The sacrificial laws, that God gave to His people, were part of the Old Covenant. The sacrifices and the blood of animals were meant (among others) for the atonement of sins and the cleansing and purification of God’s people. But if the blood of animals would be sufficient to cleanse God’s people from their sins and iniquities, then why did Jesus have to come to this earth and become the Lamb of God and be sacrificed for humanity? What is the difference between the sacrifices of animals and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
What is the meaning of the sin offering in the Old Covenant?
In the Old Covenant, there were many sacrifices. But once every year, on the Day of Atonement; Yom Kippur, a special sin offering and burnt offering took place (Leviticus 16). The Day of Atonement is considered the holiest day of the year. During this yearly offerings, the sins and iniquities of the people of God were forgiven and forgotten by God. The blood of animals covered the sins and iniquities and (temporarily) atoned the sins of God’s people.
When the Day of Atonement was over, God’s people went home and continued their lives. Most of them, lived as they lived before. They made the same mistakes as they did before the Day of Atonement.
Their nature remained the same. Therefore they continued to live in sin, making the same mistakes over and over again.
Every year, they had to repent, ask forgiveness, and make atonement for their (same) sins.
They had to bring a sin offering and a burnt offering to the Lord. So that the blood of these sacrificial animals covered their sins. But although the blood of bulls and goats covered their sins, the blood of animals couldn’t take away the sins and the sin problem in the nature of the carnal man and restore man from their fallen state (Hebrews 10:4).
The coming of Jesus Christ; the Messiah
Therefore, someone had to come, who would be equal to man (to become the substitute for humanity and take the sin of the world and the punishment of sin upon him), but not be born of the corrupted seed of man.
And so Jesus came to this earth, who was born of the Seed of God, to deal with the sin problem and restore (heal) the fallen state of man and reconcile man back to God.
All the messianic prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is the Messiah. Jesus was the Seed, that would bruise the head of the devil. Just like God promised in Genesis 3:15.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15)
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
After Jesus preached and brought the Kingdom of God to God’s people, by signs and wonders following Him, and calling the people to repentance, Jesus was crucified and became the spotless Lamb, Who was slain for the sins of this world (o.a. John 1:29).
The sacrifice of Jesus was not only meant for Israel (God’s carnal people). But the sacrifice of Jesus was meant for the sins of the whole human race; the generation of fallen man.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was sufficient once and for all
But if God’s people in the Old Covenant had to keep the sacrificial laws and sacrifice animals regularly, why was one sacrifice of Jesus Christ sufficient?
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ not only removes the sins and iniquities of man. But the sacrifice of Jesus dealt, for once and for all, with the sin problem; the corrupted nature of fallen man and the fallen state of man.
Jesus became the Substitute for fallen man. He carried all the sins and iniquities of the world, which the Father laid upon Him.
Jesus was made sin and carried the death penalty, which is the reward for sin, whereby Jesus entered Hades (hell).
But after three days the power of God became visible through the victory of Jesus over the death, by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Jesus went the way of suffering for every person. So that every person can be redeemed from this evil sin nature and be restored (healed) of his fallen state.
But now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26)
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:11-14)
The sacrifice of Jesus deals with the sinful nature of the old creation
Every person on earth is born of the corrupted seed of man and trapped in a sinful flesh. The person has a soul and body but the spirit is dead. Because a person is a sinner and has a sinful nature, the person shall walk in sin.
The sinful nature won’t submit to God and His Word, but exalts itself above God and rebels against God and His Word. The sinful nature that dwells in the flesh carries the death and shall lead to eternal death (o.a. Romans 6:23).
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
A person can keep the laws, rules, and regulations from the Bible and apply them to their lives, but the evil that is present in the corrupted nature of fallen man (the old creation) will always remain, despite the works of man.
There is only one way to be redeemed from this evil sin nature and be made righteous and that is by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood and regeneration in Him. Without faith and regeneration in Christ, a person can’t be redeemed and restored (healed) and reconciled with God.
What does the sacrifice of Jesus not mean?
There are many false teachings and doctrines that cause people to stay ignorant about the meaning and value of the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of His blood. Because of that, they stay carnal and keep living as the old creation. Many don’t really know, what the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His atonement is all about.
They know that Jesus died on the cross, but they don’t know what His death and resurrection from the dead meant for the creation.
Many Christians don’t know the value and the power of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and His blood. Why is that?
That’s because many preachers don’t actually know themselves, what really took place on that Day of Atonement when Jesus died on the cross and went to Hades and after three days rose from the dead.
Many preachers are appointed in the church because of their degree or Ph.D. in Theology, but they are still the old creation.
They know the doctrine and have a lot of head knowledge of the Bible, but that’s all.
They are not born again in Christ and have not become the new creation and don’t discern the spiritual realm.
Because if they would really know, what the sacrifice of Jesus and His work of redemption contains, they wouldn’t live in sin and wouldn’t approve and accept sin in the church.
Many preachers are carnal and preach from a carnal mind
Unfortunately, many preachers are carnal and live like the world. They preach from their human intellect and share their carnal insights, findings, opinions, and experiences.
