- In The Old Testament, Animals Were Offered For The Sins Of God's People:
-"Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for a burnt offering." (Leviticus 9:3)
- Jesus Christ Offered Himself As A Sacrifice Once For Our Sins:
-"and not through the Blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption." (Hebrews 9:12)
-"and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)
- The Animal Sacrifices Of The Old Testament Were To Be Unblemished:
-"Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats." (Exodus 12:5)
-"and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf, a bull, for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the Lord." (Leviticus 9:2)
- Christ Is The Final Unblemished Sacrifice For The Sins Of Mankind:
-"knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1 Peter 1:18-19)
- The Animal Sacrifices Of The Old Testament Were Peace Offerings:
- The Lord Jesus Christ Is Our Peace Offering:
-"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)
- The Blood Of Animals In The Sacrifices Served As A Temporary Covering For Sin:
-"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. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement." (Leviticus 17:10-11)
-"For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17:14)
- The Shedding Of Blood Was Foundational To The Entire Levitical System:
-"And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)
- Comments On The Shedding Of Blood And The Law:
-"Even though the Law does mention some cleansing rites apart from sacrifice (for example, Num. 19:11–12), we must remember that once a year, on the Day of Atonement, blood was offered for the sins of the entire nation (Lev. 16). As such, all of the cleansing rites of the old covenant were subsumed under the absolute necessity of a blood sacrifice once every year. Likewise, the grain offerings that in some cases could atone for sin were ultimately effectual only because of this annual, “bloody” event. The shedding of blood was absolutely necessary for atonement under the old covenant, and, as we are to infer from these verses, death is also absolutely necessary for atonement in the new covenant." (Ligonier Ministries, "Without Blood")
- Christ Shed His Blood For Our Sins:
-"for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28)
- This All Accounts For Him Being Called The "Lamb Of God" In New Testament Texts With Sacrificial Connotations:
-"The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
