Numbers 5:11-31, What about the guy?

Question:
In Numbers 5:11-31, a ceremony is described to discover whether a woman is guilty of adultry. Why is this ceremony only to be conducted with a woman? Why doesn't it say "if a man or a woman...." We understand that times were different then, but God is just, so why would women be the only ones subjected to this kind of scrutiny?

Response:
The question raised is an excellent one and on the face of it presents quite a challenge for us in a culture and society that would perceive of this procedure lacking in justice. Some context is necessary from the outset. This is one of the Books of Moses. The Israelites are only into their second year in the desert after escaping from Egypt. Picture the responsibility of Moses and the leaders trying to manage upwards of two million Jews in the desert. There needed to be an organizing of tribes and clans, an army, service for the “tent of meeting” and the rituals and liturgies therein. With so much interaction among the peoples, structure and laws to maintain civil order and more importantly purity in the face of sin and idolatry had to be maintained to sustain harmony and faith within the people.

It is to the purity issue that this section of Scripture speaks. Various commentators allude to this portion of Numbers as “The Test for an Unfaithful Wife”, or “The Law of Jealousy”, etc. Chapter 5: 5-10 makes it clear that culpability for sin applies to men and women and there are consequences for same. Moses then cites perhaps the most egregious area of sin in terms of husbands and wives, i.e. adultery. On the face of it, it seems quite unjust that the woman is the only one to be held to account and from our perspective it is true. But consider the times, conditions, and patriarchal nature of society at that point. The NIV Bible Commentary has a good perspective:

On the one hand, the husband may shame his wife publicly and force her to a rigorous demeaning religious trial merely on the (unfounded) suspicion of marital unfaithfulness. She may have presented no evidence whatsoever. Further, there is no mention of the guilt, trial, and judgment of the man that this woman is supposedly involved with—all guilt, shame, trial and judgment rest on her shoulders.
On the other hand, there is limitation on the husband—a protection of the wife from his abusive hand. Were there not such a provision in a male-dominant culture, an angry, suspicious husband might strike out against his wife without any sure reason, harm her physically and mentally and even take her life. But God reaches out through Moses and has a means of escape for a woman under suspicion of unfaithfulness. The trial she is taken to is not a kangaroo court; it is in the precincts of the tabernacle, under the jurisdiction of the priests, in concert with a solemn sacrifice—she places herself in the hand of the Lord.

(Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary – An Abridgement of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary;Barker and Kohlenberger; Volume I, Old Testament, page 186)

This is but one step in a progression of steps proceeding up through Jesus and Paul wherein women in the Judeo-Christian tradition are placed in places of greater honor and more just and safer environs. Perfect? No. Better? Yes.

John 8:10-11
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
(from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society)

Gal 3:28-29
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984, by International Bible Society)

The ice age in the Bible

Ben (2 grade) asked..."Where is the ice age talked about in the Bible?"



We are answered...Well, Ben, that's a good question. The ice age is not mentioned in theBible, but that doesn't mean it didn't actually happen. To understand theice age in the Bible you have to begin by understanding that God doesn't seetime like humans do. We talk about seconds, minutes, hours and years, butGod is forever. I know, forever is a hard thing to understand. In fact theBible says in 1 Peter 3:8 that to God one day is just like a thousand years.Pretty amazing, isn't it? When you look for the ice age in the Bible youhave to go to Genesis chapter 1 and see that when the Bible talks about the"days" of creation it is not likely to be 24 hour days like we know a day.Remember, to God a thousand years is like a day. The word "days" likelyrefers to "a long period of time". The fancy expression for this is"progressive creation". This is the way smart men and women who believe inthe Bible and in Jesus often talk about the creation story in Genesis. Ittells us about God's "progressive creation". Since God likely created heavenand earth over "a long period of time" somewhere in that process an ice agehappened, before God created human beings. The ice age probably happenedbetween the sixth and seventh "days" of creation.



Pastor Reid

With all due honor and respect to our Lord, why isn't Jesus condemned in our place for all eternity?

