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READ: ROMANS 3:21-26; 6:14; EPHESIANS 1:3-10\n\n\n\nI have started a program to read through the Bible in ninety days. That means I\u2019ve been reading a lot from the Old Testament each day. Wow, if there\u2019s one thing I\u2019m learning through my reading, it\u2019s that we have so much to be thankful for when it comes to Jesus, His death on the cross, and the way He gave Himself as the one sacrifice to pay for all our sins.\n\n\n\nBefore Jesus came, God\u2019s people, the Israelites, were living under the law. The law proves that all of us fall short of God\u2019s glorious standard and reveals our need for Jesus (Romans 3:23-24). In those days, people were required to offer animal sacrifices regularly to cover their sins. Yet, in faith they looked forward to the day God would fulfill His promise to deal with the sin problem once and for all, even though they didn\u2019t know how He would do it.\n\n\n\nAnd God did fulfill His promise\u2014Jesus came as the final sacrifice. He is \u201cthe Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world\u201d (John 1:29). His death on the cross does not merely cover our sins but removes them. So now, we no longer need to offer sacrifices. Because of the death of Jesus, we know grace. A grace that changes our lives. A grace that is available to all of us, no matter how badly we have sinned. Because of the death of Jesus, we are redeemed. All our sins are forgiven. They are forgotten (Isaiah 43:25). We can have a special relationship with God because we are connected to Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus.\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s easy to forget what the death of Jesus really did to change our lives. It\u2019s important to remember just how different life was for God\u2019s people who came before us, for those who lived before Jesus gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice. \u2022 Emily Acker\n\n\n\n\u2022 What does it show us about the character of God that He sacrificed Himself for us?\n\n\n\n\u2022 How is the permanent forgiveness Jesus offers different from the temporary covering of animal sacrifices? If you want to learn more about Jesus\u2019s forgiveness, check out our \u201cKnow Jesus\u201d page.\n\n\n\nGod made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)