Physical uncleanness is now all removed and we would call it clean; but not so; it is only just prepared to be cleansed according to the law. Verse 48; "And he shall take to cleanse the house two birds" etc. Verse 49; "And he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird" etc.
Verses 52, 53; "And make an atonement for the house, and it shall be clean ." Leviticus 16:18,19; "And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it." "And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." Leviticus 8:15; "And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with fingers and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it." 2 Chronicles 29:29; [ see 2 Chronicles 29:24] "And they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel," Jeremiah 33:8; "I will cleanse them from all their iniquities," "and I will pardon all their iniquities." Romans 5:9-11; "Being now justified by His blood," "by whom we have now received the atonement," 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; "Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ." Ephesians 2:16; "And that He might reconcile both unto God," Hebrews 9:13,14; "The blood of bulls sanctifieth to the purifying of flesh; but the blood of Christ shall purge our conscience from dead works." He is the Mediator for the " redemption of the transgressions ," and to " perfect forever them that are sanctified," Hebrews 10:14; Ephesians 1:7; "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins ," Acts 3:19; " Be converted that your sins may be blotted out ." From these texts we learn that the words 40 atone, cleanse, reconcile, purify, purge, pardon, sanctify, hallow, forgive, justify, redeem, blot out, and some others, are used to signify, the same work, viz., bringing into favor with God; and in all cases blood is the means, and sometimes blood and water. The atonement is the great idea of the Law, as well as the Gospel; and as the design of that of the Law was to teach us that of the Gospel, it is very important to be understood. The atonement which the priest made for the people in connection with their daily ministration was different from that made on the tenth day of the seventh month.
In making the former, they went no further than in the Holy; but to make the latter they entered the Holy of Holies - the former was made for individual cases, the latter for the whole nation of Israel collectively - the former was made for the forgiveness of sins , the latter for blotting them out - the former could be made at any time, the latter only on the tenth day of the seventh month. Hence the former may be called the daily atonement and the latter the yearly, or the former the individual, and the latter the national atonement. The individual atonement for the forgiveness of sins was made for a single person, or for the whole congregation in case they were collectively guilty of some sin.
The 1st chapter of Leviticus gives directions for the burnt-offering, the 2nd for the meat-offering, the 3rd for the peace-offering, and the 4th for the sin-offering, which, as its name implies, was an offering for sins, in which he who offered it attained forgiveness of his sins.