Mike asked...
I have a question about how Jesus’ death paid the price for the sins of which we are all guilty. First I assume we all agree on the following points.

- The wages of sin are death and eternal damnation in hell.
- If it were not for Jesus’ sacrifice, the penalty for our sin would not merely be our physical death,
but eternal damnation of our spirit.
- Jesus substituted himself in our place to pay the debt we owe for our sins so we no longer will be
eternally damned.
- Jesus is not in hell or eternally damned. He is in heaven at the right hand of God.

So, here is where my question arises. If Jesus substituted himself for us in payment for the penalty of our sin, how could he return to heaven to be with his father instead of being eternally punished in hell? If her retuned to heaven, did he not incur only a physical death and not a permanent spiritual one? I know some believe he spent three days between his death and resurrection in Hades preaching to the damned, but he did leave and return to earth and subsequently heaven. I know this sounds heretical, but the logic of it seems apparent to me.

We are answered....
Mike, what a well thought out, excellent question. I don't believe honest inquiry, wherein we seek the Lord's will through His Word, amounts to heresy. Your question is perfectly logical. I must admit that as I was preparing the children's sermon with the bookcover illustration, I thought of your very question, wondering how I would respond should someone in the audience ask. God apparently laid the question on both of our hearts.

Wayne Grudem is an evangelical theologian who has written, in my opinion, one of the best systematic theology books in print. It isn't too heady, and yet he certainly loves to dig into the rich soil of God's Word. I'll borrow some of my answer from him. As a note, a copy of his textbook is found on the church library bookshelf located behind the welcome center and is available for anyone to check out at any time. Information for your specific question is found on pp. 577-578.

To begin, I agree with all four of your points: 1) "The wages of sin are death and eternal damnation in hell." 2) "If it were not for Jesus’ sacrifice, the penalty for our sin would not merely be our physical death, but eternal damnation of our spirit." 3) "Jesus substituted himself in our place to pay the debt we owe for our sins so we no longer will be eternally damned." 4) "Jesus is not in hell or eternally damned. He is in heaven at the right hand of God." So, with all due honor and respect to our Lord, why isn't He condemned in our place for all eternity? The answer lies in the fact that nowehere in God's covenantal decrees is it stated that He demands eternal payment for sins. Instead, He demands complete payment, and that is where we clearly see the difference between any attempted payment on our part for our own sins and the perfect payment of Christ.

As was stated in my 1/27 sermon on Galatians 3:26-4:11, Jesus was "born of a woman" (4:4), which is another way of saying He was fully human. At the same time, we know that He is fully God (cf. John 1:1). He took on a human nature when He came to earth, but He never rescinded His divine nature. As such, He was and is still fully righteous in and of Himself. Thus, when He redeemed "those under the Law" (Gal. 4:5), that is, fallen humanity, He did so as our perfect, righteous substitute. He went to the cross, the place of God's untempered wrath, as a sinless human (whereas we would have gone as totally depraved humans) and as the spotless second Person of the Godhead (again, we would only have gone as humans).

While on the cross, the sins of past, present, and future were poured out upon Him for several hours. Here is where you and I cannot even begin to relate to what He was going through. Jesus willfully, even joyfully according to Heb. 12:2, went to the cross, offering His life as the perfect and complete payment for sins. Had you and tried to pay for our sins, we could never pay it off, which is why we would suffer and be condemned eternally. Jesus' payment, on the other hand, was sufficient, so much so that with His final breath He uttered, "It is finished" (John 19:30). What is finished? The work of redemption was finished on the cross, so much so that Paul could tell us that believers were purchased (passive past tense, from a word meaning "ransomed from a price paid") on the cross (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). Those who die without knowing Christ, we can conclude, were not purchased, and are condemned eternally, since only Christ's payment is sufficient for forgiveness.

Grudem has more to add, so again I would point you to his work. In the meantime, may our Savior's complete and sufficient substitutionary sacrifice ground our hope not in our vain attempts at perfection, but in His righteousness freely given to us (Phil. 3:9).

Soli Deo Gloria!Pastor Dana

Did God take away Pharaoh’s free will when he hardened Pharaoh’s heart?

