Portals of Prayer - A Daily Devotion from Concordia Publishing House
Devotional Reading for: 03/17/2010
Forgiveness: Past, Present, and Future
He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 9:26
Many Christians have wondered, “Did God forgive Adam and Eve?” God covered them with “garments of skins.” Through this first animal sacrifice, God conveyed the concept of atonement—a sin covering—to this penitent couple (Genesis 3:21). God continued to convey forgiveness through the sacrifice of innocent animals, but because they were slain to release only from past sins, animal sacrifices would have to be repeated. These animal sacrifices could bring forgiveness because Jesus “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Jesus is the sole source of forgiveness. His sacrifice on the cross flowed with forgiveness, providing forgiveness into all of time—past, present, and future—so that even Adam and Eve, believing in the coming Savior, could receive forgiveness. Into the Old Testament animal sacrifices, Christ’s atoning death provided the gift of forgiveness. Now Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice provides forgiveness so that penitent sinners can be cleansed by the blood of His one sacrifice.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice, which paid for all sins, so I can always find forgiveness in You. Amen.
Dear faithful readers,
It has been a joy for Concordia Publishing House to provide free access to Portals of Prayer each day. At CPH, we are always striving to provide resources that are current, timely, and useful. This includes offering our products using new tools for technology. On April 1, we will launch a new digital subscription (online) version of Portals of Prayer. After that time, we will no longer offer daily installments online for free.
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Thank you and God bless,
The CPH Magazine Team
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