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Gadam
WE need if the blood OF CHRIST
Hebrews 9:12
Not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once into the holy place, having obtained for us eternal redemption.
Hebrews 10: 4
for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sons.Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops, to feed the Church of the Lord, which he purchased by his own blood.
Ephesians 1: 7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace,1 Peter 1:18, 19
knowing that it was not by perishable things, by silver or gold, that you were redeemed from the vain way of living which you inherited from your fathers,1:19 but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,
Revelation 1: 5
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the prince of kings of the earth! To him who loves us, who delivered us from our sins with his blood,Revelation 5: 9
And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed unto God by thy blood men of every tribe, and of every tongue, of every people, and of every nation;Amen!
Hi Berean,
You: Gadam
WE need if the blood OF CHRIST
Me: Please go through my previous post you will understand why blood is not alone required for remission of sins.
The scriptures you quoted are from NT which are the interpretations of the NT writers but are not supported by the Hebrew Bible unless they force and take the scriptures out of their original context.
Gadam
Harmony between OT and NT
Isaiah 51:16
I put my words in your mouth, and cover you with the shadow of my hand, to expand new heavens, and to found a new earth, and to say to Zion, you are my people!Isaiah 66:22
For as the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to create shall stand before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name.2 Peter 3:13
But we are waiting, according to his promise, for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell.Revelation 21: 1-5
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.…What Do We Do Without a Temple?
Why does that absence of the Temple preclude us from offering sacrifices today? Considering God’s reverence of life—both human and animal— sacrifices were severely restricted. Unlike pagan rituals, human sacrifice is absolutely forbidden in Judaism and animals could only be sacrificed in a place
of extreme sanctity—the Jewish Temple situated on the “Mountain of God” in Jerusalem. As we are taught:“Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see: But only in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of your tribes.” Deut. 12:13-14
As a result, after the Temple’s destruction, it is prohibited to offer animal sacrifices. However, since repentance remains the primary way to return to God, we can still access this spiritual tool in any place and circumstance, just as we do with intentional sins. As the prophet Joel says,
“Yet even now, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with
mourning: and rend your hearts…” Joel 2:12In fact, having foreseen the destruction of the Temple, the prophets teach that although we will be without sacrifices for a long time, we will still be able to return to God.
“For the sons of Israel will remain many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice… Afterwards Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king and they will come trembling to the Lord and to his goodness in the last days.” Hosea 3:5
The prophets share additional instructions on how to return to God without Temple sacrifices. One of the most striking is also found in Hosea;
“Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity, Take words with you and return to the Lord…so we offer the words of our lips instead of bulls.” Hosea 14:1-2
This passage is so powerful; it is not surprising, that some Christian Bibles mistranslate, “the words of our lips instead of bulls” as “the fruit of our lips.” By changing “Bulls” to “fruit of” and removing mention
of “bulls” they seek to deny the fact that prayer can replace sacrifices. In context, Hosea was speaking to Jews at a time when they were unable to bring sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem. He instructs
these Jews to use their words in place of the sacrificial bulls as the means to motivate them to return to God.The theme, that words of prayer play a vital role in repentance and restoration, is repeated elsewhere in the Jewish scriptures. For example, Jeremiah says:
“Then you shall call upon me, and you shall go and pray to me and I will hearken to you…and I will restore
you from your captivity and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places into which I have
driven you.” Jeremiah 29:12-14Furthermore, Daniel was exiled in Babylon and could not offer sacrifices. He would turn toward Jerusalem and pray three times a day corresponding to the three times that sacrifices were offered in the Temple.
“He [Daniel] had windows open towards Jerusalem; and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God.” Daniel 6:10
Daniel was righteous and obviously achieved atonement without sacrifices as demonstrated from the fact that he reached a state of holiness to be a prophet and survived the “lion’s den.” Facing toward Jerusalem during prayer is a universally accepted custom; it traces back to a prophetic utterance of King Solomon
when he foresaw that our enemies would destroy the Temple and take the Jews into exile.Solomon instructs the Jews to pray toward Jerusalem and repent and be forgiven without blood.
“If they return back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.” I Kings 8:47-52
Words and confession are one of the most powerful motivators, so much so that when the Jews sinned with the Golden Calf, it was Moses’ words of prayer that accomplished forgiveness. As it says,
“And God said, “I have forgiven them according to your words.” Numbers 14:20
The Torah teaches that through repentance, prayer, fasting, and doing what is right, everyone can return to God directly. This concept is beautifully illustrated in the book of Esther which takes place after the destruction of the first Temple when the Jews were under Persian domination.
Despite being under an edict of absolute annihilation because of their transgressions, a holocaust was averted because of repentance, as it says:
“There was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing…” Esther 4:3
Another example—so powerful it is read each year on Yom Kippur—is in the Book of Jonah where non-Jews repented, prayed to God and were forgiven without any offering and animal sacrifices.
“Let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked. When God saw their (the citizens of Nineveh) deeds; that they turned from their wicked way, than God relented concerning the calamity.” Jonah 3:9-10
The New Testament itself attests to the successful repentance of the citizens of Nineveh.
“The men of Nineveh will stand up…for they repented at the preaching of Jonah.” Matthew 12:41
In fact, non-Jews were never commanded to offer sacrifices and relied solely on repentance.
Consequently, the argument that they need blood or something to replace blood sacrifices is wrong.
Lev 17:11 Does blood alone atones ?
I. INTRODUCTION
According to Christian theology, the “Fall of Man”, i.e., the sin of Adam and Eve, who ate from the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, has infected all humanity with a stain that ended “eternal life”. Christians point to the ordinary animal sacrifices described in the Mosaic Law and claim that atonement for sins can be obtained only through the shedding of blood. However, this system was valid only for Jews, and it was effective only while there was a central location where the sacrificial animals could be offered. Namely, it was first the “portable” Sanctuary in the wilderness and, later, it was the Temple in Jerusalem.
The advent of Jesus changed all of this. The purpose for the arrival of Jesus, which is that God, out of his love for humanity, provided the “perfect sacrifice” in the form of “His only begotten son” Jesus (see John 3:16), forms the foundation on which Christianity rests. The death of Jesus on the cross was the last and final sacrifice, and his blood had the power of the ransom required to overcome the sinful nature of mankind, wipe clean the stain of “Original Sin”, and restore “eternal life”.
Christian missionaries to the Jews claim that, since the shedding of blood is required for the remission of sins, Jews have had no way to obtain atonement from the time the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 C.E. Therefore, the only option left for a Jew is to accept Jesus as lord and savior, because he died for our sins.
The Biblical reference cited by missionaries in support of the claim is the following:
Leviticus 17:11(KJV) – “… for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”
The apparent message contained in this portion of the verse is echoed on several occasions in the New Testament. A superficial reading of only this portion of the verse in Leviticus, without studying the entire passage and placing this verse in its proper context, will almost certainly lead one to conclude that only in being covered by the shed blood of Jesus can forgiveness be obtained for one’s sins.
This essay aims to correct this perception by explaining the sacrificial system that is mandated in the Hebrew Bible, and to show that associating with it the death of Jesus on the cross is false and inconsistent with what the Hebrew Bible teaches.
– A vocalized SHVA (נע ָוא שְׁ ) is transliterated as a superscripted “e” following the consonant
– There is no “doubling” of letters in the transliterations to reflect the daGESH (emphasis)
II. THE FACTS ACCORDING TO THE HEBREW BIBLE
A. What else does Leviticus 17:11 say?
The King James Version (KJV) translation includes a reference to a passage in the New Testament that points back to Leviticus 17:11. [This reference is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). However, the corresponding passage quoted below the table is from the KJV for consistency.]
