THE PUTTING AWAY OF SIN

"Now once in the end of the world hath he (the Lord Jesus Christ) appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26). It was for sinful men like us that the great Redeemer appeared. Once, in the end of the world, when the fulness of time was come, the Son of God appeared at the appointed place, to put sin out of existence. Jesus Christ came into the world for this express purpose, to redeem hopelessly sinful men. He came into the world to give a real deliverance from sin by putting it away. He came to establish peace between man and God; for when sin is gone peace is lawful. Jesus Christ did not come into the world to make sin a harmless mistake. He did not come to give you a covering for your sin. He did not come to help you forget your sin. The Son of God came into this world to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

SIN IS AN INFINITELY EVIL THING. Sin is an attack upon the very throne of God. It is an offense against God's holiness, the transgression of God's law, and the rebellion of the heart against God's sovereignty. Sin is the monstrous attempt of depraved man to rape God and rob him of his dignity and glory as God! Sin is man's denial of God's right to be God! IT IS A VERY HARD THING TO PUT AWAY SIN.

All the Jewish sacrifices of the Old Testament, costly and numerous as they were, could not put away sin. All the religious zeal and devotion of the Scribes and Pharisees could not put away sin. Not even repentance, faith, and a holy life can put away sin. Even if you and I were to suffer the wrath of God in hell forever, we could not put away one sin. BUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS PUT AWAY SIN! By his one all-sufficient, infinitely meritorious sacrifice at Calvary, the Son of God has put away all the sins of all his people forever! He did not put our sins away into hiding, or in reserve, to bring them out at another time. The blood of Christ has put sin out of existence for his people! In the sight of God's law, so far as his holiness and justice is concerned, the man or woman who trusts Christ has no sin!