Spiritual Moment Anyone?

This weeks Gospel learning comes from Leviticus 1:4.

"And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him."

At first this can seem either confusing or upfront. Perhaps, it is both! On the churchofjesuschrist.org website, you can search for scriptures are it will give you a lot of learning resources. I decided to find my research for this blog straight from their website.

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The first thing I want to talk about is the symbolism in this scripture. Putting the hands upon the head represents two forms of sacrifice. First and most important, the essential sacrifice of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The website says, "laying on of hands showed a transfer of identity; that is, the offerer put his own identity upon the sacrificial animal." Jesus Christ literally held the entire weight of everyone's sins when He crucified. The second form of sacrifice is represented as the slaying of an animal. Depending on the offering, this could represent two things. One, the death of the natural man so that our spirits could grow or two, giving up your entire self to God. Both of which Christ has already done.

The last thing I want to touch upon is the meaning of the atonement. In Hebrew, the word atonement means "to cover over or hide." This means that the sins are NOT gone. Instead, they have been "spiritually blotted out" because Jesus Christ bore the demands of justice and stands as our advocator of mercy. Ultimately, "atonement" means becoming one with God again. Those who follow the commandments and strive to be righteous, will get to be one with God again. Only because of the selfless sacrifice provided by the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If you would like to read the things quotes in this blog, please check out this page. https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-genesis-2-samuel/leviticus-1-10-a-law-of-performances-and-ordinances-part-1-sacrifices-and-offerings?lang=eng

#churchofjesuschrist #atonement #sacrificedforus