The prophet Isaiah looked upon the crucified Christ and penned the words, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to our own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all — yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him: he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.” (The sin offering). No greater truth exists than the fact that Jesus bore sins penalties and sins sorrows. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” This, though wonderful, is only complete as we acknowledge, ‘The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This word iniquity is not dealing with transgressions, but a principle, the sin! The article: the sinful nature. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” Corinthians 5:21 This fact is so vividly brought to our minds in the Levitical offering for sin; or the sin offering. Surely we know this offering was only a type of the great antitype Christ Jesus. The High priest slew the sacrifice for sin upon the brazen altar in the court of the tabernacle.

The blood of the sacrifice flowed freely and was caught in a vessel and taken within the veil into the Holiest and there sprinkled upon the mercy seat between the Cherubim to make an atonement for sin. The bodies of the sin offerings were taken without the camp and burned. The body must be taken away outside the camp of the congregation and be destroyed. A symbol of uncleanness, of pollution, of corruption of sin. “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp, wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.” Hebrews 13:11-12 Is it not plain to us that Jesus upon whom the Lord laid our sin and who was made sin for us; upon whom all the fiery wrath of a Holy God must fall against sin, must suffer without the gate? The body must be destroyed! He bore my body of sin. It was also your sin that his body bore. This is consistent with the writer of the Roman letter, “Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin (the article) might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (the principle). For he that is dead is freed from (the) sin.” Romans 6:6-7 Again he writes, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin (the article), condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Romans 8:3-4 The Apostle proclaims “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 The life that the sanctified now lives he lives by the faith of the Son of God, with a willing and obedient trust in Jesus’ sacrifice, a knowledge of being crucified with him and the body of sin (carnality) has been destroyed. How glorious is the provision! “This is my body which was broken for you.” Jesus said, “take, eat.” (partake of it). A death must take place, but by faith, there will be a glorious resurrection. You may say with the Apostle “I died in Christ but the life I now live is a glorious, resurrected life. I live by the faith of my Savior and sanctifier Jesus Christ.” (Paraphrased) The wonderful fact that the sin principle has been destroyed in all that die to sin and self, and in all that believe in the accomplished provision of Jesus, is the clear teaching of the Word. In the fiery baptism with the Holy Ghost there has been a destruction. Now the blood must give its evidence of death. It speaks of death. It makes a record that a death has already destroyed its victim. The blood is sprinkled; the blood must cleanse. The sprinkled blood always calls for cleansing. Jesus must first suffer without the camp that he might sanctify his people with his own blood.

The cleansing stream, I see, I see!

I plunge and, oh, it cleanseth me!

Oh! Praise the Lord, it cleanseth me!

It cleanseth me, yes, cleanseth me! — P. Palmer

Dear heart, have you thus died with Jesus? Is the cross a reality to you?