What New Testament connections can be made to the sacrificial system in Leviticus? Setting the Scene: The Sin Offering’s Sweet Aroma Leviticus 4:31: “And he shall remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the peace offering sacrifice. And the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.” Key elements to notice: • Fat burned for a “pleasing aroma.” • Atonement accomplished through substitution. • Forgiveness granted on the basis of shed blood. From Shadow to Substance: New Testament Echoes The sin offering in Leviticus foreshadows the greater sacrifice of Christ. Consider these direct connections: “The law is only a shadow of the good things to come… it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins… By His will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” – The Levitical shadow is fulfilled in the once-for-all reality of Jesus’ body offered on the cross. “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” – The innocent becomes the substitute, just as the unblemished animal bore the sinner’s guilt. “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” – The “pleasing aroma” of Leviticus 4:31 finds its ultimate expression in the self-giving love of Christ. “You were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” – The physical perfection required of the sacrificial animal points ahead to the moral perfection of the Messiah. “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” – Ongoing cleansing takes the place of repeated animal offerings. Why the Aroma Matters Leviticus stresses that the burnt fat produces a “pleasing aroma.” In New Testament language: • Philippians 4:18 links financial generosity with “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” • Revelation 5:8 shows the prayers of the saints ascending like incense. Both passages borrow sacrificial imagery to describe worship that delights the Father because Christ’s perfect sacrifice has opened the way. Perfect, Permanent Atonement Contrast the daily Levitical fires with Christ’s single sacrifice: “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God… by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Sitting down signals completed work—something an Old Testament priest never did while sacrificing. The Forgiven Worshiper Today Because the shadow has found its substance: “Present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your reasonable service.” “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Believers, cleansed by the better blood, now live as ongoing “pleasing aromas,” reflecting the forgiveness and fellowship secured at Calvary. Summary Connections 1. Pleasing aroma → Christ’s fragrant self-offering (Ephesians 5:2). 2. Substitutionary atonement → Jesus becomes sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). 3. Blood-based forgiveness → Eternal cleansing in His blood (1 John 1:7). 4. Repeated sacrifices → One, final, finished sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12-14). 5. Priestly mediation → Believers now form a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Leviticus 4:31 shines brighter when read through the cross: the smoke of ancient Israel’s altar rises to heaven as a prophetic picture of the greater, once-for-all sacrifice that secures full, everlasting forgiveness for everyone who trusts in the Lamb of God. |
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