In short the answer is no (see below).

The best way to answer this question is to review the reason for the contest between God and Pharaoh and to track its development. In so doing we see that the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart occurs in stages with the final stage being that of God securing its hardness. Follow along with me:

1. God had a covenant relationship with Abraham such that he promised Abraham and his descendants (the nation of Israel) to be their God. These slaves of Pharaoh were God’s people.

2. We read in Exodus 3 that God heard the cries of his people and came to their rescue: “Then the LORD said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people….And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (Ex. 3:7a, 9-10).

3. The Egyptians did not know the God of Israel as their god or their king, rather they considered that their king, Pharaoh, was a god, the son of the great sun god Aten or Ra (Ex. 7:10). The Egyptians worshipped many gods, Pharaoh being one of the more powerful gods among them. All the land of Egypt and its people were subject to the Pharaoh’s rule. He was the sovereign. Basically the Pharaoh was answerable to no one but all were answerable to him.

4. Enter the God of Israel on the scene to demonstrate who truly has Sovereign power and authority. “The text of Exodus declares that the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh is actually a cosmic struggle between the true God, YHWH, and the false gods of the Egyptian religion (cf. Ex. 12:12; 15:11; 18:11).”[i] There is no other God but YHWH and all nations are subject to his rule which God is about to prove both to the nation of Israel as well as all other nations.

5, God made a promise to his people. They are in trouble and as their Sovereign LORD he will rescue them through his servant Moses. This presents a major issue for Pharaoh as his power is being challenged for all to see.

We see that efforts for diplomacy begin in Chapter 5:
>As the representative of the God of Israel Moses asks Pharaoh to let my people go that they might worship their God.
>Pharaoh basically says, “Who are you and who is your god? I obey no one. No, my slaves ain’t going nowhere.” (a bit of a paraphrase)
>In response, as with most tyrants, Pharaoh then displays his authority and power by lording it over the Israelites and abusing them even more.
>Hence the contest between these two powers, the Sovereign God of all creation and the earthly god/king of Egypt, is underway.

Notice that God makes it clear to Moses that in the end the people will be set free because of God’s mighty hand and shares (foreshadowing) how in the end He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. In the beginning God does not start by wielding his power brutally like Pharaoh was in the habit of doing. Rather God’s first display of power was non-violent and non-threatening both to the king and to his subjects. When God’s staff (snake) eats the Pharaoh’s magician’s staffs (snakes) it demonstrates clearly, that of the two, who is the most powerful. This initial challenge should have been enough right there and then to prove to Pharaoh that he was not dealing with just any god. But we read in 7:13 that Pharaoh’s heart hardened to God’s display of power. Pharaoh’s authority and power were publicly trumped and it raised his ire and defiance. At any point along the way had Pharaoh complied with God’s request, the plagues would have ceased but we see that each time relief is provided the Pharaoh hardens his own heart. Pharaoh’s digging in of his defiant heels tested God’s authority (kind of like the brat who says “You can’t make me.”) Note that in plagues 1-5 it is stated that Pharaoh’s heart is hardened on its own (vv. 7:13 and 22; 8:15, 19and 32; and 9:7). These plagues just confirm that Pharaoh’s heart was already hard toward God. It is not until the 6th plague (plague of boils) that we read that the LORD actually hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Interestingly by the 7th plague some of the Egyptian’s and official’s hearts are softening. They recognize that the God of Israel is more powerful. In response to the warnings of the forthcoming hail some of the people hurried to bring in their slaves and livestock to protect them from the hail. Pharaoh’s authority and power is crumbling right before his very eyes. All of the sudden even his own officials are questioning his resistance to submit. By the 8th plague (locusts) God asks Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” In a paraphrase his officials also say to him, “This is getting bad, these people aren’t worth it. Their God is powerful. Shouldn’t we let them go before all of Egypt is ruined?” That’s it!! There is no way Pharaoh is going to give in now because giving in, in his eyes, would be conceding that he was not sovereign and that the God of Israel is the only Sovereign. Also note that whenever Pharaoh asks for mercy promising to do God’s bidding his motive is purely one of self preservation. Pharaoh is deceitful. His promises mean nothing. This is the nature of a rebel no matter how hot the heat gets he/she will not give in even if it means certain ruin and destruction for himself, his kingdom or his family.

