When God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac – it was a symbol of the death of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ.

Genesis 22 “9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

God stopped Abraham because God never wanted our death but to show him that God was the only one who can give up His only Son, Jesus Christ on the cross!

God was showing that only the death of God’s Son can forgive all sins!

Instead of Abraham’s son, it was God’s Son, Jesus Christ who died on the cross many years later!

Instead of us, it was Jesus who died on the cross for our sins!

The Lord God provided for us!

In the Old Testament, the Law demanded the sacrifice of animals. But those sacrifices only covered for sins – this is atonement. Sins were covered but not taken away. It was like putting the trash/garbage under the carpet. The stench of the trash still remained although it was covered. This is why they had to do the animal sacrifices every year because sin was always reminding them! Sin was never taken away but just covered temporarily until Jesus came to take all sins away and make us PERFECT, SANCTIFIED (HOLY) by His blood that took away all sin! The old testament sacrifices only covered sin but sin was always remembered because it was never taken away! Therefore Jesus made a New Testament that removed all sin and made us sinless!

Hebrews 10 ” For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said…. “God, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

Jesus is God and that is why His death on the cross was the propitiation that took away all sins of the world. His blood made us all sinless, perfect, and righteous freely by grace, which we receive by FAITH.

Romans 3 “22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

The Grace of God is that Jesus became nothing on the cross to freely give us everything in His resurrection! He became sin to give us His Righteousness!

2 Corinthians 8 ” 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. “

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made Jesus who had no sin to become sin for us, so that in Him we become the Righteousness of God (by grace through faith)!”

Jesus is God who never sinned. He is almighty God and He alone could do the glorious work of removing all our sins on the cross, making us sinless! He rose from the dead after making the world righteous and sinless. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives this forgiveness of sins and the Righteousness of God freely without any works!