In this chapter, Jerry Bridges explains an important theological idea that we don’t talk a lot about: the scapegoat.

A scapegoat is one who is made to bear the blame for the actions of others, or for events he did not cause… The greatest scapegoat in all of history, however, is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just as the Israelites’ sins were symbolically carried away by the scapegoat, so our sins have been literally carried away by our Lord Jesus Christ.

The question we must ask ourselves is, do we believe this? Do we believe the testimony of Scripture, or do we believe our guilty feelings? Only to the extent we believe God has indeed put our sins behind his back will we be motivated and enabled to effectively deal with those sins in our daily lives.

He explains what this means through a friend’s experience:

Because of a teenage prank, my friend was convicted of a felony, but received what is called a Queen’s pardon. Years later, when he was routinely investigated for past criminal activity, the response came back, “We have no record of this person.” His record has not just been marked “pardoned,” it has been completely removed from the file and destroyed. It’s as if my friend had never been convicted. There is no permanent legal stain hanging over his head. There is no chance that the offense will ever arise to haunt him in the future.

This is what God has done for us. He has blotted out our sins, removing them from His record. He has done more than wipe the slate clean. he has thrown away the slate!

There are some great sections in this chapter about propitiation, penitence and faith, cleansing the conscience, and expiation.  I loved the different pictures Bridges explains about forgiveness:

• carrying away sin
• removing sin as far as the east is from the west
• putting sin behind his back
• blotting sin from his record
• choosing to remember sin no more
• casting sin into the depths of the sea

Here are some questions for you to consider:

• Which of the above metaphors about forgiveness is most meaningful to you?
• On page 60, Bridges says, “Only to the extent we believe God has indeed put our sins behind His back will we be motivated and enabled to effectively deal with those sins in our daily lives.”  Why is this the case?  Do you believe God has put your sins behind his back?  Why or why not?

Categories: Summer Reading '07, five15 blog