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Every Yom Kippur, Jewish people around the world fast and seek God’s forgiveness. For many, it is their lone annual religious appointment. An annual spiritual physical motivated by tradition and fear of death. Unfortunately, the Yom Kippur sacrifice can no longer be offered since the destruction of the Second Temple. So, there is no way under the Mosaic Law for atonement to be possible, no matter how much we fast and pray. While those sacrifices are no longer possible, Yeshua’s selfless death provides the ultimate atonement for our sins. As followers of Messiah Yeshua, whether we are Jewish or Gentile, Yom Kippur still is important for us as well.
Yom Kippur challenges us to repent of our sins and discover total forgiveness provided through the atonement of Messiah Yeshua. Our need for repentance and promise of forgiveness are beautifully expressed in 1 John 1:5-10. We begin with verses 5-7.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
God is light, holy without any sin. His holiness is unimaginable and would instantly incinerate us in our depravity. Though it is often denied, all of us sin. We all violate God’s standard for how we should live and instead follow our own.
If we claim we have been forgiven and the only time we care about the Lord is this day, we are deceiving ourselves. But if we live our lives as Adonai has told us, as our Messiah lived, we have complete atonement through Messiah Yeshua’s sacrifice. We are promised that we can walk in God’s light. We can also connect with people throughout the world because we share the same life and destination.
So, we must live rightly, but we must also acknowledge we will still sin. It is dangerous to ignore our sinfulness, and just as dangerous to claim we have no sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Some who claim to be Yeshua’s disciples believe they are sinless. 1 John clearly states this is not true. Each one of us needs to acknowledge that we sin. We all need the Lord’s power for constant transformation in our lives. When we walk with the Lord, when His Truth and Word are within us, we are changed every day. Day by day, year by year, we will grow in all the ways that truly matter. We will grow in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
In verse 9 we have one of the most powerful promises in the Word of God. We are promised that if we confess, and truly acknowledge our mistakes, God will forgive and purify us from ALL our sins. This means we have forgiveness for sins we have done unintentionally and intentionally. Sins we have done in the past, today, and the future. Sins we struggle to forgive ourselves for being forgiven through Messiah Yeshua.
As we begin Yom Kippur, this must not be the only day we think about our relationship with Adonai. We need forgiveness and repentance every day of the year. If you have not received God’s amazing promise of forgiveness and purification, I urge you to do so while there is still time.
This Yom Kippur, it is my prayer that we all dedicate ourselves to walking with the Lord daily. Allowing the truth of His word to transform us and draw us closer to Him and one another. May each one of us experience the depth and majesty of His love for us found in the atonement and salvation provided through Messiah Yeshua.