Sometimes the God of the Old Testament is contrasted against the God of the New Testament by reason of the former seeming so archaic, demanding, and judgmental whereas the latter seems to be full of love, compassionate, and merciful. Nevertheless, they are one in the same God. A careful reading of the Bible shows that the God of Israel is, from cover to cover, a deity who demands sacrifice. As Paul explains:
"The Law of Moses is like a shadow of the good things to come. This shadow isn't the good things themselves, because it cannot free people from sin by the [blood] sacrifices offered year after year.... But the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. It only reminds people of their sins from one year to the next.
"When Christ came into the world, he said to God,
"'Sacrifices and offerings
are not what you want,
but you have given me
my body.
No, you are not pleased
with animal sacrifices
and offerings for sin.'
"Then Christ said,
"'And so, my God,
I have come to do
what you want,
as the Scriptures say.'
"The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them? Well, it was to do away with offerings and [blood] sacrifices and to replace them. This is what he meant by saying to God, 'I have come to do what you want.' So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all" (Hebrews 10:1 – 10, CEV).
But Christ's sacrifice of his flesh and blood did not do away with the need for mankind to offer sacrifice to appease deity; for, all along, the ordinance of sacrifice was instituted to point toward the sacrifice of the Son of God both in times preceding his advent and in times following. Here I will extend Paul's analogy: if blood sacrifice was the mere shadow of the monument of Christ's whole-bodied sacrifice, then the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit is the very substance of which the monument was built—for the cause of Christ's death was no less than the ultimate broken heart (physically manifest in literal cardiac rupture [see this article on The Science of the Crucifixion]):
Before the atoning sacrifice of Christ happened, the prophet said:
"Behold, [Christ] offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered" (2 Ne. 2:7, emphasis added).
And after the atoning sacrifice of Christ happened, Christ said:
"I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost" (3 Ne. 9:18 – 20, emphasis added).
The path to the presence of God is not easily ascended. A mountain trail that takes one from lower altitudes to higher climes naturally presents a challenge to its climbers as they must acclimate from one atmosphere to another. This process requires effort and may be likened directly to the path one must take from the worldliness of the natural man to the holiness of the sanctified.
This effort may be encapsulated in one scriptural term: sacrifice. Without offering it, no one can be adapted to enter the presence of God, and without entering his presence no one can know if God accepts of the supplicant's life course:
"From the days of righteous Abel to the present time, the knowledge that men have that they are accepted in the sight of God, is obtained by offering sacrifice: and in the last days, before the Lord comes, he is to gather together his saints who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice" (Lectures on Faith 6:9).
"Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people. 'Bring my faithful people to me—those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices'" (Ps. 50:3 – 5, NLT, emphasis added).
In short, we are born into a state of bondage to a certain master—gold and silver—and to purchase our escape to God as our master, we must offer sacrifice. Satan lies to the world saying that with money they can have anything they desire and that without it they can have nothing.
"No servant can be in bondage to two masters. For either he will hate one and love the other, or else he will cling fast to one and scorn the other. You cannot be bondservants both of God and of gold" (Luke 16:13, WEY).
Christ, by way of his exemplary and enabling sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit before his Father in Heaven calls upon us to turn away from the lusts of the flesh, the deceitfulness of riches (see Matt. 13:22), and to finally "Give it up" for him:
"If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples. And unless you are willing to take up your cross and follow me, you are not fit to be my disciples. If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it" (Matt. 10:37 – 39, CEV).
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