(1) Hebrews 9:22(KJV) – And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Although there is some disparity between the two translations of the verse, in general, they are reasonably consistent. Based on the proper reading of the Hebrew text, bracketed phrases have been added to the Jewish translation in order to clarify the context.
This verse is part of a passage that deals with the prohibition on the consumption of blood. When this verse is considered in its entirety, it becomes evident that a specific statement concerning blood is conveyed. Namely, that the blood of the sacrificed animal must be placed “upon the altar to atone for your souls”, i.e., that the only way blood may bring atonement is if placed on the altar in the Temple – this is a requirement for both sin and guilt offerings.
A pertinent question here is: “Was the blood of Jesus sprinkled on the altar as specified in Leviticus 17:11?” The New Testament is silent on this requirement, and offers no evidence that the blood of Jesus was placed on the altar in the Temple, which was still standing in Jerusalem at the alleged time of his death.
This fact alone, that the biblical requirement was not satisfied, voids the claim that the death of Jesus provided atonement for any sins, not to mention the strict prohibition on human sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible, the Scripture in force.
B. Is blood the only means for the atonement of sins?
Many different methods for the atonement of various sins are identified in the Hebrew Bible. Among these, animal sacrifices, contrite repentance & prayer, and charitable deeds, are the three major paths to the remission of most sins.1. Animal sacrifices
The Torah speaks of two kinds of animal sacrifices that were to be used for the atonement of iniquities: אתטּח (aSHAM), a guilt sacrifice.(haTAT), a sin sacrifice, and םשׁא
According to the Hebrew Bible, a sin sacrifice does not provide atonement for every kind of sin. Rather, its purpose is to atone only for unintentional sins committed by a person – the most insignificant type of transgression:
Numbers 15:27-28 – (27) And if a person sins inadvertently, then he shall offer a female goat in its first year as a sin offering [אתטָּ ַח ]. (28) And the priest shall atone for the erring person who sinned inadvertently before the Lord in order to make atonement on his behalf; and it shall be forgiven him.
The requirements concerning a sin sacrifice are specified in Leviticus 4:1-35, where these offerings are declared as mandatory, and that their purpose is to atone for sins committed unwittingly.On the other hand, a sin sacrifice cannot atone for sins that were committed with intent. The willful sinner was barred from the Sanctuary, and had to bear his own iniquity because of his rebellious intent to sin against God:
Numbers 15:30-31 – (30) And the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is a native born or a stranger, that person blasphemes the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. (31) Because he has scorned the word of the Lord, and has violated his commandment, that person shall surely be cut off, for his iniquity is upon him.
There are, however, several specific transgressions that were committed with intent for which the Levitical Law of Sacrifice mandates a guilt sacrifice. The requirements concerning a guilt sacrifice for one of these transgressions are specified in Leviticus 5:14-26, where these offerings are declared as obligatory for robbery and misappropriation of Temple property, for which restitution had to be made as well.
An interesting case concerns the requirements for the atonement of sins such as being a false witness and then confessing to it, and entering the Sanctuary inadvertently while being ritually unclean, and then realizing what happened and confessing to it (Lev 5:1-13). The Torah does not give a name for this required offering; the Sages of the Talmud refer to it as ֵרד ֹו וי ֹולה ע ןבְּר ק (qorBAN oLEH veyoRED), a variable offering;2 literally, a sliding scale offering that depended on a person’s financial means, and which had the following progression:
Top level – a female lamb or goat (i.e., a blood sacrifice):
Leviticus 5:7-10 – (7) And if he cannot afford a sheep, he who sinned shall bring as one for a sin offering, and one for a burnt offering. (8) He shall bring them to the priest, who shall first offer up that [bird] which is [designated] for the sin offering; he shall cut its head at the nape, but shall not separate it. (9) And he shall sprinkle from the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood
shall be pressed out onto the base of the altar; it is a sin offering. (10) And he shall offer up the second one as a burnt offering, according to the law; and the priest shall make atonement for him from his sin which he had committed, and he shall be forgiven.Bottom level – a certain weight of fine flour (i.e., a bloodless offering; the least costly):
Leviticus 5:11-13 – (11) And if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he who sinned shall bring as his offering one tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it, nor shall he place frankincense upon it, for it is a sin offering. (12) He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall scoop out a fistful as a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, upon the fires of the Lord; it is a sin offering. (13) The priest shall make atonement for him from his sin which he had committed in any one of these [instances], and he shall be forgiven; and [the rest of] it shall belong to the priest, like the meal offering.
Note that an animal sacrifice is not required for atonement when an individual cannot afford the specified sin offering. Only “one tenth of an ephah of fine flour”, free of oil and frankincense, serves as an acceptable (bloodless) sin offering!
Since these types of sacrifices do not include all possible sins, it follows that no animal sacrifices were mandated for all other transgressions not covered by either a sin sacrifice or a guilt sacrifice. Clearly, there had to exist some process, other than animal sacrifices, to obtain atonement for such sins.
2. Contrite repentance and prayer
Another way to obtain atonement for sins is through contrite repentance and prayer. The Torah provides an early glimpse at this process:
As is evident from verses 29-31, there is no mention of shedding of blood in order to regain God’s favor; only contrite repentance is required.
The same message is found throughout the Hebrew Bible. For example, King Solomon echoes the same idea in his inaugural prayer during the consecration of the First Temple in Jerusalem, the one he built:
Later that night, God responds to Solomon:
2 Chronicles 7:12-15 – (12) And the Lord appeared to Solomon at night, and He said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place for Myself for a House of sacrifice. (13) If I shut up the heaven and there be no rain, and if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence upon My people. (14) And My people, upon whom My name is called, humble themselves and pray and seek My presence and repent of their evil ways, I shall hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. (15) Now, My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer of this place.
In his prophetic message, King Solomon forewarns that one day the Jewish people will be driven out of the Land of Israel and be banished to the lands of their enemies, near and far. If, during their exile, they would fervently desire to repent of their sins, face Jerusalem from their exile, and confess their sins, then God will hear their prayers and forgive all their transgressions. There is no mention of shedding of blood or any other kind of sacrificial offering in King Solomon’s message. The salient message here is that the contrite and penitent prayer of a remorseful sinner can bring about a complete remission of sins and forgiveness from God, which is also the centerpiece of Judaism’s atonement process throughout the long and bitter times of the exile.
The prophets conveyed the message to the Jewish people that the contrite prayer of the repentant sinner serves as an alternative to, or a substitute for, the sacrificial system. This situation prevailed during the 70-year exile in Babylon following the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.E., and it is also the situation today, which has prevailed since the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E.
The Prophet Hosea foretells that there will be times in the future of Israel when the people would not have a king, or a sacrificial system, or a Temple, or a High Priest:
Hosea 3:4-5 – (4) For the people of Israel shall remain many days without a king, and without a nobleman, and without a sacrifice, and without a pillar, and without without teraphim; (5) Afterwards, shall the people of Israel return, in a later chapter, Hosea gives the instructions on what will replace those animal sacrifices that atoned for unintentional sins while the Temple was standing in Jerusalem:
In other words, prayer is to replace the animal offerings during the times alluded to in Hosea 3:4-5. The true prophets never instructed the Jewish people to worship a crucified messiah or man-god; nor does the Hebrew Bible ever teach that an innocent man can die and thereby provide atonement for the sins of the people. Quite the contrary is true, as is evident from passages such as Exodus 32:31-33, Numbers 35:33, Deuteronomy 24:16, 2Kings 14:6, Jeremiah 31:29[30 in Christian Bibles], Ezekiel 18:4,20, and Psalms 49:7-8.
