BLOOD OF
JESUS IS NOT NEEDED
Hugh Fogelman, et al
Christians
ask Jews; “where in the Scripture, do you find justification for no longer
observing the sacrificial system commanded by God and declared to you by Moses?
If it was necessary for
Then
these sanctimonious Christians triumphantly proclaim: YOU HAVE NO BLOOD
ATONEMENT AT ALL AND “WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD THERE IS NO REMISSION OF SIN”
for it’s the blood that makes an atonement for the soul as told in Leviticus
17:11. Therefore, since you Jews have not atoned for your sins, your soul
stands condemned before a holy God.”
Wow! Is
this true?
The
central theme of Christianity and the New Testament (NT) is the sacrificial offering of the blood of Jesus Christ as
atonement for the sins of the entire world. "The blood of Jesus was shed
in our place and is the only means of
atonement for sin." According
to Christians this is the cornerstones of Christian theology. The only way to achieve atonement
for sins was through the offering of a sacrifice whose blood was shed in their
place, namely Jesus. To the Jew, this was unheard of, a human sacrifice! But, in
the NT, Paul’s message to the Hebrews makes it very clear that “without shedding of blood is no remission” [of sin] (Hebrews
“For the life of the flesh is in the
blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar
to make an
atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11)
Christians,
especially missionaries and preachers, only quote this small verse. They never
quote the verse before to provide proper context:
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers
that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth
blood, and will cut him off from among
his people. (Leviticus 17:10)
Therefore I said unto the children of
What
should immediately be apparent is that this passage is concerned first and
foremost with the prohibition against
consuming blood. The subject of atonement for sin is not the major issue here. We
are told that the reason for this prohibition is that the blood contains the
life or vitality of the animal: “Only be
sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh” (Deuteronomy
This brings
to mind the Christian practice of the theme of the Eucharist found in the Gospels at the scene
of the Last Supper where Jesus took bread break it and said; “Take, eat: this
is my body” and he took
the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying; “…Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Mark 14:22; Matthew 26:26;
Luke 22:19-20). Many look upon this as a pagan rite of Mithraism.
The small
verses of Leviticus 17 (10-12) are dominate with concerns with the prohibition
against consuming blood―that blood symbolizes the life of the animal−but that it can be used as a means of atoning
for atoning for our sins. However, it does not
say that blood is the only means of
atoning for sins. Indeed, the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) tell of several other things that can be
used instead of the blood of a sacrificial ram or bullock.
Other Means of Atonement
“And
Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar,
and put on incense…And Aaron …put on incense, and made an
atonement for the people.” (Numbers
16:46-47)
Here, incense was used to atone for sins in
the same manner as the blood sacrifices
of animals.
What
else could be used in place of blood?
“The rich shall not give more, and the
poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto
the LORD, to
make an atonement for your souls. And thou
shalt take the atonement
money of the children of
The phrase
"to
make atonement for your souls" in these verses is the same expression as in Leviticus
Christianity
is obsessed believing blood is “MANDATORY” to cover ALL sins. The average Christian, not knowing the original Jewish
scripture (Torah), does not know that blood sacrifices held only limited
atonement capabilities. Foremost among its limitations was that blood
sacrifices were only brought for unintentional
sins. If a person committed some sin out of ignorance, such as doing
work on the Sabbath when perhaps they mistakenly thought it was Sunday, then
atonement could be made through a sacrificial sin offering. Sacrifices did not
help to atone for sins that were done intentionally.
"And God spake unto Moses, saying, Speak
unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance
against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not
to be done and …if the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of
the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young
bullock without blemish unto
the Lord for a sin offering” (Leviticus 4:1-3)
The
Christian’s claim that only blood could atone for sins raises many questions
for which they have no answer. What happens if someone did not have and could
not afford to purchase an animal for his sin offering? Is it possible that God
would institute a system of atonement that could only be used by the wealthy?
Of course not!
"And if he be not
able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath
committed, two turtledoves, or two young
pigeons unto the Lord, one for a sin
offering, and the other for a burnt offering." (Leviticus 5:7)
What if
someone was so destitute, that he couldn't afford even these small birds?
"But, if his means
are insufficient for two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then for his
offering for that which he has sinned, he shall bring the tenth of an ephah of fine flour
for a sin offering; he shall not put oil on it or place incense on it, for it
is a sin offering." (Leviticus 5:11)
Since
God said that flour could be used for a sin offering, it is
clear that blood was not a prerequisite for atonement. This is a very important passage.
This deals
a deathblow to the Christian doctrine of blood atonement. If blood could not be
afforded, G-d tell us that even some simple
flour could be used instead and would be just as effective in His eyes. This is G-d’s
way! The scriptures are quite clear on this. Since flour could be used
for a sin offering, it is evident that
blood was not the sole means of atonement. It should now be evident
that the Christian position that only the shed blood of Jesus could atone for
sins is just more propaganda used by the early church to sell people (Gentiles)
who never read the Holy Scriptures, the Torah.
