Before you read: This article is part of a larger series that builds upon itself from the foundation up, with each study building on the last. If something in this article does not make sense to you or if you believe it to be incorrect, please ensure you have read the entire series before passing final judgment. Also, be sure to visit this page’s FAQ And Objections Page
In Unit 2, we discussed eternal judgment and hell. We know that we’re all guilty of sin and on our way there. It’s a terrifying thought! But thankfully, God has made a way for us to escape this judgment.
There is no escape from hell once you are there. The Bible is clear that it is the eternal home of the wicked. Therefore, the only way to be saved from this place is to never go there in the first place.
Isaiah 64:6
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Matthew 19:25-26
25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Jesus tells us that it is impossible for men to be saved unless God is the one who saves them. This is because the righteousness of man cannot compare to the righteousness of God. All the good we do is like filthy rags—it isn’t enough, because the wages (or the penalty) for even one sin is death.
Ecclesiastes 10:1
1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
Ointment is like medicine. The word apothecary basically refers to “someone who prepares and sells medicine.” If one fly were to get into that medicine and die, it would contaminate the whole batch. This is how our sin works.
Though the medicine itself is good—just as we may consider ourselves “good”—it must be thrown out if it is contaminated. Similarly, one sin corrupts us, making us unworthy to escape death and hell.
This is why it is impossible for us to save ourselves. Even the best among us have sinned. No amount of good works can cancel out the bad.
But God has a plan!
The Plan of Salvation in the Old Testament
In a previous unit, we explored the differences between the Old and New Testaments. They are more similar than many people realize. To recap, the Old Testament is the law written on stone, while the New Testament is the law written on our hearts.
Hebrews 10:1-4
1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
In the Old Testament, the law stated that when you sin, you owe a debt of death. This debt could be symbolically paid by the death of an animal in place of the person. I say symbolically because these sacrifices were demonstrations of the faith people had in the coming sacrifice of Jesus.
It has always been faith that pleased God. It was never the sacrifices themselves that He desired, but a heart turned toward Him in faith.
Psalm 51:16-17
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
The problem was that animal sacrifices were never enough. They could be performed religiously and ritually, but often without the right heart. Such sacrifices were ultimately rejected by God.
Hosea: 8:13
13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.
The major issue with these sacrifices was that they could not change the heart of the person offering them. Without faith and obedience to God, they were worthless. These sacrifices could not purge people of their desire for sin. The law was written in stone, but it was not written in the hearts of men.
People mistakenly believed they could sin and then make everything right by offering a sacrifice. God was not pleased with these sacrifices—or with the people who used them as a license to continue sinning. This mindset is captured in the attitude of those who say, “I’m going to sin now and repent later.” Such an attitude is unacceptable to God and is not part of His plan of salvation.
Sacrifices offered in faith, however, were accepted. These individuals did not view the sacrifice as an excuse to sin but as payment for sins they deeply regretted committing. They offered sacrifices trusting in God.
The key difference between those accepted by God and those rejected is faith. One group desires and strives to obey God, while the other seeks to disobey Him yet still hopes to avoid judgment through ritualistic works. They say, “I’m okay because I performed the ritual,” but God does not accept empty rituals. Even in the Old Testament, ritualistic sacrifices were insufficient for forgiveness.
There was also a problem with the priests:
Hebrews 7:23
23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
Priests would offer blood sacrifices, but once they left the tabernacle, no one was offering that blood anymore. Consequently, each sacrifice only covered past sins. No priest could continually offer the same blood, as priests would eventually die. This meant new sacrifices were required for new sins, year after year.
These were the limitations of Old Testament sacrifices. We needed a sacrifice that could change our hearts, cover all sin, and last for all time. Animal sacrifices could never accomplish this.
The Plan of Salvation in the New Testament
Hebrews 8:8
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
God found fault with the people because they continued sinning after making sacrifices. This is why He created the New Testament—because humanity was incapable of fully obeying the first covenant.
In the New Testament, the law and the sacrifice remain, but the law is now written in our hearts. We no longer view it as a set of external rules but as part of our identity. This change addresses the problem of needing a transformed heart.
The other issue—the need for a sacrifice sufficient for all sins and all time—is also resolved in the New Testament through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, priests offered sacrifices once a year. But after the sacrifice, they would leave, and people would sin again, requiring more sacrifices to cover new sins.
Hebrews 7:24-25
24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Jesus changed everything. He is both the sacrifice and the priest. He offered Himself as the sacrificial lamb, and because He was without sin, He did not need to die for His own sins. This unique righteousness allowed His death to pay for the sins of others instead.
Hebrews 7:26-28
26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
This is why the blood of Jesus was a worthy substitute for us. His sacrifice made Him able to die in our place, with His blood serving as the payment for our sins. This has always been and continues to be the plan of salvation.
But wait—if, in the Old Testament, sacrifices had to be offered repeatedly, wouldn’t Jesus’ sacrifice also need to be offered again and again? If we sin after His blood has already paid for our past sins, wouldn’t He need to die again to cover our new ones?
Jesus is the High Priest
The reason Old Testament sacrifices had to be repeated was that the priest would eventually stop offering the blood. There was no one continually standing before God, saying, “Look, here is the blood sacrificed for the people. Forgive them.” Once the priest left, there was no longer an intercessor asking for forgiveness on behalf of the people.
What is different now is that Jesus, as our High Priest, never leaves. He no longer stops advocating for us. He remains before God, always making intercession. Because of this, there is no need for another sacrifice. Jesus died once, and that one sacrifice is perpetually presented before God.
Romans 1:3-4
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Hebrews 7:24-25
24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 10:11-13
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we now have a High Priest who will never die. He went to God with one sacrifice, but unlike the priests of old, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. His blood remains as an eternal offering. Though He died once, that one sacrifice is still active, covering our past sins, present sins, and future sins. He continually intercedes for us forever.
People in the Old Testament could never be saved by sacrifices alone. Sacrifices were acts of obedience that demonstrated repentance. However, they also required a heart turned toward God in faith. Each time they sinned, a new sacrifice was necessary.
How, then, could they be saved? It was by grace, through faith—just as it is today. Consider Abraham: he believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Although payment by death was still required, God promised salvation. People in the Old Testament looked ahead in faith to the coming sacrifice of Jesus.
They looked forward in faith to Jesus, believing that His future sacrifice would cover their sins. Therefore, even those who believed in Jesus before His coming were saved because they trusted in God. Their sins, too, are covered by the same blood of Christ.
This study just gives an overview of how God made the way for us to be saved. He did His part by offering Jesus as the perfect and sinless sacrifice. Then, through His resurrection, He became our eternal High Priest.
But what part do we play in our salvation? That important question will be addressed in the next units.
Continue To Unit 3:2 – How to Be Saved: Our Part OR
Return To Christianity 101 Unit 3 – Repentance and Salvation
carmine d'agostino
Minister Josh Holbrook