22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Have you ever gone to a store to purchase something and realize that you left the discount coupon sitting at home? Isn’t that frustrating! If you had just brought the coupon you could have saved some money. No amount of talking will convince the cashier that you have the coupon at home. You have to have it with you in order to get the discount. All the Old Testament sacrifices were about the exchange of life: the animal died and the human got to live. They were all fulfilled when Jesus died and rose again. There is no more need for life to be given up. Jesus did it for us. Forgiveness requires that a payment be made for sin. And the price of sin is death. Someone has to die if forgiveness is to be a reality. It can be your life on judgment day, or Jesus’ life, if you accept Jesus’ payment that has been made for you. It is your choice. Jesus is the 100% off coupon for our sins. The complete penalty for our sins has been paid. Sometimes there are consequences in this life for the sins we commit. I remember sitting with a man who was dying of AIDS. He had been a drunk and drug abuser. One time he had been so drunk he had passed out on a train track and, you guessed it, the train had cut off both his legs. His repentance could never restore his legs in this life. His sin had very real consequences, and so does our sin. There are no private sins. All our sins carry consequences, even if they are forgiven. So next time you are tempted to believe that your sin hurts no one, think again.
The Arnold Journey 