ROMANS Lesson 21

Leviticus 16

^[16:1] The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord and died, ^[2] and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the special curtain in front of the atonement lid that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement lid.

^[3] “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ^[4] He must put on a holy linen tunic, linen leggings are to cover his body, and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. They are holy garments, so he must bathe his body in water and put them on. ^[5] He must also take two male goats from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. ^[6] Then Aaron is to present the sin-offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. ^[7] Next he must take the two goats and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, ^[8] and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel. ^[9] Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, and he is to make it a sin offering, ^[10] but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away into the desert to Azazel.

^[11] “Aaron is to present the sin-offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin-offering bull which is for himself, ^[12] and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, and bring them inside the curtain. ^[13] He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement lid which is above the ark of the testimony, so that he will not die. ^[14] Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement lid, and in front of the atonement lid he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger.

^[15] “Aaron must then slaughter the sin-offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the curtain, and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement lid and in front of the atonement lid. ^[16] So he is to make atonement for the Holy Place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. ^[17] Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.

^[18] “Then Aaron is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. ^[19] Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it from the impurities of the Israelites.

^[20] “When Aaron has finished purifying the Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. ^[21] Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, and thus he is to put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the desert by the hand of a man standing ready. ^[22] The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, so he is to send the goat away into the desert.

^[23] “Aaron must then enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. ^[24] Then he must bathe his body in water in the Holy Place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and the people.

^[25] “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering in smoke on the altar, ^[26] and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. ^[27] The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the Holy Place, must be brought outside the camp and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, ^[28] and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

^[29] “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves and do no work of any kind, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner who lives in your midst, ^[30] for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord. ^[31] It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves. It is a perpetual statute.

^[32] “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, ^[33] and he is to purify the Most Holy Place, he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar, and he is to make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. ^[34] This is to be a perpetual statute for you to make atonement for the Israelites for all their sins once a year.” So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NET)

Romans 6:3-4, 11-13

^[3] Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ^[4] Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. ^[11] So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

^[12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, ^[13] and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness. (NET)

Hebrews 10:1-10

^[1] For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. ^[2] For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? ^[3] But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. ^[4] For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

^[5] So when he came into the world, he said,“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.

^[6] Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.

^[7] Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come—it is written of me in the scroll of the book—to do your will, O God.’”

^[8] When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), ^[9] then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second. ^[10] By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (NET)

Galatians 1:3-5

^[3] Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^[4] who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, ^[5] to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen. (NET)

Ephesians 2:1-2

^[1] And although you were dead in your offenses and sins, ^[2] in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the domain of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, (NET)

1 John 2:15-17

^[15] Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, ^[16] because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. ^[17] And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever. (NET)

Romans 8:5-11

^[5] For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. ^[6] For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, ^[7] because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. ^[8] Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ^[9] You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. ^[10] But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. ^[11] Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:18

^[18] And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NET)

Philippians 2:13

^[13] for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God. (NET)

1 Peter 2:15

^[15] For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. (NET)

1 Peter 3:17

^[17] For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing evil. (NET)

1 Peter 4:1-11

^[1] So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, ^[2] in that he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires. ^[3] For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians desire. You lived then in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts, and wanton idolatries. ^[4] So they are astonished when you do not rush with them into the same flood of wickedness, and they vilify you. ^[5] They will face a reckoning before Jesus Christ who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. ^[6] Now it was for this very purpose that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh by human standards they may live spiritually by God’s standards.

^[7] For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer. ^[8] Above all keep your love for one another fervent because love covers a multitude of sins. ^[9] Show hospitality to one another without complaining. ^[10] Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. ^[11] Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. (NET)

Ephesians 4:1-6

^[1] I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ^[2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, ^[3] making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ^[4] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, ^[5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ^[6] one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (NET)