No need to find goats to kill...

Why do we want to keep killing the goat?
In Leviticus 16, Aaron, the high priest, had to make sacrifice for his own sin before he could offer a sacrifice for the people and every year on the Day of Atonement it had to be done over every year. “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins;…”v21

Jesus being both man and God and living a perfect life was able to offer himself once and for all as the perfect sacrifice. He had no sin of His own to pay for, but God “made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21and His death was one time for all. Those who believe in Him receive the pardon He purchased when He died on that cross; then He rose from the grave in victory over sin and death for us too.

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10 (NASB)
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” 1 Peter 3:18 (NASB)

No more works are necessary to pay for sin! There is no need for you and I to keep trying to make up for, do penance or in any way atone for our own sin. We do not have to deal with the penalty of sin because Jesus took care of it perfectly! We do live in a sinful world and in a body that has a sin nature, our flesh, so we do need to deal with what the Bible calls our Sanctification; our day to day being conformed to the image of Jesus.

Just as we were saved by GRACE, we need to live moment by moment by Grace too! We are alive spiritually as a new creation in Christ but we can choose to live by sight and in the flesh rather than by faith. When we do, we are as useless spiritually as a light touch on a green broke horse. Just as he has to learn what you want in order to respond to soft subtle cues, we have to study the Word and spend time with God growing so we can listen to that “still small voice” and so that we will have a habit of obedience.

Don’t spend time trying to overcome sins, but instead accept the finished work of Jesus on the cross as being complete and resist temptation with the Word and with the knowledge you are righteous in Christ. If you do choose to sin, then right away confess it and begin to get back to living as the forgiven child of the most high God that you are! We have victory in Christ and we need to act like it. The more you understand that the victory is yours already because of what Jesus did, the easier it becomes. Too often we are fooled by our flesh into looking at sin rather than our Savior.

If I sin it can break my fellowship with God, but it has no effect on what Jesus did and my relationship by grace through faith that I have being in Christ; THAT is based on what He did and the grace of God.

“so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” Hebrews 9:28

As one who has a certain future and hope based on Jesus’ work and not mine, I can live eager, never fearful to see Him return. I can be thankful and not fret and my thankful heart will lead me to love and obey.

The “goat is dead” and the perfect sacrifice is made. Believe and live by faith. Faith will produce works and they will be the works that Jesus has for you to do and wants to do through you. (Eph. 2:8-10, 2 Cor.5:17) Be the new creation you are in Christ!