Upon reviewing this we see that God did not hardened Pharaoh’s heart from the outset but only in response to his progressive attitude of rebellion and refusal to bend a knee. The lives of God’s people were at stake but unlike Pharaoh, who cares about no one but himself, the God of Israel keeps his promises to care for his people. So given all of these events, it is important to see that God’s ultimate hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was really just a matter of giving Pharaoh over to himself. It is what will happen to all who rebel and refuse to bend a knee to God’s sovereign authority. (see Romans 1:18-32). Pharaoh exercised his free will to the bitter end and in the end his unwillingness to humble himself to God led to God solidifying the very desires of Pharaoh’s own heart, to remain a god unto himself. God said, “Your will be done” and so it was to his own ruin.

[i] Andrew Hill and John Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids: MI, Zondervan, 2000) p. 92.

Mystery of Suffering

Joyce Gould said...
I know we read JOB a while ago, but I continue to struggle for perspective on all that he was subjected to. Because he lived an obedient life, he became the subject of a wager; and then an object of persecution, and consequently his family all became victims. It seems arbitrary.I don't understand innocent suffering - and I guess this is just one example that I keep stumbling over.Help me find some perspective or context for understanding this.Thank You!

Response....
Thank you, for asking a very sincere and important question; one that many theologians and philosophers have wrestled with down through the ages.

When it comes to the topic of suffering those most qualified to answer it are those who have suffered and having suffered found their comfort by turning to God. Suffering is a universal experience of all humanity. There is no one who is spared but some may be far more qualified than others to tackle this question. I certainly am not among the most qualified to answer this but with the help of other resources I will endeavor to address the topic at hand. With this in mind there are often 2 questions asked about suffering 1) the cause of it and 2) the reason for it. As one commentator points out in the case of Job, his testimony doesn’t answer either of these questions but rather addresses the question “How can I suffer? What am I to do when I am suffering? In what spirit can I go on suffering?” [1]

You commented that Job’s suffering was in response to a wager and seemed so arbitrary. It is worth noting that the wager that was made between God and Satan involving the righteous man Job is no small point. Job was never made privy to this wager but we are. It is important to understand that God’s purposes are constantly under attack. There is an adversary called by name in the Bible “the prince of this world” and “the father of lies.” Many times when God’s cause is being advanced through the life of righteous followers Satan seeks to destroy the testimony of the believer. Job was one such follower. What better way to destroy a believer’s testimony than to cause such great suffering that in the end that believer denies God or worse “curses God and die[s].” (Job 2:9)

It is by the grace of God that Job and many others throughout history who have suffered for the cause of truth, justice and righteousness have done so not by forsaking God but by depending on Him. The presence of evil in our world is one of the greatest causes of innocents suffering unjustly. In the ancient book of Confucian wisdom, it is written: “The way of Heaven is to bless the good and make the bad miserable;” “Good and evil do not wrongly befall people, but Heaven sends down misery or happiness according to their conduct.”[2] This of course is not what the Bible tells us. Rather the Scriptures tell us that “the rain falls on the just and the unjust;” “many are the afflictions of the righteous;” and that “in this world we will have trials and tribulations.” The book of Job seeks to reveal that “suffering happens to good people who do not deserve it as well as to people who deserve all that happens to them.” [3]

The work of Philip Hallie, one researcher, of the Holocaust atrocities led him to become numb through his years of study of the evils perpetrated against so many innocent persons. After years of research he attests to his inability to be moved by what he studied saying he became imprisoned by bars of “bitterness toward the violent” and walls of “indifference to slow murder.”[4] It was not until he read about the outreach of 300 Christians in the small French city of Le Chambon, who provided refuge for the Jews, that he was set free from his prison. He said, “The Holocaust was the storm, lightning, thunder, wind, rain, yes. And Le Chambon was the rainbow.” The goal of the enemy is to obliterate the rainbow but the power of God overcomes the flaming arrows of imposed suffering. We see that two of the premier reasons for innocents suffering is the fact that “we live in a fallen world whose order is disrupted by evil” and “we live in a persecuting world which opposes God’s people.”[5]