The sincere prayers of the penitent sinner replace animal sacrifices.
3. Charitable deeds
Last, but not least, are the charitable deeds, קה צ ָד (tsedaQAH), charity.
Since Judaism is a religion based on “works”, with special emphasis on acts of charity, deeds of kindness are regarded as the most important component in the atonement process. The importance of acts of charity, and that doing good deeds is preferable to other actions, is stressed throughout the Hebrew Bible. In fact, קה צ ָד is mandated in the Torah:
This commandment is not limited to charitable acts exclusively toward Jews. In the Hebrew Bible, the command to love, to befriend, and to be kind toward a stranger is mentioned not less than 36 times, and frequently this command is linked with the phrase, “… for you were strangers in the land of Egypt …”, as the following passage demonstrates:
This message is not restricted to the Torah:
Proverbs 16:6 – Through loving kindness and truth will iniquity be atoned ; and through the fear of the Lord [you] depart from evil.
Daniel 4:24 [27 in Christian Bibles] – Only, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and your sins will be with charity removed, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; indeed, your tranquility will be prolonged.
The Hebrew Bible also teaches which process is preferable to God:
Hosea 6:6 – For loving-kindness is what I desire, and not sacrifice; and knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. [See also Jeremiah 7:21-23; Proverbs 21:3]
Micah 6:6-8 – (6) With what shall I come before the Lord, bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? (7) Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (8) Man has told you what is good; but what does the Lord demand of you? To do justice, and to love loving-kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Clearly, charitable deeds and justice are superior to sacrificial offerings.
4. Other biblical examples of remission of sins without blood
In additions to these three methods for the atonement of sins, the Hebrew Bible points to other ways in which certain sins can be expiated,
Clearly, the shedding of blood is not the only available option.
A succinct summary of the atonement process is present in the opening chapter of Book of Isaiah, where the prophet conveys what God prefers:
Isaiah 1:11-18 – (11) “Of what use to Me are your many sacrifices?” says the Lord; “I am sated from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; and in the blood of bulls, and of sheep, and of male goats I do not delight. (12) When you come to appear before Me, who has requested this of you, to trample My courts? (13) You shall no longer bring a vain meal offering; it is incense of abomination to Me; as for the calling of an assembly on a New Moon and Sabbath, I cannot [bear] iniquity along with a solemn occasion. (14) Your New Moons and your appointed Feasts My soul hates, they are a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. (15) And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you, and even when you pray much, I do not hear; your hands are full of blood. (16) Wash, cleanse yourselves, remove the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; (17) Learn to do good, seek justice, help
the oppressed; do justice to the orphan, plead [the case] for the widow . (18) Come now, and let us reason together,” said the Lord; “If your sins be as scarlet, they shall become as white as snow; if they be red as crimson, they shall become as wool .”Recognizing that a person has the ability to commit iniquity by exercising his or her God-given free will, Judaism specifies a path to righteousness and salvation that is based on contrite repentance, prayer, and good deeds. The “formula” for the atonement process resides within the Hebrew Bible, and it does not include the shedding of blood as a required component.
C. Is this just theory or hypothesis? What is the evidence?
The Hebrew Bible contains many examples that illustrate the atonement process. One example of note is the story in the Book of Jonah. This account describes the Ninevites, who were wicked people:The Prophet Jonah was chosen to deliver a message of doom and, after some coaxing, he went on his mission to warn the people of Nineveh about their impending demise:
The Ninevites heeded the message and started a process of repentance, not knowing if it would be acceptable to God:
Who knows if God will turn and relent, and turn away from his fierce anger, and we will not perish?”
They donned sacks, fasted, and repented for their iniquities. God recognized their contriteness and relented from destroying them as He initially planned to do:
God accepted their repentance, forgave the Ninevites, and saved them and their great city from destruction without a blood sacrifice!
Another example is the situation that prevailed during the 70-year Babylonian exile. The sacrificial system was suspended in times when there was no Temple standing in Jerusalem. Following the return from Babylon and the rebuilding of the Temple, animal sacrifices were once again resumed. However, during those 70 years of the exile, while the Temple lay in ruins, no sacrificial offerings were possible. Yet, many righteous people lived in that period who had their sins removed through a bloodless atonement process – folks such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Haggai, Jeremiah, Malachi, Nehemiah, Zechariah, among others – these were all men of God. Daniel’s righteousness (along with that of Noah and Job [both righteous Gentiles]) was noted by the Prophet Ezekiel:
Jews were unable to offer sacrifices during that 70-year period, yet they remained righteous without a blood sacrifice. Clearly, the shedding of blood was not, and is not, a required component of the “formula”.
Though a devout Jew asks for forgiveness in his or her daily prayers, the general time ordained in the Torah for atonement is the Holy Day of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement; Leviticus 16:29-34 & Numbers 29:7-11). Yom Kippur is intended to be a vehicle for contrite repentance that will bring the atonement of a person’s sins.
III. CONFLICTING POSITIONS WITHIN THE NEW TESTAMENT
The earliest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark, contains a story about a paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus to be healed (Mark 2:3-12). In this narrative, Jesus tells the paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven:
Mark 2:5(KJV) – When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. [See also Luke 5:17-26; Luke 5:20 is the verse that parallels Mark 2:5]
In an account in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 7:47-50) Jesus forgives the sins of a woman who sought him out and washed his feet and put ointment on his head:
It seems that Jesus was able to forgive sins while he was alive, which appears to contradict the common Christian claim that the “sacrificial death” of Jesus on the cross and his spilled blood served to remove the sins of mankind. In fact, the argument that the blood of Jesus was required in order to “wash away” the sins is invalidated by the last verse in the passage about the woman whose sins were forgiven and removed, by Jesus’ say-so:
Luke 7:50(KJV) – And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
The woman’s sins were forgiven and “washed away” – she had been “saved”!4 This is in sharp contrast to the notion that the spilled blood of Jesus effected the removal of sins, which appears rather frequently in Paul’s Epistles, once in the Gospel of Matthew and several times in the Gospel of John. Interestingly, the approximate dating of Paul’s Epistles is late-40’s to mid-60’s C.E.; that of the Gospel of Mark, 60’s C.E.; that of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, 80’s C.E.; and that of the Gospel of John, 90’s C.E.
3 It is important to note that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and God, but not for sins against another person unless a special part of the “process” has been completed. To atone for sins against another person, one must first seek reconciliation with the hurt party, righting the wrongs one committed against him or her, whenever possible, and only then is atonement possible. This must all be done prior to the Yom Kippur Holy Day.
4 The forgiving of sins was part of the job of the “faith healers” of the times, even among the Jewish “charismatics”, such as Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa. This is also gleaned from the Dead Sea Scrolls, in the “Prayer of Nabonidus”, where Nabonidus, a Jewish “faith healer”, pardoned the sins of the Babylonian king, thereby curing him from an illness that lasted for seven years.
Some pertinent questions are: If Jesus was able to forgive sins while alive, why did he have to die to accomplish the same thing? Is John 3:16 not a false statement?
