This comic was inspired by a Bible-in-a-year plan the kids and I have been following. It has videos to watch every now and then. In a couple of the videos when it came to the topic of sacrifices, they start out on the right foot explaining that the sacrifices were there to show the enormous weight of our sins. Then, they start in with them trying to explain away things. Why sacrifices? Because this was an ancient ritual. Many cultures of the time had to sacrifice to appease their gods. Why don't we do sacrifices today? Because of Jesus' sacrifice. The disciples didn't do any sacrifices afterward.

Taking the second explanation first: there is nothing in the Bible that says Jesus' sacrifice is why we no longer do sacrifices. In Acts 21, Paul is sent to perform a sacrifice via the encouragement of the disciples. So, to say the disciples didn't do any sacrifices would be in error. I've often seen this explained away as "Paul trying to appease the Jews". If this is correct, then Paul and the disciples are liars AND trivializing the works of God. The Nazarite vow, which is what is talked about in Acts 21, wasn't something that was to be taken lightly. It was a very serious vow and one that was voluntary.

On the first explanation, I give my main point in the comic: Do not do as the pagans did. If sacrifices were just part of ancient culture (in the context of how this is explained, the pagan culture of the time), God specifically states He wants no part of that. He would not have created a "this from the pagans is okay to do" list. Again, these sacrifices are there to show us the weight of our sin. The wages of sin is death. Those animals died in our place because of our sin. Jesus died in our place because of our sin. If those sacrifices were just some ancient ritual, then Jesus' sacrifice was nothing more than that either. Why would we continue to focus on it and put hope into it?

The Bible is one big story, front to back. Read it that way. It isn't a "this is the old way of doing things" and then a "this is the new way of doing things". If you really want to look and read why we don't do sacrifices right now, read Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Those books mirror the time we are living in right now.


http://thestraightandnarrow.cfw.me/comics/511

#bible #biblestudy #webcomic #cartoon #christian #church #messianic #hebrewroots #wwjd


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