A third cause for innocents suffering as is revealed in the book of Job is “that we live in a mysterious world and don’t see the whole picture.”[6] Job was never given an explanation for his suffering by God nor was he made aware of the wager between God and Satan. Rather Job’s only solace in the end was knowing that what he endured was seen and known by God, the maker and creator of all heaven and earth. God allowed for and responded to Job’s heart-wrenching and embittered cries for justice and mercy but He did not explain to him the cause of or the reason for his suffering. In the end Job had to accept that sometimes we only see in part and know in part (1 Cor. 13:12). It is in the place of not understanding, not knowing that faith is refined and proven as true. Faith is not our response to what God does but to who God is. Job concluded God is God whether he giveth or taketh away. Little did Job know that his life experience would one day be recorded in Scripture and used to minister to the multitudes who have innocently suffered throughout the ages. He never knew what had transpired before his suffering began nor subsequently to it, but despite that he proved the deceiver impotent in his effort to destroy the testimony of God’s faithful servant. Satan was powerless when pitted against the matchless wonder and power of an all loving God.

In the NT the enemy is at it again trying to defeat another innocent, Jesus, who unlike Job knew the reason for his suffering and willingly gave his life for us so that all suffering would ultimately be given meaning. While the goal of suffering is on many occasions intended to crush us or destroy us Christ promises to sustain us and give our suffering meaning. What of the greatest outcomes of our suffering is our ability to comfort others as we have been comforted (2 Cor. 1:4). No matter the reason for the suffering God is always able to work all things together for the good of those who love him. He did it for Job way beyond what Job could ever have imagined. Countless believers have been comforted by reading Job when in the very midst of their suffering.

One other reason for suffering that is addressed in Job but does not apply to him is that of personal sin. In Job’s case he was not guilty of any particular sin which led to his string of tragedies but sadly much of humanity’s suffering is self inflicted. The painful results are the consequence from our sinful choices. Even in these cases if we repent of our sin Christ promises to redeem that which was intended for evil and to use it for good. There are countless testimonies of sinners turned righteous through a belief in Jesus Christ who have then gone on to minister in areas specific to their transgression. Thus even self imposed suffering can be given meaning. Suffering as seen through the eyes of man is hard to understand and to reconcile but when seen through the eyes of the Eternal God it is has meaning even when we are not allowed to see it this side of heaven.

Paul speaks well to our vulnerability of living in a world of evil and suffering in his epistle to the Corinthians.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

There are other more in depth resources available to address this matter of suffering. A few are listed below:

Our Ultimate with Refuge: Job and the Problem of Suffering, Oswald Chambers
Where is God When It Hurts, Philip Yancey
When God Doesn’t Make Sense, James Dobson
Two links of interest provided by Dana: http://www.desiringgod.org/Store/Books/670_Suffering_and_the_Sovereignty_of_God/ - -free online book http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/32_Suffering/ --series of Piper's articles. He is usually to the point and thoroughly biblical, with a high view of Christ in all things.
[1] David J.A. Clines, “New Bible Commentary-Job” Downer’s Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1994) p. 459.
[2] William Spencer, TH.D. and Aida Spencer, PH.D., “Why Do We Suffer?” Contact Gordon Conwell
Ministry Magazine, Fall 2007) p. 14.
[3] Clines, “Job” p. 460.
[4] Os Guiness, “The Call” London: Word Publishing, 1998) pp. 96-97.
[5] Spencer and Spencer, “Why Do We Suffer?” p. 14.
[6] Ibid. p. 14.

Hi! Since membership class is this Sunday I had a question before I make a commitment to attend. Where does the church stand on the ministry of the Holy Spirit? Do you believe that God still moves in the gifts such as miracles, healing, prophecy and tongues? Thanks! Joanne

Answer: Yes, we have a lot of different perspectives in our church but as for the pastors and the general sentiment of the question the answer is yes.

