Once we are His children, "...we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to his grace." Eph. 1:7  Grace.  A free gift from God, purchased by the blood of Jesus.

My Sunday class has been studying the book of Leviticus.  I can't wait for it to be over.  It is such a difficult book.  It explains all the laws concerning sacrifices.  Law, after law, after law.  Details in minutiae.  Hundreds of items placed in the Tabernacle to receive Sin offerings, grain offerings, meat offerings, peace offerings, wave offerings, etc., etc.  It is mind boggling.  It makes me tired.

But in Christ, all that was done away with.  One sacrifice, for all time, for all men and women.  He is our sacrifice.  Paul said this, (in the letter to the Romans) "...by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."  In other words, we couldn't keep all the Old Testament laws if we tried.  Thank God for doing away with them.

King David recognized that all the laws weren't what God was wanting anyway!!  God wanted our hearts.  In Psalms 51:16-17, David says, "You don't want sacrifice--else I would give it.  You delight not in burnt offerings...the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart..."  Even though David didn't know God's plan to sent Jesus, David knew that God wanted him to repent.

So after Paul introduces himself in his letter to the Ephesians and tells them of God's grace in doing away with all those burdensome laws, he introduces a word that he uses over and over again in his letters.  (1:9)  The word is "mystery."  Paul says that, "...he (God) has made known to us...the mystery of his will."  I had to read all of Paul's letters to find out exactly what this "mystery" was that he was talking about.   I found the answer in Colossians 1:25-27.  "Even the mystery that has been hidden from the ages...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

God's plan was to put Christ in our hearts.   Instead of imposing laws from the "outside," we would choose to do what was good--from the "inside" out.   God changes our "want-to."