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Tag: forgiveness
Blood Sacrifices Not Mandatory & Certainly Not A Human Sacrifice
Blood animal sacrifices are not mandatory for atonement. Review the plethora of passages revealing a repentant heart will do just fine. Understand the various forms of payment (ie animals, flour, jewelry, incense, etc.) when a temple in Jerusalem exists, is based on affordability, offense, or circumstance to teach the accidental violator a lesson so as to not repeat their violation. Our court system today is based on this concept. Moreover, human sacrifice has always been forbidden (see Leviticus 18:21, 20:3; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; 18:10; 2 Kings 3:27, 16:3, 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3, 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Psalm 106:35-38; Ezekiel 16:20-21 as some examples) AND no human can die for another’s sins (see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:1-32; 33:12-20; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Psalm 49:7). In other words, Jesus didn’t die for your sins. All you need is repentance.
When the author of Hebrews uses Psalm 40 to make the reader think a human sacrifice (Jesus) was required for atonement, he changed out what the Psalm actually says. In other words, the author lied. Intentionally deceived and still deceives unsuspecting readers. As Ronald Reagan said, “Trust but verify.” Look this stuff up for yourself.
Video: Why Jesus Didn’t Die For Your Sins
To read this article instead, click this link: https://flipflopfellowship.com/2020/08/30/why-jesus-didnt-die-for-your-sins/
Always Have Been Saved By Grace
As one who has traversed Christian circles, “Saved by Grace” is a common phrase indicating one is saved by believing Jesus died for one’s sins and consequently, gets to experience God’s grace or forgiveness. In fact, I used to wear a hat proudly stating this very expression. After discerning more and more of God’s word, and upon realizing the fallacy in the Christian message of Jesus had to die for one’s sins in order to receive God’s grace, I discovered that we always have been saved by God’s grace if only we seek Him and His ways.
In 2020, when I sought to prove Jesus is the Messiah using only the Hebrew Bible, I discovered the Hebrew or Jewish definition of salvation is different than the Christian version of being saved. You can read more about those details here in an article I penned called “What Is Salvation According to the Hebrew and Christian Bibles”. Moreover, I realized upon digging through the Tanakh (or what Christians refer to as the “Old” Testament), that God has always offered His love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy to those who genuinely seek Him and strive to obey Him. Inevitably, we will make mistakes, but all we have to do is authentically repent and try again. Look at King David’s sin of committing adultery and murdering the woman’s husband. Christians have been told only a blood sacrifice can atone for sins, but what did God say to David through the Prophet Samuel in 2 Samuel 12:13-14? God said He forgives David’s sins though there still will be consequences just as any good father would say to his disobedient child. Was there a blood sacrifice David had to make? Did he have to believe in a future Messiah? No. How about when the Prophet Jonah went to the Ninevites or Gentiles to warn them of God’s pending judgment should they not repent and turn to God. Where was their blood sacrifice for God’s grace and forgiveness?
God’s Holy Scriptures never once say anyone needs to “believe” in a Messiah to be saved, much less that one will be coming to die for the world’s sins, which would be a hugely critical prophecy to reveal, don’t you think? If God does nothing without revealing it to His prophets first, according to Amos 3:7, then we can deduce, that the Christian doctrine of Jesus being the Messiah who just had to die for our sins also is nothing except a replica of various pagan concepts. If you are Christian just learning of this, I know your blood is probably boiling right about now as was mine. First, you are angry at the one who enlightens you on said truth, then you become angry towards Christianity for propagating such gross and offensive errors and mourn your deception. Soon afterward though, you encounter a wave of peace and the lifting of a huge burden of guilt and manipulation you had been unknowingly carrying for years believing your sin caused some innocent god-man to die for you. Eventually, you will be so grateful to God for opening your eyes and rescuing you from the popular idolatry of the church. As God’s Spirit whispered to me one day early in 2020, “You can mourn over the lies you once believed or you can rejoice you have finally been set free from them.“
I encourage you, dear reader, to dig into the following Scriptures and ask yourself why would God need to send His son, Jesus, to die for one’s sins for forgiveness when these Scriptures clearly indicate God has been forgiving people well before (and still after) Jesus? Why would God instruct His child to be a human sacrifice when He instructed the Israelites to never sacrifice their children like the pagans do (see Leviticus 18:21, 20:3; Deuteronomy 12:29-32; 18:10; 2 Kings 3:27, 16:3, 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3, 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Psalm 106:35-38; Ezekiel 16:20-21 as some examples)? Why would God cause Jesus to die for another person’s sins when God specifically forbids such things in the law and prophets (see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:1-32; 33:12-20; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Psalm 49:7)? Also, why does the famous “New Covenant” chapter state everyone will still be dying for their own sins in the new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:30)? Shouldn’t that be an opportune time to state no one will need to die for their sins because a Messiah will do so for them?
