Who Needs Temple Sacrifices?

There is a common sentiment among those who embrace Christ – “Jesus paid it all. That is all you need for atonement of sin”. This is very true, but much more needs to be said about sacrifices in this context. There is a common and naïve assumption that all sacrifices are now useless since Jesus died on the cross. People rarely study the temple and its sacrifices diligently enough to realize that the actual purpose of the temple was not merely redemptive. Thus the assumption rings true, but it is based on a lack of insight and insufficient understanding of what sacrifices actually for and what they do. The overwhelming majority of sacrifices in ancient times did not concern sin or forgiveness at all. They had little to do with atonement.

Unnatural Connections

Did the death of Messiah alter all sacrifices of the temple? Many verses are often quoted to support this perspective. Here is one example:

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” (1 Pet 3:18 NASB)