Ask the Thoughtful Pastor: Does God need blood sacrifices?

Dear Thoughtful Pastor: Why did Jesus die? I have always believed the very traditional story that I was born sinful and until I accepted Jesus as my saviour, God could not accept me, no matter how much he loved me. I was taught that Jesus death was a blood sacrifice which would wipe out all of my sin. My problem with this of late has been the jumping through hoops and changing goalposts of salvation. For example, some might say you must have faith, others say repent, others say Jesus must be at the centre of your life. Another difficulty with this narrative is that it seems that only a few people will go to heaven and the rest will go to hell. This is pretty horrific for me to consider. Another problem I have too is believing that we are all born bad. It just doesn’t seem logical to me. Yes I know we all do things wrong but it seems more realistic to me that most humans actually have a leaning towards goodness. Thanks for listening and I look forward to hearing your response!

I would guess, conservatively speaking, that about 100,000 books have been written trying to answer the questions you have asked. I’m going to focus on what I think is at the core: Does it take blood offered from an innocent one to satisfy God? And if so, how must humans respond to that blood sacrifice in order to be admitted into God’s presence?

Many current Christian faith traditions answer “yes” to the need for a blood sacrifice. These traditions base their stance on the nature of the sacrificial systems first seen in some of the narratives in Genesis and Exodus. They were then codified in Leviticus as the law that must be followed in order to keep human beings in proper relationship with God.

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, the writer makes contends that Jesus was the final and the perfect sacrifice, forever ending need for any sacrificial system. Hebrews serves as a commentary on Leviticus, stating that the early sacrificial system was a shadow of what was to come with Jesus.

In a different take, Paul, the pen-prolific Jewish writer whose letters and treatises make up much of the Christian Bible, makes the case that human salvation and righteousness are based upon belief in Jesus as Lord and we are set free from the laws of sin and death. For these early believers, to call Jesus “Lord” was to commit treason, for the Caesar was “lord” and to be worshiped. Today, such words carry no stigma.

But none of this really answers the question: Does God have to have blood to atone for human sin? Was Jesus death a tragic act that led to glorious hope?

How we answer ultimately depends on how we see the nature of God. Is God at the core wrathful? Can that wrath only be satisfied by the spilling of the blood of the righteous? Could it be that the God used what was available at the time to help humans figure this out? Is God at the core full of mercy and compassion?

Truly I say to you, a biblical case can be made to answer all those questions with a “yes.” I personally have down on the side of mercy and compassion, of a Holy One who insists, “For I desire love, not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).” I read Acts, chapters 10 and 16, and see God radically changing the rules of salvation depending on the circumstances.

It also helps to get a more full understanding of the word “salvation” as found in the biblical text. It’s greater meaning is “wholeness” and “healing.”

Salvation is far more than some hoped-for-ticket-to-heaven. It is a way of living, a way to reflect that idea that humankind has the image of God settled deep within them. We become more “saved” when we live more fully out of that image. We also become more “saved” as we live in connected community with others, knowing and loving, being known and being loved.

Remember that the earliest parts of the Bible celebrate God as Creator. It may be that in the acts of our own human creativity we become most like God, more “saved” so to speak. In art and craft, in music and science, in words and ingenuity, we bring goodness to the world. Such creativity springs, in my opinion, from the leanings towards goodness that you mentioned.

[Note: a version of this column is scheduled to run in the June 10, 2016 edition of the Denton Record Chronicle. The Thoughtful Pastor, AKA Christy Thomas, welcomes all questions for the column. Although the questioner will not be identified, I do need a name and verifiable contact information in case the newspaper editor has need of it. Please email questions to: thoughtfulpastor@gmail.com.]