It appears that Paul created the idea that Jesus had to die in order to remove the sins of mankind.
IV. SUMMARY
Christian missionaries use a phrase taken out of Leviticus 17:11 to claim that without the shedding of blood, specifically, the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, remission of sins is not possible.
The analysis of this claim, which involved a systematic examination of the laws that pertain to sacrificial offerings, as presented in the Hebrew Bible, demonstrates that:
In other words, the shedding of blood is not a requirement for the remission of sins and, therefore, this claim by Christian missionaries has no valid basis in the Hebrew Bible.
Gadam
The blood that flowed under the First Covenant from Adam symbolized the blood of Christ shed for the whole world.
And when Christ shed his blood on the cross of Calvary, he said, ALL IS FULFILLED.
DANIEL 9:27
And he( the Messiah the Prince) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week (31AD) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation TO CEASE.THE LAST AND FINAL SACRIFICE
I. INTRODUCTION
Christianity claim that those who do not accept Jesus as their lord and savior, which includes the Jewish people, are doomed to burn in “hell” because they cannot have their sins forgiven by God. This claim is rationalized with the allegation that, in Biblical times, the only way to bring about the remission of sins was via the blood of a certain animal. This animal had to be brought to the priest to be slaughtered at the altar in the Sanctuary, first while in the portable Sanctuary and later in the Temple, as a sacrificial offering.According to this claim, since there has been no Temple standing in Jerusalem since the year 70
C.E., valid sacrificial offerings can no longer be made and, therefore, the only way for Jews to have their sins forgiven is through the blood shed by Jesus in his “sacrificial” death on the cross. In other words, the claim is that the blood of Jesus, who was allegedly sacrificed by God (the “Father”) as a demonstration of
his great love for mankind, has once and for all removed the stain of “Original Sin” from those who follow Jesus (the “Son”). This act of love by God allegedly made Jesus the “last and final sacrifice” forever.There are two main aspects to the claim that Jesus was “the last and final sacrifice”. The first concerns the suitability of Jesus and his death as a sacrificial offering for the remission of sins. The second aspect, which was investigated in another essay, concerns the need for blood in the atonement process. This essay examines the suitability of Jesus and the manner in which he died as a sacrificial offering for the remission of sins.
II. THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE VERSUS THE SPECIFICATIONS IN THE HEBREW BIBLE
The process for testing this claim by Christian missionaries consists of contrasting the requirements concerning sacrificial offerings, as specified in the Hebrew Bible, against the accounts in the New Testament that describe the death of Jesus on the cross as a sacrificial offering. As part of this analysis, it is important to bear in mind the following two conditions that existed during the life of Jesus, at the time of his death, and for several decades following his death: The Second Temple was still standing in Jerusalem
The Hebrew Bible was the Scripture in forceThe salient issue to be addressed, and answered, is:
According to the requirements set forth in the Hebrew Bible, was Jesus a valid sacrificial offering, and was his death by crucifixion an acceptable process, for remission of sins? The analytical phase of the testing process identifies ten elements for which the respective accounts in the New Testament are compared with the specifications provided in the Hebrew Bible, primarily in the Torah.
One
According to the accounts in the New Testament, Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers:
John 19:18,23(KJV) – (18) Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
(23) Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. [See also Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33.] According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, the animal brought as a sin sacrifice had to be slaughtered by the person who offered it:
Leviticus 4:27-29 – (27) And if any one person from among the common people sins unwittingly, by performing one of the commandments of the Lord which may not be done, and incurs guilt; (28) Or if his sin, which he has committed, is made known to him, then he shall bring his sacrifice, an unblemished female goat, for his sin which he has sinned. (29) And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and he shall slaughter the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
Two
According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, some of the blood of the (sin) sacrifice had to be rubbed by the priest with his finger on the horns of the altar in the Temple, and the rest had to be poured out at the base of the sacrificial altar. The fat of the sacrifice had to be removed and burnt:
Leviticus 4:30-31 – (30) And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar [used] for the burnt offering; and [then] he shall pour out all of [the rest of] its blood at the base of the altar. (31) And he shall remove all of its fat, as was removed the fat from the sacrificial peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a pleasant fragrance to the Lord; and [thus] shall the priest make an atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.
The New Testament is silent on what was done with the blood of Jesus and with the fat of his body.
Three
According to the accounts in the New Testament, Jesus was beaten, whipped, and dragged on the ground before being crucified:
Matthew 26:67(KJV) – Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, [See also Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63; John 18:22.]
Matthew 27:26,30-31(KJV) – (26)Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
(30) And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. (31) And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. [See also Mark 15:15-20; John 19:1-3.] According to the Torah, a sacrificial animal had to be without any physical defects or blemishes:
Deuteronomy 17:1 – You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has in it a blemish or any bad thing, for that is an abomination to the Lord, your God.
Sidebar Note: As a born Jew, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day following his birth, a ritual that leaves a scar (Genesis 17:10-13; the “sign of the covenant”).
The circumcision of Jesus is mentioned in the New Testament (Luke 2:21), yet Paul refers to circumcision as being tantamount to mutilation (Galatians 5:11-12; Philippians 3:2).
Four
According to the New Testament, Jesus was “the Lamb of God” whose bones may not be broken [a reference to the Paschal Lamb of Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12]:
John 1:29(KJV) – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 19:36(KJV) – For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
According to the Torah, the Paschal Lamb was not offered for the removal of sins. Rather, it was a festive, or commemorative, offering. Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) would have been a more appropriate time for a sin offering:
Numbers 29:11 – One young male goat for a sin offering, beside the sin offering of atonement, and the continual burnt offering, and its meal offering, and their drink offerings. [Yom Kippur – Individual sin offering]
Leviticus 16:15 – He shall then slaughter the he goat of the people’s sin offering and bring its blood inside the dividing curtain, and he shall do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull and sprinkle it upon the cover of the ark, and before the cover of the ark. [Yom Kippur – Communal sin offering]
Five
According to the Torah, the Paschal Lamb had to be slaughtered and its blood used to place markings on the side-posts and lintels of the entrances to the dwelling. Moreover, the meat had to be roasted and eaten, and whatever was not consumed by the time the Israelites were to leave their homes, had to be burnt and destroyed:
Exodus 12:6-10 – (6) And you shall keep it under watch until the fourteenth day of this month; and the entire congregation of the community of Israel shall slaughter it at dusk. (7) And they shall take [some] of its blood, and place it on the two doorposts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they will eat it. (8) And they shall eat the meat in that night, roasted over fire, and [with] unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (9) You shall not eat from it raw, nor boiled in water; but roasted over fire, its head with its legs, and with its inner parts. (10) And you shall not leave any of it until morning; and that which left over until the morning you shall burn in the fire.
According to the accounts in the New Testament this was not done with Jesus after his death. In fact, Jesus was buried.
Matthew 27:57-60(KJV) – (57) When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: (58) He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. (59) And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, (60) And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. [See also Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-42.]
Six
According to the New Testament, the death of Jesus was a sacrificial offering that expiated the sins of mankind for all times:
Hebrews 10:10,18(KJV) – (10) By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (18) Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. [See also
Romans 6:10; Hebrews 9:12.] According to the Torah, the Passover (sin) sacrifice, a male-goat, had to be offered on an individual (per household) basis, not as a communal offering:
Numbers 28:22 – And one young male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.
