Resting in the finished work of Christ

At the heart of our Christian faith lies a mystery that is both simple and unfathomably deep: the reconciliation¹. For many, this remains an abstract term, but when we open the Scriptures - and especially Leviticus 16 in light of the New Testament - we discover that atonement is the solid ground on which our entire spiritual life rests. It is the divine provision that “allows mercy to triumph over judgment.”.

What is reconciliation anyway?

Reconciliation is essentially the bridging of the immeasurable gap between God's absolute holiness and guilty man. However, it is crucial to understand that in this process God never ignores His own character. As the Holy One, He must judge sin. Reconciliation is therefore not the ignoring of sin, but the meeting place where grace and justice meet.

In Christ, this finds a perfect solution: God judges sin in His Son, while bestowing His love on the sinner. This is also called with an old word ‘satisfaction’; the majesty of God is satisfied and He is glorified in the death of Christ (John 13:31). All that God is - His light and His love - finds rest in the cross. Nowhere is God so highly exalted and man nowhere so deeply humbled as in the atonement; it is divine justice based on Christ's work when man is found to be unjust.

From shadow to reality

The Old Testament offered an impressive picture with the Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), but it was only a ‘shadow’ of the future goods (Hebrews 10:1). On the contrary, the repetition of these sacrifices proved that sin was not yet finally gone; after all, the law brought “nothing to perfection” (Hebrews 7:19).

• The shadow: In Leviticus 16, the high priest did not wear his robes of “splendor and beauty,” but simple white linen garments. This spoke of the immaculate, intrinsic righteousness required to appear before God.
• Reality: Where the Old Testament sacrifices were temporary, Christ established “eternal redemption” through His own blood (Hebrews 9:12). He does not have to die again every year; His work was accomplished when He poured out His blood, and He now sits at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3).

The Secret of the Two Bucks: Atonement and Substitution

The two goats in Leviticus 16 together form one complete picture of the atonement. In this we see a fundamental distinction that is crucial to an understanding of the gospel.

• The first goat (for atonement): This goat was “the lot before the LORD.” Scripture does not mention the laying on of hands or confession of guilt here. Why? Because this aspect is purely God-centered. God's holiness and majesty first had to be avenged and satisfied before man's sins could come up for discussion. This lays the foundation on which God can look graciously at the whole world.
• The second buck (for the substitution): Here the sins were indeed confessed and transferred by the laying on of hands. The goat was sent away to an uninhabited land (Azazel), symbolizing that our sins were completely carried away never to be found again. This is the human-centered side of the atonement.

We see this distinction in Romans 3:22. The righteousness of God is “to (Gr.eis) all” - a universal offering based on the first buck (atonement). But she is also “on (Gr. epi) all who believe” - the effective application of the second goat (substitution). Only for those who believe were sins actually taken away.

The incense and the bull: our priestly position

Before sprinkling the blood, Aaron brought incense inside the veil. This incense does not represent the prayers of the saints, but the personal “sweet smell” of Christ's character before God. Even before He bore our sins, the Father enjoyed the moral beauty of the Son.

The bull was specifically intended for Aaron and his house. This is a precious detail for the believer: we are now the “priestly family” of Christ (Hebrews 3:6). While Israel is still “outside” waiting for the High Priest to return, our position now is already inside the veil. Because the veil has been torn, we have “boldness to enter into the sanctuary” (Hebrews 10:19).

The practical blessing for the life of faith

Reconciliation is not a dry theory, but the source of unshakable peace and a cleansed conscience.

• No more conscience of sins: This does not mean that we forget that we have sinned, but that the guilt has been permanently wiped away before God's eye. The worshipper once cleansed has “no more consciousness of sins” as a barrier between him and God (Hebrews 10:2).
• The ‘sadness’ of the soul: True atonement involves self-judgment. In Leviticus, one had to “humble the soul.” This is not despair, but healthy humility that paves the way for deep peace; without self-judgment, our joy remains superficial.
• Rest from own work: On the Great Day of Atonement, one was not allowed to do “any work.” Reconciliation, for 100%, is God's work. Any attempt to add to it ourselves is a denial of the power of Christ's sacrifice. We rest because He has completed the work.

And if there is still sin?

Although a believer still has sin in him, his unshakable position as a child of God remains unchanged because of Christ's one-time sacrifice, which brought about “eternal redemption.” The relationship between God and the believer is similar to that of a father and a child: God disciplines His children precisely because He loves them, but the family bond itself is not broken by sin. Because Christ's work is perfect, daily transgressions do not require a new sacrifice; for a repetition would deny the enduring power of the cross.

However, sin does disrupt the fellowship and peace enjoyed in the conscience. In these situations, God provides restoration through the ministry of Christ as Advocate (Advocate) with the Father (1 John 2:1) and through the cleansing power of the Word, the “washing of water.” This process leads the believer to a necessary self-judgment and humbling of the soul, confessing sin in light of what it cost Christ on the cross. Thus the joy of fellowship is restored, while the legal peace with God remains unshakably fixed.

Finally: inside the veil and outside the army place

The atonement puts the believer in a new position: he has boldness to live “within the veil” in the heavenly sanctuary in communion with God and worship Him.
At the same time, he follows Christ “outside the camp,” prepared to bear His reproach in a world that has rejected Him. The assurance that God has fully accepted the sacrifice of His Son gives peace, boldness and a life focused on worship and following Christ.

Footnotes

1. This article is a summary of readings on this topic by W. Kelly (1820-1906): ︎