The Apostle John tells us “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours’ only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).” This wonderful mystery of God provides a path to eternal life free of condemnation for whosoever believes in Christ (John 3). This is an incorruptible inheritance obtained through the resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3-4). This gift of salvation has its roots in the sacrificial system established by God soon after the Israelites were led out of Egyptian slavery. The sacrifice of Christ, culminating with His resurrection, not only fulfilled the law and prophets, but also gave eternal life for those who believe.
Leviticus 6:1(8)-8:36 lays out the rules for the five types of sacrifices required by God. The Olah, “ascending offering,” was a freewill sacrifice consumed on the altar keeping the altar fire ever burning. The Minchah, “meal offering,” a freewill sacrifice of fine flour prepared with olive oil and frankincense. The meal offerings were expressions of humility before God, often being the only offering the poor could afford. The Shelamim, “peace offering,” a freewill offering given to express thankfulness for a happy event, represented relationship, fellowship and peace between God and man. The Shalmei Todah, “thank offering,” thanked the LORD for deliverance from some kind of danger. Chatat, “sin offering,” atoned for unintentional sins. There is no sacrifice for intentional sin. Asham, “guilt offering,” is required for certain sin, such as theft or false witness.
The sacrifices were a way of drawing near to God through repentance–A turning away from sinful actions and replacing them with obedience to God’s will, thus repairing the distance and restoring the relationship. The sacrifices were not about death, but are about life. We understand that the sacrificial system is a foreshadow of the Messiah Jesus’ atoning sacrifice as the Lamb of God. Jesus fulfilled all of the sacrifices which ultimately give us eternal life. The apostle Paul speaks about the resurrection life in 1 Corinthians 15:53, “For this material which can decay must be clothed with imperishability, this which is mortal must be clothed with immortality.” Being a Pharisee, Paul understood about the physical resurrection of the dead, and looked forward to the day when our mortal flesh would be transformed into immortality.
The sacrificial laws are all about transformation from mortality to immortality, from corruption to incorruptibility. The LORD commands in Leviticus 7:16-18, that the meat of the sacrifice must not be eaten past the second day. This alludes to the Messiah’s resurrection on the third day. Psalm 16:10 says, speaking of Him, “You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow your Holy One to undergo decay.” Jesus’ mortal body did not undergo decay, He arose on the third day. Hosea 6:2 says, “After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up; and we will live in his presence.” In this way, the sacrificial system exemplified and foreshadowed the resurrection of Messiah. Through Christ, we will be transformed from corruptible to incorruptible.
