Thomas Williams - Facebook 2/13/226
"Did the almighty God always need a blood sacrifice from people's devotion? Couldn’t we just love him? Why such a groosom painful, bloody sacrifice, and mystery?"
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Google AI opinion
The concept of blood sacrifice often feels jarring today, but in ancient religious contexts, it was viewed as a profound exchange of life rather than just a gruesome act.
Why was blood sacrifice required?
Theology across several traditions suggests that sacrifice wasn't about God "needing" to see pain, but rather about the seriousness of sin and the value of life.
Life is in the Blood: In Leviticus 17:11, blood is identified as the "life of the flesh". Because sin was seen as bringing death, only the offering of "life" (blood) could atone for or "cover" it.
Substitution: The animal served as a symbolic substitute, dying in place of the person to show that their actions had real, fatal consequences.
Cultural Adaptation: Many scholars believe God met people where they were. In the ancient world, sacrifice was the universal "theological currency". By directing these rituals toward Himself, God redirected people away from darker practices like human sacrifice, common in neighboring cultures.
Could we just love Him?
Actually, the Bible and Jewish tradition emphasize that God prefers love and a "broken spirit" over rituals.
Inner Devotion: Prophets often reminded people that God wanted mercy, not just sacrifice (e.g., Hosea 6:6). Rituals without love were seen as empty.
Atonement without Blood: Even in ancient times, the poor could offer fine flour instead of animals for sin, showing that blood was not the only way God accepted repentance.
Modern Transition: After the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, Judaism shifted focus entirely to prayer, repentance, and charity (teshuvah) as the means of atonement.
The "Final" Sacrifice
For Christians, the "mystery" of Jesus’ death is that it was intended to end the cycle of animal sacrifice forever. It is seen as God sacrificing Himself to pay the debt of humanity, shifting the focus from humans giving something to God, to God giving everything to humans.
Would you like to explore how different religions today view forgiveness without the need for any ritual sacrifice?
AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses.
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Thomas Williams - Facebook
I have always known Jesus word about his father, Lord God, as a spirit. Which I feel by their spiritual attitude, creating a true friendship that touches me through Jesus words and in the beauty of Mother Nature's wonders.
Never because of a blood sacrifice. I don’t associate God's love with failure, crime, suffering, or any physical proof of anykind, but by a spiritual friendship with Jesus, person and personality keeping me company since I was 7 years old. Making me curious about staying alive in another dimension, living in Gods enternary that I know nothing about, but finding out the answers to all my questions after my death.
Music seems better than words speaking about matters of the heart, and my feeling about Jesus and his father God are a matter of my heart too.
Lauren Daigle - You Say (Official Music Video)
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