Seven
According to the New Testament, the death and blood of Jesus took care of (almost) all sins:
Hebrews 9:22(KJV) – And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, the sacrificial sin offering brought atonement only for unintentional sins, except as noted in Leviticus 5:1-6, 20-26[Leviticus 5:1-6, 6:1-7 in Christian Bibles]:
Numbers 15:27-31 – (27) And if a person sins inadvertently, then he shall offer a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. (28) And the priest shall atone for the erring person who sinned inadvertently before the Lord in order to make atonement on his behalf; and it shall be forgiven him. (29) For the native born of the children of Israel and the stranger who resides among them, one law shall apply to him who sins
inadvertently. (30) And the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is a native born or a stranger, that person blasphemes the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. (31) Because he has scorned the word of the Lord, and has violated his commandment; that person shall surely be cut off, for his iniquity is upon him.Eight
According to the New Testament, the death of Jesus brought about the remission of sins yet uncommitted, and of sins of those yet to be born:
Hebrews 10:18(KJV) – Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
According to the Levitical Law of Sacrifice in the Torah, sacrifices could bring atonement only for sins committed prior to the offering of the sacrifice. No sacrifice was provided for the atonement of sins committed after the sacrifice was offered and, thus, no sacrifice can bring atonement for sins of people
born after it was offered. This includes both טּאת ָח) ַhaTAT)], a sin offering, described in Leviticus 4:1-5:13, and שׁם ָא) ָaSHAM), a guilt offering, described in Leviticus 5:14-26. Had there been, among the listed sacrifices, even one kind of sin or guilt offering that could bring atonement for future sins, the person who would have offered that particular sacrifice would not have had to do so again for the rest of his life. Moreover, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which is ordained by the Torah as an annual Holy Day (Leviticus 16:29-34), would have had to be celebrated by the Israelites only the very first time after the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, had they used one of those “super” sacrificial offerings that could atone for sins of the future.The claim by the author of Hebrews, that there are no more sin offerings required following the death of Jesus, is false for other reasons as well:
The Second Temple stood in Jerusalem for nearly 40 years following the death of Jesus, during which time literally thousands of animals were offered as sacrifices of all sorts, including sin and guilt offerings, as prescribed by the Torah.
The Hebrew Bible contains prophecies about the building of the Third Temple in the messianic era, and of the resumption of the sacrificial system at that time. All the types of sacrificial offerings described in the Hebrew Bible will be made on the sacrificial altar [ח ַבֵּזְמ) ִmizBE’ah)] in the Temple, including both the טּאת ָח ַand שׁם ָא ָsacrificial offerings. In other words, the sacrificial system, which has been in a state of suspension since the year 70 C.E., when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, will be completely restored in the messianic era:
Ezekiel 43:21-22 – And you shall take the bull of the sin offering, and he [the priest] shall burn it at the edge of the Temple, outside the Sanctuary. (22) And on the second day you shall offer an unblemished he-goat for a sin offering, and they [the priests] shall purify the altar as they purified it with the bull. [See also: Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 33:17-18; Ezekiel 40:39,46-47, 41:42, 42:13, 43:13,15,18-19,22,25-27, 44:27,29, 45:17,19,22-23,25, 46:20, 47:1; Zechariah 14:21.]
Nine
According to the New Testament, God’s “only begotten son” died on the cross for the sins of mankind, and all who accept this belief are “saved” (i.e., get salvation) and will go to heaven:
Romans 5:8-11(KJV) – (8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (9) Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (10) For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.(11) And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. [See also Acts 10:43; 1Corinthians 15:3; 1Peter 3:18.]
Consequently, even if Jesus were some kind of a “super- sacrifice”, one that atoned for all sins of mankind, his death could have brought the remission of sins committed only prior to his crucifixion.
The Hebrew Bible strictly prohibits (human) vicarious atonement, and mandates that everyone is responsible for his or her own sins:
Deuteronomy 24:16 – Fathers shall not be put to death because of children, nor shall children be put to death for fathers; each person shall be put to death for his own sin. [See also Exodus 32:31-33; Numbers 35:33.]
Ten
According to the New Testament, Jesus was “God manifest in the flesh” (this would make it a human sacrifice):
Romans 8:3(KJV) – For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [See also 1Timothy 3:16; 1John 4:2.]
The Hebrew Bible strictly prohibits human sacrifices. The concept of human sacrifices to a deity is foreign to Judaism. Human sacrifice is a pagan rite:
Leviticus 18:21 – And you shall not give any of your offspring to pass through the fire for Molech, and shall not profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. [See also Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 7:31, 19:5; Ezekiel 23:37-39.]
The results obtained from the analysis are summarized ;
1 Who must slaughter the sin offering? The person who brings it.
Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers.2 What is done with the blood and fat of the sin offering?
Nothing. The New Testament is silent on what was done with the blood of Jesus and with the fat of his body.3 Some of the blood is rubbed by the priest with his finger on the horns of the altar in the Temple, and the rest is poured at the foot of the sacrificial altar. The fat is removed, placed on the altar by the priest, and burned.
4. What must be the physical condition of an animal being offered as a sacrifice?
Jesus was beaten, whipped, and dragged on the ground before being crucified. Would such treatment leave a body without blemishes and scars?
The sacrificial animal has to be without any physical defects or blemishes.
Was the Paschal Lamb a sin offering? Jesus was called “the Lamb of God”.The Paschal Lamb was a festive, or commemorative, offering, not a sin offering.
This Christian belief also contradicts the words of those who were inspired by God throughout the
rest of the Hebrew Bible:2Kings 14:6 – And the sons of the assassins he did not execute, as it is written in the book of the Torah of Moses, which the Lord commanded saying: “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor shall sons be put to death for fathers, but each man shall be put to death for his own sin.” [See also Jeremiah 31:29{30 in Christian Bibles}; Ezekiel 18:4,20; Psalms 49:7-8.]
5. What is to be done with the Paschal Lamb?
Nothing. The New Testament is silent on whether this was done with Jesus following his death.
The Paschal Lamb had to be slaughtered and its blood used for placing markings on the side-posts and lintel of the doors of the house. Its meat had to be roasted and eaten. Any leftovers at the time the Israelites were to leave their homes, had to be burnt.6. What is unique about the sin sacrifice to be offered on Passover?
The death of Jesus, termed a sin sacrifice, expiated the sins of mankind.
The Passover sin sacrifice, a male-goat, has to be offered on an individual basis, not as a communal offering.7. For which sins can the sin sacrifice bring atonement?
The death of Jesus on the cross took care of all sins. Except as noted, the sacrificial sin offering can atone only for unintentional sins.8. What is the span of time for which sin (and guilt) offerings can bring atonement?
The death of Jesus atoned for sins of the past, present and future, and for sins of those born after the crucifixion. Sin and guilt offerings can atone only for sins committed prior to the offering of the sacrifice.9 Can one person take on the sins of another and thereby have atonement granted to the sinner?
God had His “only begotten son” die on a cross for the sins of the people, and all who accept this belief are “saved” and will partake in the heavenly kingdom.
Human vicarious atonement is strictly prohibited. Each person is accountable for his or her own sins.10 Can a human being serve as a sacrificial offering of any kind?
Jesus, as “God manifest in the flesh”, was a human sacrifice when he died on the cross.
