The Doctrine Of Sacrifice
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, February 17, 2026 (Donate)
We don’t sacrifice animals today. In fact, as Christians, we
haven’t sacrificed animals since Christ was put to death and resurrected!
Around the world, people still offer sacrifices. Pagans often will. Muslims do. Some Hindus do (e.g., to Gadhimai). Jews would love to have a Temple
to reinstitute sacrifice. So why don’t Christians have to offer sacrifices anymore?
Let’s go back to the origin of the Doctrine of Sacrifice,
what it points to, and why it is no longer necessary.
Sacrifice In A Perfect World
The Doctrine of Sacrifice goes back to the holiness
and perfection of God. The Lord declared that at the end of Creation Week,
“God saw everything that He had
made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31, NKJV).
Likewise, the Holy Spirit proclaimed through Moses about God
that,
“He is the Rock, His work is
perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4, NKJV).
In such a perfect world, there was no
sin, no death, and no need for atonement. Sacrifice, as an act of atonement
for sin, was not necessary prior to the Fall. Yet God’s perfect justice and
holiness meant that if sin entered the world, it would require a just response.
The perfection of God is the very basis and reason for the
framework for understanding why sacrifice would later become necessary. A holy
God cannot ignore sin; for God’s perfect justice (Omniiustitia) would demand
a just punishment.
Sacrifice Instituted At The Fall
Sacrifice first occurs by God in connection with the Fall of
man in Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve sinned, they attempted to cover themselves
with fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), a human effort to deal with guilt and shame. But
the punishment for sin was death (Genesis 2:17).
But God Himself provided a covering:
“Also for Adam and his wife the
LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21, NKJV).
The text does not explicitly describe the death of an animal.
However, the “tunics of skin” mean that we can deduce that the skins came from
animals that were put to death in the place of man. Again, the punishment for
sin was death.
Rightly, Adam and Eve deserved to die but God used a
substitute to die in the place. This allowed for a temporary atonement.
This is where the idea of substitutionary atonement comes from.
Here we see the principle of substitution: an innocent life
given so that the guilty might be covered. This act foreshadows the entire
sacrificial system and ultimately Christ. The wages of sin is death (cf. Romans
6:23), and from the beginning God demonstrated that sin brings death and that
covering requires the shedding of blood.
Abel And The Reiteration Of Blood Sacrifice
The next explicit example of sacrifice is found in Genesis 4—the
following chapter. Cain and Abel both brought offerings to the Lord.
“Abel also brought of the firstborn
of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering”
(Genesis 4:4, NKJV).
Abel’s offering was a blood sacrifice from “the firstborn of
his flock.” By contrast, Cain brought “an offering of the fruit of the ground”
(Genesis 4:3, NKJV). The Lord respected Abel’s offering but did not respect
Cain’s. Hebrews explains,
“By faith Abel offered to God a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4, NKJV).
Abel’s sacrifice was a blood sacrifice offered in
faith and in accordance with God’s revealed will as he mimicked what God did in
Genesis 3 (with the blood sacrifice when He made coats of skins). The pattern
of substitutionary blood sacrifice continues.
Noah’s Sacrifice After The Flood
Following the global Flood, Noah also mimicked God and he
offered sacrifices:
“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20, NKJV).
The text specifically notes “clean” animals, indicating that
categories suitable for sacrifice were already established prior to Sinai—when Moses
later gives the Law that pertained to clean and unclean animals. The Lord’s
response was gracious:
“And the LORD smelled a soothing
aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground
for man’s sake’” (Genesis 8:21, NKJV).
Abraham And Isaac: A Picture Of Substitution
Abraham’s life was marked by altars and sacrifice (Genesis
12:7–8; 13:18). The climactic moment came in Genesis 22, when God commanded
Abraham to offer Isaac. As they ascended Mount Moriah, Isaac asked,
“Look, the fire and the wood, but
where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7, NKJV).
Abraham replied,
“My son, God will provide for
Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8, NKJV).
At the moment of obedience, the Angel of the LORD stopped
Abraham.
“Then Abraham lifted his eyes and
looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So
Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead
of his son” (Genesis 22:13, NKJV).
The phrase “instead of his son” captures substitution
vividly. This event foreshadows the Father offering His Son, and yet providing
Him as the Lamb.