Below is a list of some passages that reveal many over the course of history always have been saved by God’s grace.
Please study the following passages and read my other articles:
- Genesis 4:8-16 (God forgave and even protected Cain)
- Exodus 30:15-16 (money not blood sacrifice)
- Exodus 34:6-7
- Leviticus 5:11-13 (flour used not blood sacrifice)
- Numbers 16:46-47 (incense)
- Numbers 31:48-52 (jewelery)
- Deuteronomy 4:29-31
- 1 Kings 8 & 2 Chronicles 6 (notice both Jews and Gentiles are forgiven even without a temple/sacrifices)
- 2 Samuel 12 (God forgave King David w/o blood sacrifices)
- Book of Jonah – Jonah 3:8-10 (How is it the Gentiles could get forgiveness without a blood sacrifice?)
- Isaiah 1:11-17 (sacrifices & other forms of obedience are phony without true repentance – doing good & just is what God wants)
- Isaiah 27:9 (removal of idols atones)
- Isaiah 42:6; 43:23-25; 44:22; 45:22,25 ; 49:10; 55:6-7
- Isaiah 56: Notice even Gentiles/Foreigners who align themselves with God’s Covenant (i.e. keep Sabbath) are brought to Mount Zion one day and honored even more so than natural-born Jews for doing so.
- Jeremiah 29:11-14; 31:3; 33:3,6-8,19-26; 50:4-5,20
- Ezekiel 16:60-63; 18:19-32; 33:12-20; Chps 36-37
- Micah 7:18-20
- Hosea 14:2/3 (depending on Hebrew or Christian Bible you are using)
- Daniel 4:24/27 (depending on Hebrew or Christian Bible you are using)
- Lamentations 3:22-23
- Psalms 24:3-6; 25:6-11; 30:5; 32:1,5; 34:22; 36:5,10; 51:1-4, 7-9 (really all of Psalm 51); 103; 119:132,155-156; 141:2; 145:17-20; 147:11
- Proverbs 16:6; 21:3
- Job 22:23
- Why Jesus Didn’t Die For Your Sins
- Why the New Testament Is Not the Inerrant Word of G!d
To download this list of Scriptures for your own studies.
Beyond Heaven and Hell: A Jewish View of Salvation
One of the most significant differences between Christianity and Judaism concerns the definition of salvation.
In many Christian traditions, salvation is primarily understood as being rescued from the consequences of sin through faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. Depending upon the denomination, salvation may also involve baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, participation in the sacraments, good works, or some combination of these elements (John 3:16; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38–39). Although Christians differ on the details, most agree that faith in Jesus occupies a central role in one’s salvation.
When I began examining the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) apart from later theological interpretations, I was struck by how differently the Scriptures describe salvation. The question naturally arose: if belief in a future Messiah is the central requirement for salvation, where do the Torah, Prophets, and Writings explicitly teach this doctrine?
The answer may surprise many readers. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, there is no passage stating that one must believe in a future Messiah in order to receive God’s forgiveness or be saved. Rather, the overwhelming emphasis is that God Himself is Israel’s Savior, Redeemer, and Deliverer.
Consider just a sample of the many declarations found throughout the prophets:
- Isaiah 43:11: “I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior.”
- Isaiah 44:6: “I am the first and I am the last; besides Me there is no God.”