Human sacrifice is strictly prohibited.III. SUMMARY
The analysis of the missionary claim that Jesus was “the last and final sacrifice” demonstrates that, according to the specifications provided in the Torah, Jesus could not have served as a valid sacrificial offering of any kind. Any one of the above ten “counts” would render a sacrifice unfit for the atonement of sins. Those who choose to accept the belief that Jesus died for their sins, must understand and realize that such a belief is not supported by the Hebrew Bible. The notion that one person can take on, suffer, and die for the sins of another was introduced into Christianity via the New Testament and has, therefore, no place in, nor relevance to, Judaism. The dilemma facing those who accept the Christian Bible as their Scriptures is that the two “halves” of their Bible contradict each other – the New Testament contradicts the Christian “Old Testament” on this particular doctrine as well as on other elements of Christian theology.
A better alliance
Believe in Christ simply as the Savior of
world will never bring soul healing. The faith that
leads to salvation is not a simple acquiescence to
gospel truth. True faith is that which receives the
Christ as personal Savior. God gave his Son
unique so that I, believing in him, I do not perish
but may I have eternal life (see John 3:16). When,
according to his word, I come to Christ, I must believe that I
receive his saving grace. The life I lead now
I must live it “in faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and who gave himself up for me “(Galatians 2:20).
Many take faith for an opinion. The faith
saving is a transaction by which those who
accept Christ bind themselves in a covenant
with God. Living faith means increasing vigor,
a confident hope, whereby, by means of the grace of
Christ, the soul becomes a conquering power.
The Ministry of Healing, p. 62; The Ministry of
healing, p. 47.
Let us be confident and courageous … The Lord
knows all of our needs. It unites with the omnipotence of
King of kings the faithful kindness and tenderness of the good Shepherd.
His absolute power gives us the assurance that he
will fulfill the promises made to all who
trust him. He can help his servants overcome
difficulties so that they are comforted and respect the
means he uses. His love for us goes beyond
any other love of the distance that separates the sky from the
Earth. He watches over his children with love
immeasurable and eternal.
In the darkest days, when it all seems to be
unite against you, have faith in God. He accomplishes his
will in directing all things for your good (see
Romans 8:28). It renews day after day the strength of
those who love and serve him (see Isaiah 40:31).
He can and will give you the help you
you need. He will give you wisdom in
various circumstances by which you will be called to
pass.
(The Ministry of
Healing,)
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and,
after pronouncing the blessing, he broke it, gave it
to the disciples, saying: Take, eat, this is my
body. He then took a cup; and, after rendering
thanks he gave it to them, saying, All of you drink of it, for this
is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is shed for
much, for the forgiveness of sins. »(Matthew 26.26-
28.)
… By participating in bread and wine with its
disciples, Christ made a commitment to be their
Redeemer. He entrusted them with the new covenant, thanks to
which all who receive it become children of
God and joint heirs with Christ. This alliance put them in
possession of all the graces that heaven can bestow,
for the present life and for the life to come. This pact was to
be ratified by the blood of Christ. The administration of
sacrament will constantly remind the disciples of the
infinite sacrifice, made for each of them, as
member of fallen humanity.
The Desire of Ages.Hi Gadam
The Hebrew Bible contains prophecies about the building of the Third Temple in the messianic era, and of the resumption of the sacrificial system at that time. All the types of sacrificial offerings described in the Hebrew Bible will be made on the sacrificial altar [ח ַבֵּזְמ) ִmizBE’ah)] in the Temple, including both the טּאת ָח ַand שׁם ָא ָsacrificial offerings. In other words, the sacrificial system, which has been in a state of suspension since the year 70 C.E., when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, will be completely restored in the messianic era:
Me:
This prophecy is misinterpreted, there will be NO THIRD TEMPLE AND REINSTITUTION OF SACRIFICIAL ANIMAL CEREMONIES.
At least it’s not the will of God (That’s what I firmly believe)WHAT IS WRITTEN IN DANIEL 9: 27 HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY THE SACRIFICE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
And he shall CONFIRM THE CONVENANT with many for one week (7years): and in the midst of the week (31 AD) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation TO CEASE, (by his death on the cross)
God bless
Jesus = Perfect Sacrifice?
Didn’t Jesus’ death mark the culmination of his perfect observance of the Mosaic Law and the institution of the perfect and continuous sacrifice for all time? Let’s find out.
The claim that one person’s perfect observance of the Mosaic Law makes it unnecessary for others to observe it is not found in the Jewish Scriptures. The notion of a one time perfect sacrifice is also alien to the Jewish Scriptures.
The New Testament states that included in Jesus’ earthly task was the mission to completely fulfill the commandments as literally decreed by God in the Jewish Scriptures (Matthew 5:17-18). According to the New Testament, the Mosaic Law was in effect until Jesus fulfilled all, in all its exactness.
Jesus was to fulfill the Mosaic Law to perfection. For the New Testament’s god-man, Jesus, there could be no exceptions to fulfillment that were outside the limitations of the Mosaic Law.
Jesus’ supposed sacrificial death took place while the Mosaic Law was still in effect. Any sacrificial offering made prior to the Mosaic Law’s end would have to be in full compliance with that Law. Prior to the moment of Jesus’ death, the proper procedures and location for a blood atonement sacrifice would be biblically fixed and immutable. The crucifixion of Jesus meets none of these criteria.
If the Mosaic Law was in effect until the exact moment of Jesus’ death, or for any length of time afterwards, that act cannot be considered as an atoning blood sacrifice bringing remission of sin. The cause of Jesus’ death (even if one imagines that a human sacrifice is permissible) would, if he fulfilled the Law, have had to satisfy the Mosaic Law’s requirements in order to be a valid atonement sacrifice.
Jesus’ death was alleged to be an essential part of his fulfillment of the Law. Therefore, it was at the exact moment of his death that the requirements of the Mosaic Law were supposedly fulfilled in their entirety. Yet, the death of the New Testament’s Jesus does not conform to the Mosaic Law’s requirements for offering a blood atonement sacrifice.
According to the New Testament: (1) Jesus supposed atoning death for sin was the culmination of his fulfillment of the Law (Colossians 2:14-17), (2) Jesus’ death was the final atoning sacrifice under the Mosaic Law (Hebrews 7:27; 10:10, 12). Thus, only after the exact moment of death would the requirements of the Mosaic Law be nullified.
According to the New Testament’s own information, Jesus’ death cannot be considered as an atonement sacrifice. Generally, he did not fulfill the requirement of Matthew 5:17-18. There is no indication that he fulfilled the Torah’s commandments in their entirety. Furthermore, even if he did, this would not have any bearing on anyone else’s obligation to fulfill the Law. Specifically, Jesus’ death did not fulfill the New Testament contention that under the Mosaic Law “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus did not shed his blood to the extent that it would constitute a blood sacrifice.
Following the New Testament conditions for the nullification of the Law through perfect fulfillment and sacrifice it is obvious that Jesus changed nothing; the Mosaic Law is still in effect.
© Gerald Sigal
Sin and Atonement
Outreach Judaism Responds to Jews for Jesus;
The central goal of Outreach Judaism is to respond directly and effectively to unyielding Christian missionaries who specifically target Jews for conversion. As overzealous, fundamentalist denominations grow worldwide and Jewish evangelism continues at a feverish pitch, the overwhelming task of Outreach Judaism becomes more vital than ever.
Throughout the Let’s Get Biblical audio series I quote only from the Bible for a simple reason. Christians reject the validity of Judaism’s rabbinic literature (although they quote it incessantly when it suits their agenda), thus it would be pointless to use any source other than Tanach to disprove their arguments. It is the words of the Jewish Scriptures alone that can empower a Christian to thoroughly grasp why Judaism does not accept the Christian messiah. It is only the eternal words of Tanach that can guide a lost Jewish soul in the Church back to the God of Israel.