The Mosaic Sacrificial System
Under Moses, sacrifice became “formally” prescribed beginning with Passover. God
gave detailed instructions regarding burnt offerings, sin offerings, trespass
offerings, and peace offerings (see Leviticus 1–7). The priesthood, drawn from
the tribe of Levi, was appointed to administer these sacrifices (Exodus 28–29).
Leviticus 17:11 explains the theological foundation:
“For the life of the flesh is in
the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (NKJV).
The sacrificial system teaches that sin required death, and
that atonement required blood. Yet these sacrifices were temporary and
repetitive, pointing forward to a greater fulfillment. You have to understand
that the blood of animals are not equal to the blood of man; furthermore, you
need to understand the full grasp of punishment of sin.
The sin against a perfect, infinite, holy, and eternal God
would be an infinite
punishment that would go on forever. Animals are not in a position to take
this punishment—this is why their blood was only a temporary covering.
Obedience Over Sacrifice: Saul’s Unauthorized Sacrifice
Sacrifice was not to be offered according to human
convenience. In 1 Samuel 13, King Saul presumed to offer a burnt offering
rather than waiting for Samuel. When confronted, Samuel said,
“You have done foolishly. You have
not kept the commandment of the LORD your God” (1 Samuel 13:13, NKJV).
Saul’s action shows that sacrifice must be offered in
obedience to God’s revealed will. Even a king could not alter God’s prescribed
order. Had obedience been sought by Adam and Eve we wouldn’t be in this mess in
the first place. Yet, as sinners, we err and Saul erred here—in the same way
Adam and Eve did in disobedience to what God clearly said.
Even in the Old Testament, God proved that sacrifice without
obedience was empty. Samuel told Saul,
“Has the LORD as great delight in
burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel
15:22, NKJV).
Sacrifice was never meant to replace obedience; it was meant
to point to the seriousness
of sin and the need for reconciliation.
The Sacrifice Of Mary And Joseph
After the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph obeyed the Law by
offering sacrifice: “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24,
NKJV). This offering was prescribed for those who could not afford a lamb
(Leviticus 12:8).
The irony is profound: the parents of the true Lamb of God
brought the offering of the poor, even as they presented Him who would be the
final sacrifice.
Christ: The Ultimate And Perfect Sacrifice
All previous sacrifices pointed to Christ. They were like types and shadows of what was coming. John the Baptist
declared,
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NKJV).
Unlike animal sacrifices, Christ’s sacrifice was once for
all. Hebrews 10:12 states,
“But this Man, after He had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (NKJV).
Christ’s sacrifice was infinite in value because He is the
God-man. It was perfect because He was sinless (Hebrews 4:15). It was final
because it accomplished true redemption by satisfying God’s Full Wrath upon the
sin of man. The infinite Son of God took the infinite punishment from the infinite
Father.
Due to Christ’s eternality, He could accomplish this task in
a moment in death where it would an eternity of by man’s reckoning in Hell. This
is why Christ didn’t have to remain dead for an eternity, His eternality, being
God, was sufficient.
The End Of The Sacrificial System
With Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the
sacrificial system reached its fulfillment. At His crucifixion, “the veil of
the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51, NKJV),
symbolizing direct access to God through His blood. Christ, the ultimate and final Passover Lamb, offered His own
perfect blood on the altar in heaven for an eternal redemption of His people (Hebrews
9:11-12).
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 brought
the sacrificial system to an unmistakable historical end. There has been no
Temple and no Levitical altar since that time.
No More Sacrifice Today Or In Eternity
And Christians no longer need to sacrifice because Christ
sacrifice was sufficient for our sin for all time. Believers do not offer
atoning sacrifices today and are saved through Christ's blood sacrifice and resurrection. Christ’s work is complete.
In eternity, there will be no more need for sacrifice,
because sin will be no more. Revelation 21:4 declares,
“And God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There
shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (NKJV).
The Doctrine of Sacrifice has:
·
Its beginning in God’s holiness
·
Its necessity in man’s sin
·
Its development in Israel’s history
·
Its ultimate fulfillment in Christ
The Lamb who was slain has accomplished redemption once
for all, and His finished work will be celebrated forever.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
