Blood is Required

Have you ever wondered when the first animal sacrifice in all of scripture took place? Most of us, when we ponder animal sacrifices, a favorite subject for everyone I trust, think of Leviticus or Deuteronomy. Interestingly, the first animal sacrifice ever recorded is found in Genesis chapter three, and the original sacrificer was God himself. What occasioned this most intriguing event? Simply, the fall. Adam and Eve ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and their eyes were opened. They realized they were naked. They sinned against God for the first time and thrust themselves and all of creation into a tale spin that we will not recover from until the eschaton.

In his grace, however, when the man and woman stood in the shame of their "naked sin", God sacrificed animals and made from their skins "a covering" for Adam and Eve. This my friends is the first prefiguration of the glorious sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. We, like our first parents, are naked with sin. We stand in the shame of our rebellion against God. But just as he did for Adam and Eve, God has shed precious blood to provide a covering for us. Our covering is the blood of Jesus Christ received by faith.

Now why do I bring this up? I don't know about you, but I am a quick wanderer. I am constantly interested in the newest book or theological fad. I am a dreamer and I love to think about new ways to reach people. I am quick to forget the blood. There is no covering for sin without blood. In the OT, literally, millions of animals had their blood spilled for the sake of human sin. Today, we sacrifice no more because our hope is in the sacrifice of Christ, once for all (and yes, I mean "all" in the limited atonement sense you crazy arminians:). 

I pray that we never move beyond the good news of Jesus' death on our behalf, it is of first importance (1Cor. 15:1-11). There is no hope for salvation or sanctification outside the gospel. For it is in the gospel that we behold the face of Christ and are transformed (2Cor. 3:16-18). Lets stop chasing the theological fads and lets get drenched in the gospel, for it is by the gospel alone that we get God.