"If My people who
are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin and heal their land." (II
Chronicles
STRANGE - NOT ONE
JEWISH PROPHET SAID THAT WE NEEDED BLOOD TO REPENT.
Even
though blood was used on the altar as an atonement it
was only
an agent. God spoke through his prophets, yet no prophet ever warned the Israelites to achieve atonement God
wanted the blood of animals. All the prophets ever said was – repent, pray and
turn back to God. Blood was never that
important to any of the Hebrew prophets, which spoke for God.
After
king Solomon completed the spectacular temple building in
Solomon,
looking into the future, warned his people, “If Your (God) people are defeated by an enemy because they
sinned against You and then they return
to You and praise Your Name and pray and supplicate to You in this Temple,
may you hear from Heaven and forgive the
sin of Your people Israel” (1
Kings 8:33-34). Solomon’s entire speech can be read in 1 Kings 8 and II
Chronicles 6. Do you now begin to see what the very wise King Solomon was
trying to explain when he said that even though the Israelite people may not
always have access to the sacrifices and the Priesthood, they would always have
access to the Holy One of Israel (1 Kings 8). Solomon understood that repentance and not blood is the Scriptural
form of atonement.
While
the
We are
able to approach our God directly with prayer, which is possible at all times
and regardless of the size of our bank accounts; and He assures us that sincere
prayer can achieve forgiveness for our sins:
"Deliver me from
blood-guiltiness, O Lord, the God of my salvation. And my tongue shall sing
aloud of Your righteousness. O God, open my lips, and
my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not delight in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. These, O God, You will not
despise."
(Psalms 51:14-17)
"I will praise the
name of the Lord with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This
shall please God better than an ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs." (Psalm 69:30-31)
"For You, God, are
good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all who call
upon You. Give ear, O God to my prayer, and give heed
to the voice of my supplications." (Psalm 86:5-6)
"And listen to the
supplications of Your servant and of Your people
Clearly,
the central teaching of The Holy
Scriptures is that we must break away from our sinful past and sincerely
repent. This is the only way to restore our relationship with God. If one
strays from the path set forth by the laws of God, one must repent and return
to the path. This is how forgiveness is obtained. Even when sacrifices were
offered, they in and of themselves did not effect atonement. The sacrifice was
part of the process; it helped bring them to the core of atonement, which is
achieved by repentance. What is repentance? Forsaking our evil ways and praying
for forgiveness.
The
prophets were constantly correcting the Israelite people for relying on blood
sacrifices as the essential element of atonement instead of repentance and
obedience to God’s laws:
"What are your
multiplied sacrifices to Me? Says
God. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed
cattle. And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. Wash
yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice,
reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the
widow. Come let us reason together says God 'Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they will be like
wool, if you consent and obey..." (Isaiah 1:11-18).
"The sacrifice of the
wicked is an abomination to the Lord." (Proverbs 15:8).
"To do righteousness
and justice is more acceptable to God than sacrifice." (Proverbs 21:3
"Has God as great a delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey
is better than sacrifice, and to hearken more than the fat of rams." (I Samuel 15:22)
"With what shall I come to God and bow
myself before the Lord on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with
yearling calves? Does God take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand
rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit
of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; and
what does God require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk
humbly with your God" (Micah 6:6-8)
But,
if, according to Christianity, blood was the only method for atoning, what did
the Jewish people do after the
What
did the Jewish people do in the times of the Maccabees
when the Syrian-Greeks were in control of the
Paul
again manipulated the Torah in his interpretation of the true meaning of what
was written in Jewish Scripture. Why did he do this? It was to make Jesus fit
Christian prophecy. According to Paul, no one could be saved without the
shedding of blood (Hebrews
The
commandment that you do not eat or
drink any blood is explained:
“For the soul of the flesh
is in the blood and I have assigned it for you upon the Altar to provide atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that
atones for the soul” (Leviticus17:11).
The
very next verse goes farther in explaining the prohibition of consuming blood. Verse 12 reads;
“Therefore, I (God) have said to the Children of Israel, Any person among you may not consume blood; and the proselyte who dwells among you may
not consume blood” (Leviticus
Anybody reading this chapter knows that this
deals with the probation from drinking blood. NOT ANY SIN OFFERINGS. Reading
Leviticus chapter 17 in its entirety you can understand Leviticus
Why did
the early church and Paul quote only a portion of Leviticus
The New
Testament has a story of those who gained salvation well before Jesus had a chance
to die in his human sacrifice scenario. Just read the story of Lazarus–there
was no mention of any animal sacrifice.
In the Gospel of Mark, when he quoted Jesus answering the young rich man
who wanted to know what he could do to “inherit internal life”, Mark had Jesus
say to his disciples; “Children, how hard
it is to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
Let us
look at another example that blood was not necessary to atone for sin. In the
story of Jonah, he was
sent to the evil city of
"When God saw their
deeds that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the
calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them, and He did not do it." (Jonah
3:10).
