Why a sacrifice of thr innocent?

[CeT-To]

I know this seem silly of me for asking but why did God ask for animals to be sacrificed for sins? This also refers to the sacrifice Christ made. I herd people say that its like some one paying the debt but i don't understand how the shedding of innocent blood has this affect. How does the shedding of blood make sense in all of this? Why is it the shedding of blood and not something else?

God Bless!

Francesco

[Byblos]

I know this seem silly of me for asking but why did God ask for animals to be sacrificed for sins? This also refers to the sacrifice Christ made. I herd people say that its like some one paying the debt but i don't understand how the shedding of innocent blood has this affect. How does the shedding of blood make sense in all of this? Why is it the shedding of blood and not something else?

God Bless!

Francesco

Hebrews 9:22 “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” .

It was precisely because they did no wrong that animals were a perfect sacrificial replacement for the forgiveness of sin. It was a foreshadowing of the perfect sacrifice of the true lamb of God (John 1:29).

[Seraph]

Actually I hate to admit it but I've always had trouble understanding this too. Shouldn't the sinner alone be held accountable for their sin? How come the blood of an innocent makes another free of sin? Imagine if we practiced this in our modern criminal courts.

Also, why is there no forgiveness without blood? We as humans are able to forgive people for wrongs they've committed all the time and we don't demand that something die in their place. It seems a little silly to me that the practice of animal sacrifice would be allowed to continue for at least a thousand years just to create a clever foreshadow of the messiah.

[B. W.]

The shedding of blood symbolizes what sin does and did: Slays the innocent – in so many diverse ways and means. So the shedding of blood reminds us that only God himself can cleanse us for all the innocence we have slain in our lives.

When Christ suffered, through his act, we can see ourselves putting others on trial as well as God, mocking, being mean, bearing false witness, scoffing, etc and etc, all things that slay innocence’s. So by and thru His act there is remission of sin and new hope.

There is more and that is but a small part of the equation – others have more insights so please feel free to share…
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[CeT-To]

Hmmm i sort of get it but not fully :S i still don't quite see the connection - innocent blood shed (sacrificial) = sin cleansed

[Byblos]

Hmmm i sort of get it but not fully :S i still don't quite see the connection - innocent blood shed (sacrificial) = sin cleansed

- Blood represents life itself: Leviticus 17:14 "For the life of every creature is the blood of it".
- God's righteousness requires punishment for sin, His justice requires the death penalty.
- Humans became sinners and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
- But human sacrifice is out of the question (Thou Shall Not Kill).
- God's love also requires the forgiveness of sin (the wages paid by a substitute who is sinless).
- Killing an animal as a sacrifice derives from the faith of the believer. The animal had to be unblemished (meaning the believer cared deeply for it) before it was killed as a sign of faith, faith that God will forgive his sins.

That's how I've understood it.

[Gman]

It should be noted here. The Jews did not enjoy sacrificing animals, neither did God enjoy it either Isa 1:11. The main reason why it was performed was to show that when man sins it causes physical death. It was a reminder that when man sins something innocent died. So basically it would stop man from sinning because it grevies man to see something innocient die (well hopefully anyway). At first an animal represented this death, later Christ represented this death that man's sins killed Christ.

Does this make sense now?

[B. W.]

It should be noted here. The Jews did not enjoy sacrificing animals, neither did God enjoy it either Isa 1:11. The main reason why it was performed was to show that when man sins it causes physical death. It was a reminder that when man sins something innocent died. So basically it would stop man from sinning because it grevies man to see something innocient die (well hopefully anyway). At first an animal represented this death, later Christ represented this death that man's sins killed Christ.

Does this make sense now?

Very well said -Gman!
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[jlay]

Oh how we have failed to rightly teach the sacrifice, the nature of God and the nature of sin.

For many of us today, we are so sheltered, we don't know what it is like to have blood on our hands. Our steaks appear on our plates nicely trimmed and cooked. We don't see the brutal slaying when that heifer's throat was slashed to bleed to death. Our culture has more sacrifice today than any other in history. We just do it to fill our bellies, and we do it behind closed doors and keep the mess out of sight. Ever been to a slaughter house?

In regards to OT law, not only did the blood of the sacrifice have meaning, but sacrificial animals were valuable property that cost the owner something.

How essential it is that we understand the reasons behind sacrifice. Christ is our "lamb of God." His sacrifice in BLOOD is the propitiation of our sins.