Christian doctrines refuted in the presentation, “Sin and Atonement”
Prior to responding to Jews for Jesus’ numerous arguments, I will highlight the fundamental points that I address in my lecture entitled, “Sin and Atonement.” This presentation confronts and responds to one of Christendom’s most central claims against its elder rival, Judaism: How can man expiate his sin without the shedding of blood? Missionaries argue that man’s sin can be cleansed only through a blood sacrifice. They contend that there can be no forgiveness of sin without a blood sacrifice.1 Without the blood of Jesus, man is utterly hopeless, lost in a state of eternal sin.
2 To prove this doctrine, the Church teaches that the Bible sets forth blood atonement alone to expiate sin.
3 Moreover, evangelical Christians assert that for the past two millennia, since the destruction of the second temple in 70 C.E., Jews lacked this essential and indispensable animal-sacrificial system for atonement.
Consequently, they conclude, God must have provided a blood atonement in place of the animal sacrifices of the past. This sacrifice, they declare, is Jesus’ death on the Cross – man’s only hope for salvation.
To support this claim that atonement can only be achieved through the shedding of blood, missionaries cite a passage in the Torah which reads:
“This is because the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11)
Christians quote Leviticus 17:11 to prove that blood-sacrifice alone atones for sin. With this verse in hand, Christians conclude that only the blood of the Cross can cover man’s sins, and provide any hope of being forgiven by God for his sins.
The lecture “Sin and Atonement” and its corresponding chapter 4 in the study guide responds to the above missionary argument in a variety of ways. The following is a brief overview of six crucial points elucidated in the presentation “Sin and Atonement.”
Overview of the Presentation “Sin and Atonement”
Refutation I
There are three methods of atonement in the Bible – Blood Sacrifice is the weakest form of atonement
Contrary to the missionary claim that blood-sacrifice is the only method of atonement in the Bible, there are three methods of atonement clearly defined in the Jewish Scriptures: The sin sacrifice, repentance and charity. Moreover, the חַטָאת קָרבָּן (Korban chatat), the sin sacrifice, did not atone for all types of sin, but rather, only for man’s most insignificant iniquity: unintentional sins. The sin sacrifice was inadequate to atone for transgressions committed intentionally. The rebellious sinner was barred from the Sanctuary, and had to bear his own iniquity because of his deliberate intent to sin against God. The Torah declares this fundamental principle in the following manner:“If a person sins unintentionally, then he shall offer a one year old female goat for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven… But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be on him.”(Numbers 15:27-31)
Refutation II
Leviticus 17:11 does not suggest that atonement can only be achieved through the shedding of blood; rather, it explains the prohibition against consuming blood
Contrary to the Christian claim that Leviticus 17:11 proves that man can atone for his iniquity only through the shedding of blood, this verse explains only the prohibition of eating blood outlined in the previous verse. Missionaries have conveniently severed this verse from its original context, effectively concealing and distorting its message.In the immediate context of Leviticus 17:11, we find that the Torah is speaking of the prohibition of eating blood, not the subject of sin and atonement. The Torah discusses blood atonement in this verse only as a byproduct of its central theme. This crucial message is lost when missionaries quote Leviticus 17:11 alone, without the surrounding texts as its proper background. Leviticus 17:11 begins with the conjunctive Hebrew word כִּי (kee), meaning “This is because…” Whenever a verse begins with this conjunction, it is explaining what has just been related in the previous verse. The previous verse reads,
“And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.”(Leviticus 17:10)
Leviticus 17:11 then continues this message and expounds,
“This is because the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
Thus, Leviticus 17:11 explains Leviticus 17:10 by revealing that consuming blood is forbidden because it may only be used in the act of sprinkling of an animal’s blood on the altar for an atonement. It is a grievous sin to use it for any other purpose.
Leviticus 17:10-11 is therefore outlining two fundamental principles about blood:
1) you may not eat it
2) among all the various rituals associated with the sin sacrifice, which include the laying of the hands on the animal, slaughtering, collecting, carrying, sprinkling, placing of the animal on the altar, it is only the rituals directly associated with blood that brings about the atonement. It is therefore forbidden to eat blood.
This verse does not state or imply that one cannot have atonement for sin without a blood sacrifice. Such a message would contradict all of the Jewish Scriptures which clearly highlight two other methods of atonement more efficacious and pleasing to God than a blood sacrifice: heartfelt repentance and charity.
Although the statement “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” is found nowhere in the Jewish Scriptures, it does appear in the Christian Scriptures. The author of the Book of Hebrews misquotes Leviticus 17:11 when he states:
“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”(Hebrews 9:22)
Although this quote in Hebrews 9:22 is always cross referenced in a Christian study Bible with Leviticus 17:11, it is a deliberate misquote of the original passage in the Torah.
Furthermore, if missionaries seek to hold up Leviticus 17:11 to bolster their position that blood sacrifices are indispensable for procuring an atonement, they must use all of the verse, and not dispense with any part of it. Leviticus 17:11 specifically says that the blood of the sacrifice must be placed “upon the altar to make atonement for your souls.” That is to say, Leviticus 17:11 explicitly declares that blood can effect atonement only if it is placed on the altar. Jesus’ blood, however, was never placed on the altar. If the Church is going to take the “blood” part of the verse literally, they must also take the “altar” part literally as well. Jesus’ blood was never sprinkled on the altar, and therefore his death could not provide atonement for anyone.
Most importantly, the Torah repeatedly states that it is strictly forbidden to offer human sacrifices under any circumstances. There is not one place throughout the entire corpus of the Jewish Scriptures where the practice of human sacrifice is condoned. The Torah condemns this grotesque ritual as an abomination. Throughout the Book of Leviticus, only distinct species of animals are permitted for use in blood sacrifices.
Refutation III
The prophets openly pronounced that repentance and charity are more favorable to God than a blood sacrifice. Throughout the Jewish Scriptures, the prophets declared that repentance and charity are more pleasing to God for atonement than a blood sacrifice. They repeatedly warned the Jewish people not to rely on blood offerings. Other methods of atonement were more efficacious and would even replace animal sacrifices. For example, King David cries out to God:“Rescue me from blood-guilt, O God, God of my salvation. 17My Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. 18For You desire no offering, else I would give it, a burnt offering You do not favor. 19 The offerings of God are a broken spirit, a heart broken and crushed O God, that You will not despise.(Psalm 51:16-19)
King David declares:
“Sacrifice and burnt offering You have not desired; but my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.”(Psalm 40:7 – 40:6 in a Christian Bible)
These words of the Bible are not consistent with the Christian doctrine that sin can only be expiated through the shedding of blood. Because the Psalmist’s words were deeply offensive to the early Church, the author of the Book of Hebrews altered Psalm 40:7 to read instead:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure.”(Hebrews 10:5-6)
Notice how King David’s original words, “but my ears You have opened” have been removed entirely in the “quote” in the Book of Hebrews. Instead, this New Testament author replaced this expunged clause with the words “But a body you have prepared for Me.” This is a startling alteration of the Jewish Scriptures.
The notion that the sacrificial system is central to faith and atonement was condemned as heretical by the contemporary prophets Hosea and Micah.