Jesus as the Lamb of God

November 5, 2007 11:17 AM
david w reid said...
I'll ask a question posed to me by Fred Booth…why does God feel the need to kill all those animals?


This is a good question especially when we read in Hosea 6:6 that the Lord says, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." (also see 1 Sam. 15:22-23; Ps 51:16-17; Prov. 21:2; Isa. 1:12-17; Jer. 7:21-23; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8)If this is true, which it most certainly is, then why all of the bloodshed of innocent animals?

God's people, the nation of Israel, did not live in a vaccumm but in a world in which the surrounding cultures were morally and spiritually abased. Paganism was the religious practice of that day. All the Ancient Near Eastern religions practiced rituals of sacrifice. These pagan worshippers were striving to manipulate or placate their gods in order that their lives would be better. God wanted to impress upon his people that their God, the living God, was the only true God. In a world of pagan worship God communicated that only He was powerful, only He loved and cared for his people, and only He was worthy of worship. He revealed to Israel how to worship not only in practice but in spirit.

These Ancient Near Eastern religions not only sacrificed animals but humans. Canaanite religions had "peace offerings" and "whole burnt" offerings very similar to those of the Hebrew practices. Because these practices were so pervasive and common God incorporated a system that would be well understood by all, the Israelites and the onlooking nations, to reveal Himself, high above the manmade practices of worship.

In contrast to pagan worship, God did not instill these practices of sacrifice for his people in order that they could placate Him but rather as a means (way) for them to have access to the Holy One of Israel. The gap between God and humanity could not be breeched by man's efforts to ascend to God (Tower of Babel) but only by God coming to man. God used the everyday practices of the Ancient World as starting points to reveal the one and only true power of the God of Israel. He started where the people were at and then connected the dots to show them where their hearts and minds ought to be. Jesus did the very same thing throughout his ministry.

Just as we recognize today that blood is life giving and sustaining, e.g. through our campaign ads to Give Blood, so it was understood in Levitical practice. According to Lev. 17:11 the principle of life is represented in the blood. The shedding of blood is necessary as a symbolic act of of God's cleansing presence. It was a purging/purfying of holy objects from the effects of sin. When a blood transfusion is made it is critical to sterilize (to purify) the environment so that no impurities will contiminate the life sustaining blood during the transfusion process. Purification is essential for the giving of blood to be effective.

"Decontamination of the sancturary rendered the offerer clean and paved the way for his reconciliation with God." (Hill and Walton, "A Survey of the OT" p. 107).

"Ultimately the purpose of Hebrew sacrifice was to worship God and to preserve God's presence in their midst. The rituals served to instruct the Israelites in the principles of God's holiness, human sinfulness, substitutionary death [one day to be Jesus Christ] as a response to human transgression and the need for repentance. They provided cleansing and renewed fellowship within the community and with Yahweh." (Ibid., p. 109).

Animal sacrifice was the spiritual ritual that paved the way for understanding the need for and the reason for Christ's sacrifice. When Christ came it was as the Lamb of God who shed his blood for all man's sins for all times. His death on the cross put an end to the need for perpetual animal sacrifice. His blood was the ultimate atoning sacrifice of all time. (Heb. 9-10 compared to Lev. 16). Now instead of ritual sacrifices those who are in Christ Jesus are called to be living sacrifices through our acts of:

• generosity (Phil. 4:18
• worship, praise and thanksgiving (Heb. 13:15-16; Ps. 50:13-14)
• prayer (Rev. 5:8;8:3-4)
• evangelism (Rom. 15:16-17; Isa. 66:20)
• Selfless service to Christ----even to death (Rom. 12:1-2; Phi. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6; Rev. 6:9)

God desires our hearts, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps. 51:17). Sacrifice is essential to the Christian faith: Christ's sacrifice for us and for the forgiveness of our sins, and our response of gratitude to be expressed through lives of living sacrifice.