The sacrifices were part of the covenant with Israel. What a tangible way to see your sin. Can you imagine the priest covered in blood, people standing watching, listening as the animals cried out their dying breaths. There is your sin, right there. An icky mess of death.
The sacrifices were prescribed by God, and played an essential role. It was the Passover sacrifice that caused death to Passover the 1st born of Israel. This event, and this covenant all shadow the coming Christ. There He is, on the cross. Bleeding, dying. Your sins. Your icky mess. Pardoned in an indescribable act of love.

[CeT-To]

Okay, now I understand why it was done in the OT times. But why is the shed of Christ's blood effective in cleansing sin off us? How is the death of one man able to cover all our death sentences? Is it because Jesus is God thus He has an infinite value which in turn allows his death to pay for all of our death sentences since the value that we have is finite? I am trying to find a connection.

Sorry for such a dumb question, its just one of those things that i never fully comprehended which i now want to understand.

[Gman]

Okay, now I understand why it was done in the OT times. But why is the shed of Christ's blood effective in cleansing sin off us? How is the death of one man able to cover all our death sentences? Is it because Jesus is God thus He has an infinite value which in turn allows his death to pay for all of our death sentences since the value that we have is finite? I am trying to find a connection.

Sorry for such a dumb question, its just one of those things that i never fully comprehended which i now want to understand.

I guess you could say how many times does it take for God to die because when we sin we crucify Christ over and over again Heb 6:6. In other words when we sin, not only does it cause spiritual death but physical death as well. That is why Christ had to die. To show us physically what happens to a person (including ourselves) when we sin.

Makes sense?

[jlay]

But why is the shed of Christ's blood effective in cleansing sin off us?

Let us first consider the quality of the sacrifice.
-Jesus was perfect. "For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor 5:21

-Jesus was submissive to the Father's will.. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

God's wrath and judgment upon sin requires justice. The sacrifice of the Christ satisfied this.
"He spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written: (now he quotes Deuteronomy 21-23) 'Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.'" (Galatians 3:13).

The Christ is the plan of God to redeem mankind unto himself.
1Peter 2:24 :
"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree."

In Hebrews 2:9 we read,
"He tasted death for every man."

And Heb 7:27
You see the blood of those prior sacrifices didn't actually remove any sin. If anything they reminded people of their sin.

Heb 9:12-14
"How much more is done by the blood of Christ. He offered himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God."

[Canuckster1127]

Old Testament sacrifice accomplished other things as well. Israel was structured as a theocrasy with a Levitical and Aaronic priesthood which served a community and political purpose as well as a religious one. High Priests, judges, kings and other government functionaries all tied in through the temple worship center. It was to place where judgements were rendered, community issues addressed, social support to the needy distributed etc. The Sacificial system in many cases allowed for many of the sacrifices to support the priests and levites who also were not allowed to own land. The tithe that was brought at times in addition also tied into the support of the civil functions and the feeding of their families

The sacrifices which Christ is compared to was actually only a very small element in terms of the volume of sacrifices and there was more than animal sacrifice, there was also grain, oil, etc. and it wasn't seen in that context primarily as a "blood" sacrifice, but rather a desire to serve God and support those who served God and community. The atonement "sin" sacrifices focused around Yom Kippur (day of atonement) was an annual highly symbolic sacrifice where the entire animals was sacrificed and burned and the priests didn't share.

So what we see in the temple system was in many cases simply a ritual that recognized God but then also served as a means to support many others.

If you read through Leviticus and Numbers and see the instructions and frequency of the sacrifices there you'll see pretty quickly that a lot of it went on in a different conxtext than how we see it today looking back and that the anaologies to Christ's atoning sacrifice tie to only a part of the actual sacrifices made.

[CeT-To]

Okay, now I understand why it was done in the OT times. But why is the shed of Christ's blood effective in cleansing sin off us? How is the death of one man able to cover all our death sentences? Is it because Jesus is God thus He has an infinite value which in turn allows his death to pay for all of our death sentences since the value that we have is finite? I am trying to find a connection.

Sorry for such a dumb question, its just one of those things that i never fully comprehended which i now want to understand.

I guess you could say how many times does it take for God to die because when we sin we crucify Christ over and over again Heb 6:6. In other words when we sin, not only does it cause spiritual death but physical death as well. That is why Christ had to die. To show us physically what happens to a person (including ourselves) when we sin.

Makes sense?

Sigh, no . So Christ died so that he could show us the physical and spiritual punishment or repercussions of Sin, but how does His act in the cross cleanse us?

[jlay]

but how does His act in the cross cleanse us?

I don't know that anyone can put it any better than these two statements by the Apostle Paul.

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified [made righteous/good] by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation [restored relationship].
“Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. . . . So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:6-12; 18-21).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:17-21)