- Isaiah 45:21–22: “There is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.”
- Hosea 13:4: “You shall know no God but Me; for there is no savior besides Me.”
These passages repeatedly direct humanity toward God Himself as the source of redemption. The emphasis is not on faith in an intermediary, but on trusting, worshiping, and returning to the God of Israel.
Repentance and Forgiveness in the Hebrew Scriptures
Another striking theme throughout the Tanakh is the connection between repentance and forgiveness.
Psalm 51 records King David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba. David does not appeal to a future sacrifice or mediator. Instead, he cries directly to God for mercy, confessing his sin and asking for a clean heart and renewed spirit.
Likewise, Psalm 51:16–17 declares:
“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.”
Psalm 103 similarly emphasizes God’s mercy toward those who fear Him and seek to walk in His ways.
The prophets repeatedly echo this message:
- Isaiah 1:16–18 calls Israel to wash themselves, cease doing evil, and learn to do good.
- Ezekiel 18 teaches that a wicked person who repents and turns from sin will live.
- Hosea 14 calls Israel to return to God and receive forgiveness.
- Joel 2:12–13 urges repentance because God is gracious and merciful.
From a Jewish perspective, these passages demonstrate that God’s forgiveness has always been available through sincere repentance, prayer, and a return to His ways.
Individual Responsibility
Another important theme concerns personal accountability.
The Torah teaches:
“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; each shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Deuteronomy 24:16)
Ezekiel expands this principle in chapter 18:
“The soul who sins shall die.”
The prophet repeatedly emphasizes that each person is responsible for his or her own conduct before God.
For this reason, Judaism has traditionally understood atonement and forgiveness through the framework of repentance, restitution, prayer, and divine mercy rather than through the death of another individual on one’s behalf. While Christians and Jews interpret these texts differently, the principle of individual responsibility remains a foundational element of Jewish theology.
Salvation in the Tanakh: Physical and National Redemption
Another significant difference concerns what salvation often means in the Hebrew Bible.
Many modern readers immediately associate salvation with the afterlife. In the Tanakh, however, salvation frequently refers to deliverance from physical danger, oppression, exile, persecution, or national distress.
Consider the language of:
- Psalm 53:6
- Psalm 80
- Psalm 91
- Isaiah 51–52
- Jeremiah 30–31
- Ezekiel 34–39
- Zephaniah 3
Again and again, God promises to rescue His people, gather the exiles of Israel, restore Jerusalem, establish peace, and bring justice to the world.
The prophets envision a future in which the nations stream to Jerusalem to learn God’s ways (Isaiah 2:1–4; Micah 4:1–4), the earth is filled with the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9), and God’s presence dwells among His people.
In this sense, biblical salvation is often portrayed not as escaping the earth for heaven, but as participating in God’s redemption of the world itself.
The Future Redemption of Israel
The prophets also describe a future restoration in which Israel is regathered, spiritually renewed, and brought into a deeper covenant relationship with God.
Ezekiel writes:
“I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean… I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.” (Ezekiel 36:24–27)
Jeremiah 31 likewise speaks of God writing His Torah upon the hearts of His people.
These passages describe a future age in which God transforms His people, forgives their sins, and renews their relationship with Him. Significantly, the emphasis remains upon God’s direct action, His covenant with Israel, and the restoration of obedience to His Torah.
Two Different Understandings of Salvation
Christianity and Judaism ultimately approach salvation from different starting points.
Christianity generally understands salvation through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection as the means by which sins are forgiven and eternal life is secured.
Judaism, drawing from the Hebrew Scriptures, understands salvation primarily as God’s ongoing work of redemption through repentance, forgiveness, covenant faithfulness, and the future restoration of Israel and the world. The focus remains upon turning directly to God, walking in His ways, and trusting in His mercy.
Both traditions speak of redemption and hope, yet they define those concepts through very different theological lenses.
For those seeking to understand the Jewish perspective, the most important step is to examine how the Torah, Prophets, and Writings themselves define salvation and to allow God’s revealed Word to shape one’s understanding of redemption.
