Blood Sacrifice in the Bible

The blood sacrifices of the Old Testament revealed both the gravity of sin and the necessity of atonement. The principle is clearly stated: "Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). Every animal offered on the altar was a reminder that sin has a cost, and that the life required for life could not be ignored by a holy God. But these repeated sacrifices could never take away sin definitively. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). They were only the shadow of a reality to come, all pointing toward a single, perfect sacrifice. John the Baptist designated the one who was to accomplish it: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In Christ, the sacrificial system finds its fulfillment and its end. "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Where the ancient sacrifices had to be repeated endlessly, Jesus offered himself a single time, obtaining a full and eternal forgiveness: "By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). Every altar of the Old Testament announced the cross, where the true Lamb established the new covenant and reconciled to God all who believe.