But as mentioned before, it is impossible to understand the Bible and the Kingdom of God from a carnal mind. Only the Holy Spirit, can teach and explain God’s Word. The Holy Spirit reveals the things of the Kingdom of God in the spirit of the new creation, who is born of the Spirit of God.
Most preachers are not ready to give up their own lives and therefore they stay carnal.
Do you always remain a sinner despite the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross?
Many preachers have adjusted the Word of God and preach that people will always remain sinners, despite the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood. That’s why the sacrifice of Jesus is often compared to the sacrifices of animals in the Old Covenant.
For that reason, many people, who say they are Christians, stay the same and fall back into their same old sins.
They try to do the will of God, but despite their efforts, they constantly fall back into the same sin.
They can’t solve this sin problem. Because they think, that they are sinners and will always remain sinners.
And so their whole life, they live in this big lie.
But as long as people believe this lie, they will live as sinners and persevere in sin.
They shall sin, repent, and be cleansed with the blood of Jesus. But after a while, they commit the same sin again and keep doing the same sin over and over again.
As long as they don’t deal with the problem; their corrupted nature and their fallen state, they will always stay carnal. They’ll keep walking as a sinner (the old creation), who is led by the (corrupted) flesh and the darkness.
regeneration
If Christians don’t die in Christ and don’t deal with their sinful nature, there won’t be a transformation; a regeneration in their lives and their nature and works will remain the same. Their spirit isn’t raised from the dead or their spirit is raised from the dead, but their flesh still reigns as king in their lives.
They don’t read and study the Bible themselves. They don’t renew their mind with the Word of God. Because of that they keep walking in ignorance after the flesh in disobedience to God.
They’ll listen to – and rely only on sermons of (famous) preachers that please their ears, and they live the same lives, they’ve always lived.
Therefore they remain bound to sin and death and live in the darkness. Just like the people of God in the Old Covenant lived in darkness in the bondage of sin.
Putting off the sinful nature in Christ
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18)
As long people don’t put off the old man, people shall not be able to walk in holiness and righteousness in the Light.
Putting off the old man; the works of the flesh, begins with faith in Jesus Christ and true repentance of your sins.
As long as you love the works of the flesh and don’t consider sin as evil, and don’t hate your sins, it will be impossible to put off the old man with his sins and iniquities.
That’s because you don’t consider doing anything wrong and think you live a good life.
The sacrifice of Jesus and His blood took care of this sin problem and the sinful nature of the whole human race.
Jesus made atonement and reconciled man back to God. The old creation is buried in Christ. That’s the power of the blood of Jesus.
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:2)
The new nature and sanctification
After the repentance, the water baptism will follow. The baptism in water is a deed of obedience. Baptism symbolizes the burial of the old man in Christ and the resurrection of the new man in Christ. After the baptism in water, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (a.o. Acts 2:38, Romans 6:3-7)
When you become born again you are transferred from the darkness into the Light. You are delivered from sin and death through the death of the flesh.
Now you shall walk as the new creation from your new position in Christ and your perfect (complete) state in obedience to God and His Word.
Through sanctification, you shall spiritually mature after the image of Christ.
Without regeneration, it is impossible to deal with the old creation and his sinful nature. Therefore if you don’t become a new creation in Christ you will keep walking in sin.
How can you reign over sin?
When you become born again, you will be redeemed from the devil, sin, and death who reign in the sinful nature of the old man. The new man shall no longer live in submission to sin and be a slave of sin. As long as you stay in Christ and walk after the Spirit, sin shall no longer have dominion over you, but you shall have dominion over sin.
Jesus gave the authority, which God had given to Adam but was stolen by the devil, back to the new creation.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood, He reconciled man back to God and restored the position of man on this earth.
Jesus has dealt with the sinful nature of the old creation. Only in Christ, it is possible to become a new creation, who has God’s nature.
When you become a new creation, you will walk from your new position in Christ with a new nature (God’s nature) and rule over sin (a.o. Romans 5:17)
For in view of the fact that by means of the transgression of the one death reigned as king through that one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, in life will reign as kings through the One, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17 KWT)
What is the difference between the sacrifices of animals in the Old Covenant and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant?
The Old Covenant was sealed with the blood of animals. In the Old Covenant, the sacrifices dealt temporarily with the sins and iniquities of God’s people. The sins and iniquities caused a separation between man and God. But the blood of animals covered the sins and iniquities of God’s people.
The New Covenant is sealed with the blood of Jesus Christ. In the New Covenant the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood, not only dealt once and for all with the sins and iniquities of fallen man but also with the sinful nature of fallen man.
Jesus became the Substitute of fallen man. Through His sacrifice and blood, Jesus erased and redeemed man from the sinful nature that is present in the flesh and reconciled man with God.
As long as the new creation remains in Christ and lives in obedience to His words and commandments, he, or she stays connected with the Father in and through Him.
However, the new creation still has a free will and decides to stay obedient to God and His Word and keep walking in holiness and righteousness or to walk in disobedience to God and His Word and walk in unrighteousness
God has given you all spiritual authority and power in Jesus Christ, but you have to do it.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
