The whole of the Old Testament, every book, points toward the Great Sacrifice that was to come—that of Jesus’ sacrificial giving of His own life on our behalf. God required animal sacrifices to provide a temporary covering of sins and to foreshadow the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Animal sacrifice is an important theme found throughout Scripture because:
Hebrews 9:22 “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”
You may be asking yourself, why animals? What did they do wrong? That is the point—since the animals did no wrong, they died in place of the sinner(s). Animal sacrifices were commanded by God so that the individual could experience forgiveness of sin. The animal served as a substitute— that is, the animal died in place of the sinner, but only temporarily, which is why the sacrifices needed to be offered over and over.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make it an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
A “sacrifice” is defined as the offering up of something precious for a cause or a reason.
“Making atonement” is satisfying someone or something for an offense committed.
In other words, those who are covered by the blood sacrifice are set free from the consequences of sin. The Old Testament blood sacrifices were temporary and only atoned for sin partially and for a short time, hence the need to repeat the sacrifices yearly.
Jesus offered His own blood once for all time, making future sacrifices unnecessary. This is what Jesus meant by His dying words on the cross:
John 19:30 “It is finished”
His death on the cross was the perfect sacrifice on behalf of the sins of humanity and served as a fulfillment of the ritual sacrifices of the Old Testament.
Jesus took our sin upon Himself and died in our place:
2 Corinthians 5:21“God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
John the Baptist recognized this when he saw Jesus coming to be baptized and said:
John 1:29 “Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrificial substitute once for all time:
Hebrews 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He (Jesus) did once, when He offered up Himself.
and is now the only mediator between God and humanity:
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of blood during the Last Supper. In sharing a final meal with His followers, He said the wine represented His blood that would be poured out for us:
Luke 22:20 Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.
Today, Christians no longer offer animal sacrifices involving blood, but instead have atonement through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life:
John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
and the only way to God:
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Through faith in Jesus, any person who believes in Him can have everlasting life:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The blood of Jesus is the basis of the New Covenant. On the night before He went to the cross, Jesus offered the cup of wine to His disciples and said:
Luke 20:22 “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you”
The pouring of the wine in the cup symbolized the blood of Christ which would be poured out for all who would ever believe in Him. When He shed His blood on the cross, He did away with the Old Covenant requirement for the continual sacrifices of animals. Their blood was not sufficient to cover the sins of the people, except on a temporary basis, because sin against a holy and infinite God requires a holy and infinite sacrifice.
Jesus’ blood paid in full the debt we owe to God, and we need no further sacrifices for sin. Jesus said, “It is finished” as He was dying, and He meant just that—the entire work of redemption was completed forever, “having obtained eternal redemption” for us:
Hebrews 9:12 Neither by blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Not only does the blood of Christ redeem believers from sin and eternal punishment, but:
Hebrews 9:14 “His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God”
This means that not only are we now free from having to offer sacrifices which are “useless” to obtain salvation, but we are free from having to rely on worthless and unproductive works of the flesh to please God.
IF JESUS’ BLOOD REDEEMS US, AND
JESUS SAID, “IT IS FINISHED”…
DO WE HAVE TO DO ANYTHING OURSELVES
TO EARN SALVATION??
