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OT shedding of blood
Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone can please help me understand the old covenant animal sacrifice.
Hebrews 9:22 says that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. God ordained animal sacrifice in the OT for the forgiveness of Israel's sins as far as I understand. Does this mean that the people actually DID have their sins cleared by the blood of those animals to the effect that if one of them died immediately after the daily sacrifice, they would go to heaven?
Or was this animal sacrifice just to foreshadow the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross, and the animal sacrifices didn't have any power to forgive eternally. What was the power of the animal sacrifices?
Thanks!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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They received forgiveness of sin, but the fact that they, like us, were born with sin nature and would still be separated from God unless they were changed, born a new spiritually. Their is a difference between being forgiven an offence and being regenerated. A great place to see this is in John chapter 3. Nicodemus believed in the old animal sacrifices, but was told that unless he was born again he would not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The animal sacrifices served a dual purpose. 1) The true offer of forgiveness regarding sin, yet lacking transformation power and 2) It was a foreshadow of the work of Christ to be done on Calvary which brings transformation power into play.
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Permalink Reply by Jenny on
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Thank you!
So the animal sacrifice was for forgiveness of sins, and yet this didn't mean they could get into heaven? So is this to show that we need not only to be forgiven, but to be regenerated as well to get into heaven? And if so, does that mean there are "forgiven" Israelites in hell?
Thanks
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ps- I will have to read John 3 again because so far it hasn't made sense to me regarding the forgiveness of the old covenant
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Keep in mind that the New Covenant was being highlighted. A mystery that had been hid is now being revealed with clarity.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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LT,
There's something I've wondered about for a little while now concerning forgiveness and justification, and now the way I'm understanding it is that justification (pardoning of sins) and forgiveness (remission of sins) are not the same thing, and even under the New Covenant some one can be merely forgiven of sins by God without receiving eternal life, as in the case of Jesus saying, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" and as in the case of a believer forgiving before God an unbeliever of their sins against the believer and asking God not to hold those sins against the person, as Jesus did on the cross.
Perhaps you will share your understanding of these things, too.
At the following link is this understanding by Arthur W. Pink and you may read more of what he says for a better understanding of the way he describes the doctrine of justification.
http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Justification/just_02.htm
"... It [Justification] differs from forgiveness. In some things they agree. It is only God who can forgive sins (Mark 2:7) and He alone can justify (Rom. 3:30). His free grace is the sole moving cause in the one (Eph. 1:7) and of the other (Rom. 3:24). The blood of Christ is the procuring cause of each alike: Matthew 26:28, Romans 5:9. The objects are the same: the persons that are pardoned are justified, and the same that are justified are pardoned; to whom God imputes the righteousness of Christ for their justification to them He gives the remission of sins; and to whom He does not impute sin, but forgives it, to them He imputes righteousness without works (Romans 4:6-8). Both are received by faith (Acts 26:18, Rom. 5:1). But though they agree in these things, in others they differ."
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There are two things I would point to regarding this.
1) Forgiveness is pretty straightforward which is, as you put it, remission of sin. Jesus from the cross did not extend salvation to these people who crucified Him, but extended forgiveness for the very act against Him. Whereas justification can carry several meanings depending on its use in context. Ones act may be justified, in that we see a person who kills in self defense is not forgiven, but is viewed as innocent even after the taking of a life. Thus there is no remission of sin because there was no sin applicable. There is also the use of justified as a judicial term where the judge does remit the crime (sin) and extends a pardon. Pink makes a great point when He states that God is just, but He never required or requires forgiveness. The problem with forgiveness and justification (i.e. pardon) is that it goes but only so far. Pink points out that forgiveness can be extended 70 x 7, whereas justification is a one time deal. this leads to point to and relates to the first phase of salvation.
2) In conjunction with justification there must also be regeneration. The murderer can be pardoned, but if there is no change in the man he is still the same old murderer, just currently without a charge against him. Given due time he will most likely repeat what is natural to him. For salvation to take effect, be applied, one must be born again. This is the act of God by which we are regenerated, transformed. We are no longer the same old creature, but are new creatures with new hearts. Some old habits may surface, or even war heavily against us, but this is due to the fact that we still live in the old flesh. That is what phase 2 of salvation (sanctification) is so important. We have examples of people being forgiven of sin (particular acts) in both Testaments yet unless there is regeneration there is no salvation.
