Lesson No. 44 

Lesson No. 44 A Necessary Means of Redemption

Introduction to the topic: Although I have expounded in previous topics the declarations of the Holy Scriptures about God's call to repentance from the wrong path and returning to the path of righteousness through obedience to His holy commandments, it is necessary to say that this constitutes only a complement of the divine demands to effect the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life. For we still have an indispensable requirement to reflect without which the human being could not achieve such a glorious promise. Since, as I said before, he has inherited the consequences of original sin, as confirmed by the biblical passage of reference:

Romans chapter 5: verse 12: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”.51

This last expression: "For all have sinned," must be interpreted that in Adam all sinned. Therefore, they carry by intuition the inherited depravity, for which the human being, before returning to the path of righteousness, has often committed many sins. And the Word of God declares that the wages of sin is death. Let’s regard the following passage:

Romans chapter 6: verse 23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.51

Although it may be relatively easy for the human being to turn away from the wrong path and take the path of righteousness, it is also true that the violation of the moral principles established by God to govern human behavior is of such grave magnitude that it could not be totally and definitively forgiven without a redemption of a higher level of dignity and perfect effectiveness; therefore, we needed a redeemer to pay with his life for our sins. Both for the sinful inheritance transferred by the first couple, as stated in the passage of Romans chapter 5: verse 12,51 and for the sins committed during our lives. So that the human race may be free of all guilt and punishment consigned, and we might attain eternal life.

Who then would have to be such a redeemer, if among the human beings none could be chosen to carry out such a mission? It must be understood that the entire human race was condemned to the maximum penalty, and no guilty person under such conditions can redeem themselves, nor can they redeem others. Each one had to die for their own guilt. Therefore, one who was innocent and free from sin had to act as an intermediary to bear the guilt of all and die in their place.

For this reason, since no one else could assume such a responsibility with greater efficiency and dignity, God determined from the beginning to send His own Son, the Christ, to die for all humanity. So that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life, as the Scriptures say in John chapter 3: verse 16.51

A Temporary Means of Redemption

This means of atonement for sins, with all the ritual panorama encompassed within it, is treated in theology as the typology of man's redemption by Jesus Christ, who is declared in different passages of the Scriptures as "the Lamb of God," according to John chapter 1: verses 29, 36, and 37;51 First Peter chapter 1: verses 19 and 20;51 and Revelation chapter 5: verse 12.51

While awaiting the appropriate time for the manifestation of the Son of God, the Messiah, it was necessary to provide a means to redeem the sins of each individual part of His chosen people, so that they might be reconciled with their Creator and be free of guilt before His divine presence.

This was accomplished through the sacrifice of a little animal determined by God, as we can appreciate in the biblical passages to be considered.

This practice has been known since the existence of the first humans but became more emphatic from the patriarchal era onwards. As an example, the sacrifices made by Job for his children are known.

The Holy Scriptures recount says: And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (Job chapter 1: verses 4 and 5).51

This kind of sacrifice was later imposed by God on His chosen people. Let's look at the following biblical citations:

Leviticus chapter 6: verses 1 to 4, 6, and 7: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; 3Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: 4Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, 6And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: 7And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein”.51

According to this passage, in addition to the declarations of the Holy Scriptures in Leviticus chapter 7: verses 1, 2, and 5,51 and Leviticus chapter 14: verses 13 and 14,51 reference is made to two kinds of sacrifices: one was for sin or transgression and another for guilt, interpreted in this version as trespass. Because, according to legal terms, trespassing involves guilt in itself implicitly.

Although sin and guilt or trespassing might seem like the same thing and be confused with each other, nonetheless, the Scriptures differentiate between them. However, what is important is that both sin and guilt were redeemed by animal sacrifices, thus preventing the person from having to suffer the penalty or punishment.

Besides this rite, another form was practiced that included the remission or forgiveness of sins for the entire people as a whole. Let's see the details: Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. 5And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 7And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. 11And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: 14And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. 15Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 16And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 20And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. (Leviticus chapter 16: verses 3, 5, and 7 to 11, 14 to 16, and 20 to 22).51

Evidently, the rite did not consist solely of the sacrifice of the animal but also involved the shedding and sprinkling of its blood, through which the place of worship was also purified, especially the sanctuary and the tabernacle of testimony. The Scriptures declare that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.

Let's consider the following passage:

Hebrews chapter 9: verse 22: “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission”.51

This ritual activity for the whole people en masse was carried out only once a year. Regarding this, let's see what the following passage says:

Leviticus chapters 16: verses 33 and 34: “And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. 34And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses”.51

The function of the blood in these sacrifices once a year, besides the purification of the sacred place, was also for the sins of the people's ignorance. The author of the book To the Hebrews, according to Hebrews chapter 9: verses 2 to 7, provides a description of the order of the tabernacle and concludes by saying: For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.51 See also, Leviticus chapter 5: verses 17 to 19.51

It is evident that the Bible mentions various kinds of sacrifices, but our study has focused on the animal sacrifice as a means of temporary redemption of sin and guilt. Although it is necessary to clarify that none of these sacrifices redeemed sins like adultery, fornication, homicide, and others, for which the guilty had to die irrevocably (see Acts chapter 13: verse 39).51 This is why the Scripture that we will consider in the next lesson says: "For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins".