Blood Sacrifice

[TheInquisitor]

Ah, so Paul wasn’t talking about individual sins being forgiven. He was talking about the overall taking away of sins?

 

[steve_b]

I’ve been struggling very much. These struggles happened right before my confirmation too please pray for me.

Remember, the OT is a type and shadow of what was to come. After Adam sinned, heaven was closed to all humanity. No one in the OT including Moses, Abraham, etc etc etc went to heaven when they died. They couldn’t go, untill Our Lord’s sacrifice and resurrection and ascension took place… The NT explains and fulfills the old. When the new comes the old passes away

*[Heb 10: **
9 then he added, “Lo, I have come to do thy will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The OT sacrifices never took away sins. Think about it. If they did, we’d still be sacrificing bulls and other animals for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus sacrifice would have been superfulous…right? Your problem is one of misunderstanding.

Keep the following uppermost in your mind. This is the height and summit of our faith, the Eucharist, which Our Lord instituted at the Last Supper.

Words of consecration , spoken by Jesus, now the priest says these words at mass over the bread and the wine

For on the night he was betrayed
He takes the bread
and, holding it slightly raised above the altar, continues:
he himself took bread,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT,
FOR THIS IS MY BODY,
WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

In a similar way, when supper was ended,
He takes the chalice
and, holding it slightly raised above the altar, continues:
he took the chalice,
and, giving you thanks, he said the blessing,
and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:

TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD,
THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT,
WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY
FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.

 

[Pug]

Ah, so Paul wasn’t talking about individual sins being forgiven. He was talking about the overall taking away of sins?

I’m sure part of his interest is in eternal redemption, and not just the forgiveness of one particular sin. He is also quite interested through the book in saying the new covenant has better promises, etc. Also the idea of perfection or completion. It is finished. Satisfaction has been made. Bulls could never make true satisfaction for our sins or restore peace between man (humanity) and God.

Remember, the people in the OT were saved through that same sacrifice of Christ, and not by the blood of animals.

Since I like quoting things, I’ll add some more CCC stuff, in case if it is helpful for understanding Christ’s sacrifice:
613 Christ’s death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”, and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the “blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”.
614 This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices…

 

[Zooey]

the sacraments of the Old Law did not confer grace, but only prefigured the grace which was to be given by the Passion of Christ. This means that they did not give grace themselves (i.e. ex opere operato) but only by reason of the faith in Christ which they represented

We tend to see things as always in time. But God is NOT in time; He inhabits Eternity.
Jesus Christ is called “the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world”. Because, before the world was ever created, God knew what would happen in this world, & He prepeared for it. Jesus Christ was always & is forever the only sacrifice for sin.
Animal sacrifices were a picture of Christ’s death on the Cross of Calvary.