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I understand regeneration differs from justification. Forgiveness can be given for acts or actions. This is how we forgive one another and forgive ourselves, too, but we aren't pardoning, or justifying, someone in the standing they have before God concerning their sins against God. In fact, when we forgive another for an injury, small or great, we aren't justifying what was done to us. We can't forget, especially if it was horrible, or pretend it never happened. Yet, I've heard that the justification God gives for sins means He remembers the sins no more. Pink seems to be stating that justification is a pardon in the sense of a pardon as a change of judgment -- the sentence of eternal life in place of eternal death.
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Again as we look at justification we have to understand that it has several uses depending on context. In the case where justified is applied to eternal life and eternal death, where eternal life is given regeneration is also taking place. They work together. I cannot see where God would give justification regarding eternal life and the person also not experience regeneration. Romans 6:23 is a picture of this where we would understand the "gift of eternal life" to include both justification and regeneration. We also know that these two are possible because of the atonement, for sin never goes unpunished. The justification is given because Jesus paid the price for our guilt.
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The way I'm understanding justification now, especially through Pink's teachings, is that once one is declared righteous before God, one is receiving the sentence of eternal life in place of having previously been condemned to eternal death. They've received pardon of their sins, not because it no longer matters that they have sinned, but because the penalty for their sins has already been paid in full and the death sentence has already been carried out for them, but by a Substitute for them. Jesus. Also, the life He lived without sin is imputed to them -- the righteousness is not theirs, but His righteousness.
When it says Abraham was justified by faith in Him, it means Abraham was counted as righteous, and, therefore, justified before God.
In my understanding (which may be incorrect) Regeneration is how God fits us for the sentence of eternal life. Sanctification and Glorification also are part of the "fitting" of us for it, as we read in Romans 8:30, "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
Along this line of reasoning, those in the OT who were declared righteous by faith in Him, did receive the sentence of eternal life -- justification. They didn't receive regeneration before they died physically, however. They lived before the cross.
Hebrews 11 states:
39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
Romans 4
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say was gained by[a] Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in[b] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered;
8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Here is a link to Regeneration by A.W. Pink. For anyone interested, several of Pink's works have been converted into eBooks from Providence Baptist Ministry and can be downloaded at this link http://www.pbministries.org/mobile/index.php
http://www.pbministries.org/books/pink/Regeneration/regeneration_01...
"Thus it is evident that the need is imperative for a radical and revolutionary change to be wrought in fallen man before he can have any fellowship with the thrice holy God. Since the earth must be completely changed, because of the curse now resting on it, before it can ever again bring forth fruit as it did when man was in a state of innocency; so must man, since a general defilement from Adam has seized upon him, be renewed, before he can "bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom. 7:4). He must be grafted upon another stock, united to Christ, partake of the power of His resurrection: without this he may bring forth fruit, but not "unto God." How can any one turn to God without a principle of spiritual motion? How can he live to God who has no spiritual life? ... be fit for the kingdom of God who is of a brutish and diabolical nature?" A.W. Pink
PS I hope it's OK to post the links and quotes regarding the works of A.W. Pink. -
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If they trusted in the sacrifice for forgiveness of sin then they received only forgiveness for whatever sin they performed the sacrifice for. To those who looked to God in faith, looking forward toward the cross based on the knowledge they had they were saved by grace through faith. As stated in another post we see this in Matthew 27 when Jesus died on the cross "the bodies of many holy people were raised to life" (Mat. 27:52). Their hope was in God just like David believed he would see his first born son again and like Abraham who believed that if he sacrificed Isaac that God would raise him from the dead.
Hope this helps a little.
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yes it helps, thanks!
so the nation of Israel was God's elect nation, not in the sense of all of them being saved, but in getting special knowledge of God through his Law?
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