometh unto the Father but by me. Christians have been criticized for claiming that Jesus is the only way to God. Perhaps, you might be able to make it to God and Sheol. Coming to the Father and making it into Heaven. That might be another story.
Psalm 16:10-11 For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. 11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
The Last supper, 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( The pathway of redemption into the Family of God). Likewise, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. (Blood for the forgiveness of sin)
Romans 8:14 -17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 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 with him.
The pathway to eternal life as found in John 3:16
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. Selah.