If we compare the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, there is a very big difference between . I believe that if we are aware of this, we will marvel even more at what Jesus did and gave to us.
John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Did John tell them a secret, or did the people with this message hear something they already knew? John shared a revelation of what Jesus was coming to do that people didn’t know yet. In the time of John the Baptist and Jesus, people lived under the Old Covenant. This meant that your sins were covered and not taken away. They were covered by the blood of an animal. David even says about that in Psalm 32:1: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Your sins could not be covered all at one time; because every time a sacrifice had to be made through which blood would flow to cover your sins.
Hebrews 8:6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
So Jesus has become a Mediator of a better covenant, a covenant in which your sins are not covered but are taken away. That sounds definitive and that is wat it is! After all, something that is taken away is no longer present; so it cannot be returned to and looked at. Unlike the blood of bulls and goats, the blood of Jesus could take away your sins. On the cross, Jesus suffered for you and died for your sins. Because Jesus was condemned, He paid your penalty for your sins and took away your sins. If you believe that your sins have been taken away, then you know you are liberated and you feel no burden of sin. That’s the power of grace! It brings you from judgment and guilt into the freedom that Jesus has given you through his sacrifice. A freedom that He Himself has achieved, so that you may live without feelings of judgment and guilt.
If you may be down at times and struggling with feelings of guilt, realize that Jesus has taken on your guilt; a debt cannot be paid off a second time. It is up to you to focus on what Jesus has done for you and that will strengthen your faith.