The
people of
Yes,
sacrifices of some sorts are needed, but they are only external symbols what is
going on inside your life. A real change of who you are is needed. What good is
giving your wife flowers every time you make her angry when you go right out
and make her angry again? You have to repent from the heart–no amount of
flowers (sacrifices) will help.
Not one prophet says that you must
bring sacrifices to get right with God.
If Christians
are correct, without the shedding of blood,
then why wouldn’t the prophets say that? Not one prophet said you must
bring a blood sacrifice to return to God. What they do speak about is that you
can not have any sacrifice without repentance. Isaiah 1:11 “who needs all your sacrifices, enough, I do not delight in
the blood of bulls or lambs or goats, when you come before me bringing these
offerings are an abomination to me, because your hands are full of blood. How
do you get back on tract, Wash yourselves, make yourself clean, remove the evil
of your doings.”
"Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to
God, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God. For
He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah
55:7)
"And if My people who
are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn
from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land." (II
Chronicles
"But if the wicked man
turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he
shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has
committed will not be remembered against him; because of the righteousness
which he has practiced he shall live...When a wicked man turns away from his
wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he
will save his life. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that
iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you (Ezekiel
"By loving kindness
and truth iniquity is atoned for..." (Proverbs
16:6).
"If you return to God
you will be restored; if you remove unrighteousness far from your tent...then
you will delight in God..." (Job
22:23-27).
“God says he will
accept burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them and the
offerings of your fat animals I will not look upon – let justice and righteous
run down like water, that is what I want”. Amos 5
All the
Jewish prophets tell the same message: Return
back to the Lord: Turn back to me and
I will forgive you (Jeremiah 36:3 and Isaiah 55:6-7).
How did
Daniel advise king Nebuchadnezzar to atone for his sins? "Therefore, O king, may my advice be
pleasing to you: Redeem your sins by doing righteousness,
and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor." (Daniel
4:27).
The
Jewish Bible clearly teaches that blood sacrifices were not necessary in order to atone for sins. Prayer and repentance are shown to be the effective means of
atonement. Certainly, when the
I
challenge any Christian to produce a scripture from the Tanakh, given by God Himself, that teaches us that we must believe in the atoning
blood of a Messiah to obtain salvation. What the prophets teach us is that our
own obedience to the laws of God combined with sincere repentance and prayer
for forgiveness will atone for sin if done with the proper attitude of
humility. "That every man will turn from his evil way, then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin." (Jeremiah
36:3)
SALVATION THRU THE GOD OF
The
Christian claims that only through bloodshed can atonement be made show that
Christians are clearly unfamiliar with the compassion and mercy of God.
Sometimes, He forgives us simply because He is kind, loving, compassionate and
merciful. Even when we don't seek God, He has the ability to reach out to us
with love and forgive us:
"Who is a [Elohiym] like unto thee, that pardoneth
iniquity, and passeth by the
transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth
not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy." (Micah 7:18)
"Their heart was not
steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being
compassionate, forgave their iniquity...remembering
that they were but flesh." (Psalms 78:36-39)
"You have not brought
Me the sheep of your burnt offerings...or the fat of
your sacrifices, but you have burdened Me with your sins...Nevertheless, I will wipe out your transgressions for My
own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:23-25)
References
that show blood was not needed for repentance:
(1)
When the 1st
(2)
Daniel, in a foreign land said and did the exact same thing (Daniel
(3)
Isaiah said the penitent sinner is promised atonement through repentance alone
(55:6-9)
(4)
Hosea said “take with you words and return to the Lord…let us render for bulls
the offering of our lips”. (Hosea 14:3)
(5)
Jonah told the people to repent without any blood sacrifice, and God would
forgive (3:5-10).
(6)
Samuel said “Has the Lord as much desire in burnt offerings as in obeying the
voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken
is better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel
(7)
Samuel told David because he confessed his sins before the Lord, the Lord has
forgiven you (ll Samuel
(8)
Micah told us that obedience to the Lord is superior to a blood sacrifice
(Micah 6:68).
(9)
Jeremiah told the exiles in
(10)
Jeremiah told the remnant who returned from exile sins were
forgiven despite no sacrifice and no
(11)
Psalms 32:5 “I acknowledged my sin to You…and
You forgave the iniquity of my sin”
(12)
Psalms 51:16-19 “My Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare Your praise. For you desire no offering, else I would give
it”
(13)
Psalms 40:6 “Sacrifice and offerings You
did not desire, but my ears you have opened for me. Burnt-offerings and
sin-offerings You have not required.”
(14)
Psalms 69:31-32 “I will praise the name of God with a song and it
shall please the Lord better than a bullock that has horns and hoofs”
(15) Ezekiel warns about vicarious atonement –
that is incompatible to the will of God. It is the act of repentance alone that
atones for sin. (18:1-4 & 19-23).
(16)
Zechariah says God asks of the sinner “Return to Me
and I will return to you (1:3).