We
have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have
no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is
brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned
outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the
people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let
us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. (Hebrews
13:10-13, NKJV).
Altars
have been a part of human history from the beginning. Even from a
secular viewpoint, the earliest hominids left behind evidence of
ritual platforms endued with religious or spiritual significance.
These were entirely focused on the need to propitiate angry deities
who sought to punish mankind for its unapproved behavior.
It
is fascinating how pervasive such beliefs were, arising all over the
globe, across cultures, widely variant religious beliefs, practices,
vast geographical areas, and levels of civilizational advancement.
Evolution cannot explain such commonality of thought and practice,
but the Bible can, and does.
The
inherent need to somehow make up for bad behavior, to placate powers
beyond human control and understanding, the need to, in some way,
offer
sacrifice
to forestall or prevent judgment is as natural to human behavior as
avarice, greed and lust. It is a powerful impulse and remains to this
day, and is expressed in any number of obvious or covert ways.
From
self-inflicted suffering, to guilt-assuaging charity, to silent
bargaining with the Universe, even the most rabid atheist feels, and
acts upon, this ubiquitous need. It is part of our cellular make-up,
an integral component of our emotional-spiritual DNA.
And
it is all futile and useless.
The
only sacrifices that had any effectiveness were ordained by God for
the Jews of the Old Testament, and even these were only
prefigurements of the one Sacrifice that would, once and for all,
placate the Creator's righteous wrath against His creatures'
unrighteous rebellion – the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
With
the exception of the sacrifice of consecration, which was completely
burned, the ancient Levitical offerings entailed eating a portion of
the slain animal or produce in the vicinity of the altar upon which
the gift was presented. The best parts of the animal or the
first-fruits of the field were consumed in the presence of God, as an
acknowledgement that He was the Person who was sinned against, while
simultaneously acknowledging Him as the provider of that which was
being offered in payment.
He
both established the cost of sin and was the Source of the means to
settle the debt, as He did with Abraham and Isaac, and by giving His
Son to die on the Cross.
In
the Old Testament economy, the priesthood of Israel was given the
remainder of the sacrifice as payment for their service in the
Tabernacle, and later in the Temple.
In
contrast, our
altar
is of a completely different nature, based on the immeasurable
superiority of our Sacrifice, the Lord Jesus. His death did not
provide mere atonement (the covering up of sin, for that is what
atone means), but complete elimination of the stain and debt of sin.
No
other sacrifice was possible or needed after that one superb act of
filial obedience and divine love on His part. And therefore the
figurative altar of that sacrifice, the Cross, is utterly unique and
irreplaceable, and can be approached only by those who place their
complete faith in Christ. To everyone else, it is unapproachable.
The
right of access, then, is inviolable and irrevocable. It is reserved
for neither Jew, nor Greek, but for the church of Christ alone.
That
is the bad news.
The
good news is that everyone is eligible to be granted that right if
they cease depending on anything else but Christ to satisfy God's
wrath against sin.
But
as many as received Him, to them He gave the right
to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God. (John 1:12, 13, NKJV).
Now
the modern, “enlightened” world rejects this reasoning,
considering it archaic, superstitious nonsense. If God exists at all,
in their thinking, He would not be so arcane and bloodthirsty.
Instead He would be more like what they imagine themselves falsely to
be.
What
they fail to understand in their arrogance, is that God is not the
God of their own imagination, but the transcendent, eternal,
all-knowing, and all-powerful Creator of existence. He gets to set
the rules, and while He gives them the freedom to disobey those
rules, He promises to exact judgment on those who do.
And
he also provides the only vehicle of escape from that punishment,
faith in His Son's sacrifice on the altar of His love.
