The Life of Christ

LESSON 3

SECTION 24

Lk. 3:3 And he (John the Baptist) came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;

According to Heb. 9:22 there can be no remission (forgiveness) of sin without first the shedding of blood.

• How then did John’s baptism rightfully remit sin?

• The two words “almost all” found in Heb. 9:22 explain that there are exceptions to the blood requirement for remission of sin.

“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).

• The Old Testament records several examples of when sin was forgiven without the shedding of blood (Lev. 5:11; Ps. 51:2,7,10,17; Ex. 32:30-32; Ezek. 36:25; Zech. 13:1).

John is still ministering during the Old Covenant, and God again makes another Old Testament provision to receive the forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.

• After the death of Christ, when the New Testament officially begins, there will be no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of Jesus’ blood.

Lk. 3:4 “…as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.”’

“Make ready the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.”

• Before a king made a journey to a distant country, the roads he would travel were often improved to make his journey easier.

• Similarly, John wanted to make sure that Israel would repair their spiritual roads before the King of kings made His entrance.

Mt. 3:4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

John ’s diet consisted of locust and wild honey.

• Locust were among the ceremonially clean insects Jews were permitted to eat.

• Locust contains protein and are considered Kosher (Lev. 11:21).

Mt. 3:5-6 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea, and all the district around the Jordan; 6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

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