Sacrificing for God

[rojse]

The Bible has over nine entire chapters devoted to detailed instructions from God on animal sacrifice, so this must have been of some importance to Christians of old, if it was not important to God himself.

So, what has happened to this ideal since then?

 

[sandandfoam]

I would have thought that the idea of animal sacrifice was a human rather than just a Christian one. I think there is something about the ideal of sacrifice that was important to people, I think it remains important and I don't think the ideal has vanished. I think it has evolved, for example - aren't Communicants sacrificing the blood of Christ?

 

[Mister Emu]

Christians believe that Jesus was the last sacrifice.

 

[Azakel]

The Bible has over nine entire chapters devoted to detailed instructions from God on animal sacrifice, so this must have been of some importance to Christians of old, if it was not important to God himself.

So, what has happened to this ideal since then?

If Christianity was formed after the death of Jesus, then I don't believe animal sacrifices played a big part to them. This would be because like Mister Emu said Christians believe Jesus to be the final sacrifice. Before that they were all still Jewish by faith and animal sacrifice was imported to them, though since laws change and people get into power that tell people they can't practice there old way because it wrong has stop animal sacrifices from being practice. That's they way it seems to me.

 

[fantome profane]

The Bible has over nine entire chapters devoted to detailed instructions from God on animal sacrifice, so this must have been of some importance to Christians of old, if it was not important to God himself.

So, what has happened to this ideal since then?

Check your chronology. The Bible has over nine entire chapters devoted to detailed instructions from God on animal sacrifice, so this must have been of some importance to Ancient Hebrews.

 

[rojse]

Check your chronology. The Bible has over nine entire chapters devoted to detailed instructions from God on animal sacrifice, so this must have been of some importance to Ancient Hebrews.

Don't many Christians read and adhere to the ideas presented in the Bible?

 

[Mister Emu]

Don't many Christians read and adhere to the ideas presented in the Bible?

Of course we do

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God

 

[Charity]

Don't many Christians read and adhere to the ideas presented in the Bible?

Yes we adhere to a lot of the "ideas" presented in the Bible....But since the NT teaches us that since Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins and shed His blood for the remission of those sins that we are no longer under the law, but are under grace. We know longer use animals for sacrifice, Jesus was the sacrifice.....Christians were not called by the name Christian until the NT, the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.....

 

[gnostic]

I would have thought that the idea of animal sacrifice was a human rather than just a Christian one.

If that is so, then why did God find Abel's sacrifice more acceptable than Cain's?

 

[rocketman]

If that is so, then why did God find Abel's sacrifice more acceptable than Cain's?

I thought Cain brought "fruits of the soil" as an offering, not a sacrifice. We are not told exactly why one offering was better than the other, but we can infer that Cain should have known better from the verses that follow:

"..Then the LORD said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.."

I think StephenW has a good understanding.

I would also point out Isaiah 1:11-17 and Hos 6:6 and Mat 9:13.

 

[Dunemeister]

If that is so, then why did God find Abel's sacrifice more acceptable than Cain's?

How does this question bear on the question whether the idea of animal sacrifice was human rather than Christian (or Jewish or....)?

 

[Ciarin]

I think it's cultural. Many cultures sacrificed animals, regardless of religion. In my faith we sacrifice animals still. It's part of our cultural heritage as well as religion.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

If that is so, then why did God find Abel's sacrifice more acceptable than Cain's?

Perhaps because the story evolved among pastoralists.

 

[gnostic]

Sacrifice is offering to a deity.

Not all sacrifices involved blood offerings. Not all offerings involved food of some of sort.

People, like the ancient Germanic people sacrifice inanimate objects. They deposited swords, axes and shields in bog.