OT sin and sacrifice

[Kehaar]

Hello all

I was hoping for some clarification on a certain topic.

I'm a new Christian, currently working my way through the Bible, although I still have most of the OT to read, so I apologise in advance if my question seems ignorant. I may have misunderstood.

In the OT, I'm aware that it talks of 'transfering' sin to an animal that would then be sacrificed, and the blood of that sacrifice was the payment for a particular sin.

However, my understanding is that Christ died for all the sin of the world - past present and future, so my question is, was such animal sacrifice 'condoned' by God in the OT?

Thanks

Astral

 

[Rafael]

Sin costs something and takes away life. The life is in the blood, and God wanted His people to know that it cost to sin. This is the reason that Jesus came and shed His blood for our sins as sacrifice as a once and for all time payment for all the sin of mankind.

Lev. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Speaking of Jesus, our high priest:

Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

 

[seangoh]

It was not only condoned by God but it was made necessary for people back then to offer sacrifices. It started way back from Adam's time when they first sinned where the "LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." Gen 3:21

The sacrificial service, though not specifically mentioned here, was instituted at this time. The story of Cain’s and Abel’s sacrifices related in the next chapter shows that the first sons of Adam and Eve were well acquainted with this ritual. If God had not issued definite regulations concerning sacrifices, His approval of Abel’s offering and His disapproval of Cain’s would have been arbitrary. That Cain did not accuse God of partiality is evidence that he as well as his brother knew what was required. The universality of animal sacrifices in ancient times points to a common origin of this practice.

What i've gathered so far in my understanding is that the sacrifices were a help for the people before Christ's crucifixion to remind themselves that there is a penalty for sinning. Additionally, it also pointed forward to the great Lamb that was to be slain.

The sacrifices ceased when Christ died.
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." Matt 27:50-51

Here, the veil of the temple separates the most holy from the holy place where only the high priest could enter once a year. The rending of the veil, and the resultant exposure of the sacrosanct place, was Heaven's signal that the typical service had ended-type (sacrifices done to point to this great sacrifice) had met antitype (the actual sacrifice that came).

On whether the blood of Jesus covers all generations of people. Yes. But the sacrifices were insituted by God to help people remind themselves of the great cost of sinning and more importantly points forward to the great sacrifice to come. Now, we don't need to sacrifice anymore as we can look back to the cross.