For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.”(Hosea 6:6)
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He has shown you, O man, what is good, what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”(Micah 6:6-8)
In his Book of Proverbs, King Solomon explicitly states that giving charity is a more effective method to atone for sin than a sacrifice:
Riches will not avail on the day of wrath, but charity will save from death.(Proverbs 11:4)
With loving-kindness and truth will iniquity be expiated, and through fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.(Proverbs 16:6)
Performing charity and justice is preferred by God to a sacrifice.(Proverbs 21:3)
During the Babylonian exile, following the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, Daniel declared that charity atones for sin:
“Nevertheless, O king, let my advice be agreeable to you. Redeem your error with charity, and your sin through kindness to the poor, so that there will be an extension to your tranquility.”(Daniel 4:24)
Refutation IV
Hosea foretold that the Jewish people would be without a sacrificial system, and instructed us to replace animal offerings with prayer
In Hosea 3:4-5, the prophet foretold that the Nation of Israel would not have a sacrificial system during the last segment of Jewish history until the messianic age.“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.”(Hosea 3:4-5)
In the words of the Bible, this period of time would last for many days. Yet, contrary to the Church’s claim that the crucifixion of Jesus serves as a sin sacrifice today, the words of Hosea were meticulously fulfilled.
Given the magnitude of this remarkable prophecy, Hosea was compelled to reveal how ecclesiastical temple functions would be replaced. In essence, if the prophet is testifying that the nation of Israel will indeed be without a sacrificial system during their long exile until the messianic age, what are we to use instead? How are the Jewish people to worship without blood sacrifices during their bitter exile? What about all the animal sacrifices prescribed in the Book of Leviticus? Can the Jewish people get along without animal offerings? Can the sacrificial system be replaced in exile? Missionaries claim they cannot. The Bible disagrees.
For this reason, the oracle in Hosea 14:2-3 is crucial. In these two verses, the prophet reveals to his beloved nation how they are to replace the sacrificial system during their protracted diaspora. Hosea declares that the Almighty wants us to “render for bulls the offering of our lips.” Prayer is to replace the sacrificial system.
Take words with you, and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; receive us graciously, For we will render for bulls the offering of our lips.”(Hosea 14:2-3)
The Jewish people were never instructed to worship a crucified messiah or demigod. Nor does Scripture ever tell us that an innocent man can die as an atonement for the sins of the wicked. Such a message is utterly antithetical to the teachings of the Jewish Scriptures. Rather, it is the lips of the sinner that is transformed into bulls of the sin offerings.
Refutation V
Ezekiel condemns the doctrine of vicarious atonement
The Book of Ezekiel forever condemned Christendom’s central doctrine of vicarious atonement, and slammed the notion that an innocent human being can die for the sins of the wicked.Throughout his famed 18th chapter, Ezekiel warned his people that this erroneous teaching, i.e. that a righteous man could die for another man’s sins was contrary to the will of God. The way for the sinful man to come right by God is to turn away from his rebellious ways and repent. Only the sacred path of the penitent is assured complete forgiveness. Accordingly, throughout Ezekiel’s uplifting sermon on the forgiveness of sin, blood sacrifices are never mentioned.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the sons’ teeth are set on edge?’ As I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For every living soul belongs to Me, the father as well as the son – they are Mine. Which ever soul sins, it shall die… Yet you ask: Why did the son not bear the sin of the father? But the son, justice and righteousness did he do, all My decrees did he safeguard and perform them. He shall surely live. The soul that sins, it shall die! The son shall not bear for the sin of the father, nor the father bear for the sin of the son. The righteousness of the righteous person shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked person shall be upon him. As for the wicked man, if he should turn away from all his sins which he did, and safeguard all My decrees, and do justice and righteousness; he shall surely live. He will not die. All his transgressions which he committed will not be remembered against him. For the righteousness which he did, he shall live. Do I desire at all the death of the wicked man – the words of my Lord, God – is it not rather his return from his ways, that he might live.”(Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-23)
Refutation VI
If Jesus was the final sacrifice, why will the sacrificial system be restored in the messianic age?
Finally, the New Testament emphatically claims that the animal sacrificial system never could atone for sin in any permanent way. The only purpose of the animal sacrificial system, the Book of Hebrews claims, was a foreshadowing Jesus’ death on the cross.The New Testament, therefore, repeatedly declares that Jesus was the final sacrifice for all time, and there would no longer be any future need for the return of the animal sacrificial system. In his most influential epistle, Paul states,
The death he died, he died to sin once for all…(Romans 6:10)
Paul’s claim is that Jesus’ death was once for all – in that a sacrifice for sin would never be repeated. The Greek adverb ἐφάπαξ (ephapax) in Romans 6:10 denotes “once only,” meaning that it will never be done again.
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.(Hebrews 10:10)
Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.(Hebrews 10:18)
This doctrine, however, completely contradicts the words of the prophets who clearly foretold that the animal sacrificial system would return in the messianic age.
In essence, if Jesus was the final sacrifice “once and for all,” as Paul vehemently argues, and the animal sacrificial system merely was a temporary “foreshadowing” of Calvary (Hebrews 9-10), why will animal sacrifices be fully restored in the messianic era?
Moreover, why would the messiah – named “The Prince” seventeen times at the end of the Book of Ezekiel – bring a sin sacrifice on behalf of himself and the nation!
On that day the Prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land.(Ezekiel 45:22)
According to Christian teachings it would be preposterous for Jesus to bring a sin offering for his own iniquity.
Link…https://outreachjudaism.org/outreach-judaism-responds-to-jews-for-jesus/
Adam…….The animal sacrifice “for the saved”, Will never be needed again, it’s not talking about those who are not saved, as the world will be when The Messiah Jesus returns and rules over them along with the saved Saint’s . The JEWS of this world will still be, as they were before THE MESSIAH JESUS RETURNS , they are not spiritually minded nor saved by their belief in Jesus Christ the Messiah of God. They are not lead by the Spirit of God, So they will rebuild the Temple and off sacrifices again. Those Jews are save physically, but not ‘spiritually saved’ at the return of Jesus. It’s the spiritually saved who need no more sacrifice, but that’s not the Jews when Jesus returns.
peace and love to you and your Adam……..gene
Adam…….The animal sacrifice “for the saved”, Will never be needed again, it’s not talking about those who are not saved, as the world will be when The Messiah Jesus returns and rules over them along with the saved Saint’s . The JEWS of this world will still be, as they were before THE MESSIAH JESUS RETURNS , they are not spiritually minded nor saved by their belief in Jesus Christ the Messiah of God. They are not lead by the Spirit of God, So they will rebuild the Temple and off sacrifices again. Those Jews are save physically, but not ‘spiritually saved’ at the return of Jesus. It’s the spiritually saved who need no more sacrifice, but that’s not the Jews when Jesus returns.
Hi brother Gene, I am sorry to interrupt you on the above. This is purely the interpretation of the NT writers especially Paul who placed Jesus’ death on the cross as a Vicarious Atonement for the sins of the world which is not supported by the Torah as God Yahweh never ordered for the human sacrifice on the alter for the remission of sins. The animal sacrifices continued even after the death of Jesus for more than 40 years in the Second Temple. That itself is the proof for negating such Christian ideas. The Hebrew scriptures clearly mentioned about commencement of animal sacrifices during the Messianic rule in the future as per Ezekiel 37-46 including the sacrifices for sin atonement by the Prince Messiah. I don’t think Jesus will fit into this Prophecy.
Please read the Book of Ezekiel Chap 18, 37-46 you will understand the facts on the arguments I quoted above.
Thanks and peace to you…..Adam
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