“For while we were still helpless, at the right time, the Messiah died on behalf of ungodly people. Now it is a rare event when someone gives up his life even for the sake of somebody righteous, although possibly for a truly good person one might have the courage to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in that the Messiah died on our behalf while we were still sinners. Therefore, since we have now come to be considered righteous by means of his bloody sacrificial death, how much more will we be delivered through him from the anger of God’s judgment! For if we were reconciled with God through his Son’s death when we were enemies, how much more will we be delivered by his life, now that we are reconciled! And not only will we be delivered in the future, but we are boasting about God right now, because he has acted through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, through whom we have already received that reconciliation.”-Rabbi Shaul, The Letter to The Romans 5:6-11
A common question that often comes up is exactly how was Yeshua’s sacrifice on the cross different than the Levitical sacrificial system?
Well, as I mentioned before when we were in the Book of Leviticus, we’re really talking about apples and oranges here.
Because the Levitical Sacrificial only provided atonement for what the Torah calls “unintentional sins”.
Whereas what Yeshua accomplished was like a 10-billion megaton nuclear bomb obliterating all sins for all time and forever for whoever would put their trust in him.
Let me explain a bit more.
For example, under the Levitical sacrificial system, there is no means to atone for the act of murder or idolatry.
If a person commits one of these high-handed sins, that person is KARET.
What does KARET mean?
It means the person is physically executed and then in the afterlife spiritually separated from God.
However, based on my understanding and everything I’ve read in the New Testament (especially the writings of Paul), if one truly confesses and repents and surrenders him or herself to Yeshua, even the act of murder can be atoned for.
Having said that, I am in no way implying that one escapes earthly justice.
The murderer must be executed for his crime.
Another difference that I’ve gleaned from my studies is that upon coming into faith, one’s “evil nature” so to speak is exchanged for a holy one.
“For by one spirit we were all baptized
into one body-whether Jews of Greeks,
whether slaves or free-and have all
been made to drink into one Spirit.”
-1 Corinthians 12:13
Prior to Yeshua’s sacrifice, if one died in a righteous state, per the Torah, one’s spirit entered into a place called Abraham’s bosom.
However, Abraham’s bosom is not the same as heaven.
Because as Yeshua said, until one is born again (meaning having his old nature exchanged for a holy one), he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Finally, another big difference is clearly articulated in the Book of Hebrews.
“It is in connection with this will that
we have been separated for God
and made holy, ONCE AND FOR ALL,
through the offering of Yeshua the Messiah’s
body. Now every cohen stands every day
doing his service, offering over and over the
same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But this one, after he had offered for all time
A SINGLE SACRIFICE for sins,
sat down at the right hand of God.”
(emphases mine)-Hebrews 10:10-11
Under the Levitical sacrificial system, it was necessary to offer sacrifice after sacrifice.
I’m not going to be dogmatic about this because this is an area I’m still studying but it would seem that Yeshua’s sacrifice satisfied a multitude of various requirements within the sacrificial system to the point that even additional sacrifices are not needed should you fall and sin again.
I think the biggest difference is that Yeshua’s sacrifice atoned for what the Scripture refers to as “intentional sins” or high-handed transgressions that the Levitical sacrificial system did NOT cover.
Shalom, And this is where it gets confusing for a Torah observant or covenant keeper. The Most High spoke against Human sacrifices, and now here we read that is acceptable. The ancient pagans did exactly this practice by sacrificing a “innocent person” on behalf of their community. That person (sacrifice) was either a baby, or a young virgin groomed from childhood to be pure by learning and living out the laws of their diety. This was a practice that The Most High rebuked. Now I say this as a believer in Messiah, but this theory is where it gets tough to explain to a covenant keeper.
Sorry but if this smacks of “human sacrifice” which we all know the Torah forbids, well then it just does.
The best I can do to explain is to point to Ramchal’s idea of the completed Tzaddik from his book the Way of God where he says “suffering and pain may be imposed on a tzaddik (righteous person) as an atonement for his entire generation”.
In the same paragraph, he then goes on to say “God arranged matters, however, so that select perfect individuals could rectify things for others…”
I read somewhere that Yeshua wasn’t sacrificed, but offered up Himself as atonement, which is why He expressed on numerous occasions that it was His own choice (not necessarily His will) to die for us. Thus He didn’t break any command.