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In John 6:53-57, Jesus shared a profound teaching that shocked, confused, and even offended many of His followers. In it, He described the eternal life and spiritual food He later provided with the figurative consumption of His flesh and blood. Unfortunately, most of His followers ignored this teaching's spiritual context and thus were greatly repulsed, which caused them to reject Him.
Today, many are similarly offended by God's Word, especially the Gospel. This revulsion often targets God's use of blood and sacrifices for atoning sin. Unfortunately, some church leaders and Bible translations have responded to this by downplaying, ignoring, and even rejecting these doctrines. However, despite the aversion they cause, these teachings must never be censored due to them being the reason our salvation is possible.
Their importance was established during the Fall of man. Prior to it, Genesis 2 records how God created mankind in His image, giving us the unique ability to fellowship with Him. However, because He desired genuine love from us, He gave the first man and woman both free will and a choice represented by two trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Unfortunately, Genesis 3 reveals how Adam and Eve caved to temptation and ate of the latter, causing sin to enter their natures, kill their spirits, and cut off all humanity from fellowship with God via inherited sin (Rom 5:19). Fortunately, despite us all deserving eternal judgment, God, in His unfathomable mercy, not only promised the first couple a Savior from their descendants (Gen 3:15), but also instituted the sacrificial system by killing an animal for their atonement (Gen 3:21). Although the Fall made all humanity deserve both spiritual and physical death, God graciously promised deliverance from the former and lovingly provided a temporary covering for the latter via animal sacrifice.
The Scriptures thoroughly explain the necessity of these sacrifices before Christ's death by revealing their two purposes. The first reason they were instituted was to provide temporary atonement for sin. In Leviticus 17:11, God told the Israelites how He had given them animals to be sacrificed, which would temporarily cover their sins and appease His wrath. As Hebrews 9:22 notes, this spilling of blood was mandatory, for without it, sin could not be atoned for. The other reason for this system was that it foreshadowed Christ's sacrifice. For example, God's requirement of sacrificing animals without spot or blemish (Exo 12:5; Lev 6:6) represented the perfect life Christ lived to be worthy of earning our salvation. Also, the guiltless animals dying in the sinners' place pictured Christ taking the judgment and death we deserved despite His innocence. Thus, God instituted animal sacrifice to both provide temporary atonement and foreshadow the One who would permanently earn it for us.
This foretelling was necessary, for the Scriptures note the sacrificial system's critical insufficiencies. Hebrews 10:1-4 note that while the blood of animals could temporarily forgive sin, it could never remove it from our natures. This prevented these sacrifices from allowing us entrance into heaven, for Psalm 5:4 notes that evil cannot dwell in God's presence. Because no law or sacrifice could cleanse our natures, we all stood guilty before God and deserved of His eternal judgment, as Romans 3:23 and 6:23 note. Fortunately, Christ surpassed the sacrificial system by being born sinless (Heb 7:26), living a sinless life (2Co 5:21), and perfectly obeying God's law (Mat 5:17). By living this life no mortal ever could, Jesus completely paid the penalty for all humanity's past, present, and future sins by dying and having His blood spilled for our sake, as Hebrews 10:12 and 13:12 note. Thus, Jesus' blood not only surpassed the sacrificial system, but also was necessary for the permanent atonement of all mankind's sin.
Because we serve and are accountable to the Most High God, we cannot afford to cave to the world's vitriolic criticisms and censor any doctrine in Scripture. This is especially crucial for the ones concerning Christ's blood, with which our salvation, atonement, and fellowship with God were made possible. It is through the wholehearted acceptance of these astounding truths that the lost are saved, God's Word is upheld, and our faith is preserved.
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