January 8, 2010

• TRUE BIBLICAL TEACHINGS ABOUT ATONEMENT

   As you've probably noticed, I'm into comparative theology and looking how different faiths look at things. I've had a few tell me I'm anti-Christian or anti-Islam, but I'm not. I just post what I write so people who follow those faiths can see how their concepts compare to the original text. I live in America and we have freedom of religion. If you want to sacrifice squirrels to a Mr Potatohead, you have that right. The same as I don't want someone telling me what my religion believes, unless they actually have the facts, I don't tell anyone how to live their lives. I simply show what this says compared to what that says. If you have the book,it's right in front of you to see for yourself and decide your own path. 

  Most Christians are taught that "Jesus died for their sins" and that the Jewish bible, which they call the "Old Testament," says that ONLY blood sacrifices can atone for sins. 
  However, anyone that actually reads  their bible knows that there are SEVERAL ways to atone for sins -- not just blood sacrifices. While animal sacrifice played a large part of religious worship, not all were sin sacrifices. There were thanksgiving, communal,peace,guilt and others. The keyword here is atonement,the Hebrew word is kippur,as in Yom Kippur,the Day of Atonement. While some Christian faiths attempt to say this was not a removal of sin, but a "covering". Atonement means removal of sin,not covering it up and still having it counted against you. You can look up kippur in Strong's but to save time  look at your own book.Rom 5:11.  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
  
  In fact, the sentence most quoted is Levitcus 17:11. However, anyone who read their Bible knows that Leviticus 17:11 is not a chapter about atonement. Rather, when one views the context, it describes the prohibition of eating blood from offerings
  
  The verse directly preceding verse 11 makes this very clear. It says, "If anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens who reside among them eats any blood I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut that person off from the people."

   

  The next verse goes on to explain why G-d has prohibited us from eating blood. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar; for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement." In other words, although we were given permission to eat animal flesh, the blood of an offering was set aside from the flesh for a specific purpose. To be used in the Temple service for atonement. No where in this verse does it say that blood is the only way, or even the best way to achieve atonement. Only that, since it was set aside for the purpose of atonement, we are forbidden to eat it.

  Animals slaughtered for food that weren't offerings required the blood to be poured on the ground and covered up Deut 15:21.  And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be Lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God.
   22.  Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.
   23.  Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
  
  THE VERSES
  
  READ Exodus 30:12 "Every man shall give God an atonement for his soul ... this shall they give ... a half shekel."
  .READ Exodus 30:16 "Money of the Children of Israel [may be used] to make an atonement for your souls."

  READ Numbers 31:50 "Jewelry of gold [may be used] to make an atonement for our souls."
  
  Thus, we are taught that charity can, in fact, provide atonement
  
  READ Leviticus 5:16 which teaches that returning something to it's rightful owner and "he shall be forgiven."
  READ First Samuel 15:22 which reads: "And Samuel said: 'Does the Lord delight as much in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the voice of the Lord?' Behold, obedience is better than any sacrifice, and to comply [better] than the fat of rams."
  READ I Kings 8:46-53 which teaches that prayer and repentance are both valid forms of atonement.
  READ I Kings 48:50 in which King Solomon, at the dedication of the first Temple, knew that the Jewish people would someday be without the Temple and the sacrificial system. He described a time when the Jews would be carried off into the land of their enemies. He then proceeded to tell us exactly what we should do in such a case in order to achieve atonement. He said "And pray to Thee towards their land, which Thou didst give to their fathers, the city which Thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for Thy name: then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, and forgive Thy people that have sinned against Thee, and all their transgressions in which they have transgressed against thee" (I Kings 48:50).

   

  Clearly King Solomon was telling us that, through repentance and supplication, we can be granted atonement.
  READ Isaiah 27:9 which references to breaking altars to idolatry will atone for the sin.
  We see that fighting idolatry can provide atonement.
  READ Jeremiah 26:13 "Depart from evil, and do good, so you will abide forever." (see also Psalm 37:27; Ezekiel 33; Zechariah 1:3)
  READ Jeremiah 36:3 "That every man will turn from his evil way, then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin."
  READ Ezekiel 18:21-30 which proclaims that "If the wicked man turns from his sins and observes My statues, he will live." Looks like following the Torah law does it.
  READ Hosea 6:6 "For I desire goodness; not sacrifice. Obedience to G-d, rather than burnt offerings."
  READ Hosea 14:2-3 which states that all of our sins will be forgiven, in exchange for which we can give prayers instead of sacrifices.
  Some Christian bible translations are so bothered by that verse that they actually change it
   to read "... and we will offer the fruit of our lips." instead of bulls. If their doctrine is so solid, why must they change our scriptures?
  READ Jonah 3:10 "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."
  This verse discusses how G-d saw the people of Ninveh turn from unjust acts of disdain to righteous acts of kindness. Because of the people's repentance the forgiveness they sought was granted to them by G-d.
  READ Micah 6:6-8 which proclaims: "With what shall I come to the L-rd, and bow myself before the G-d on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Does the L-rd 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 the L-rd require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your G-d." (see also Amos 5:22-24; Jeremiah 7; Psalm 69:31-32)
  READ Psalms 40:7 "Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; but my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required." (Psalm 40:6 in
  Christian Bibles)
  READ Psalms 51:18 which says: "You do not want me to bring sacrifices; You do not desire burnt offerings."
  READ Psalms 69:30-33 which says that "song [words, prayer, and study] is better than sacrifices."
  READ Psalms 78:22-39 which says that even though the Jewish people "believed not in G-d and trusted not in his salvation," which resulted in many earthly trials and tribulations, and even though "their hearts were not right with Him nor were they steadfast in His covenant," G-d nevertheless "being full of compassion forgave their sin because they were but flesh."
  READ Psalms 86:5-6 "For You, L-rd, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. Give ear, O L-rd to my prayer, and give heed to the voice of my supplications."
  Thus, we discover prayer is a form of atonement as stated by G-d in Psalms.
  READ Proverbs 10:2 which says that: "Ill-gotten wealth is of no avail; But righteousness saves from death."
  READ Proverbs 11:4 which similarly states that "Weath is to no avail in the days of wrath, But righteousness saves from death."

  The word Tzedakah means both righteousness and charity in Hebrew.So again,it says charity saves from death.
  READ Proverbs 16:6 (JPS Version) "the practice of mercy and truth atones for sin."
  READ Proverbs 14:22 which teaches that merely "devising [planning] good deeds is considered to be mercy and truth."
  READ Proverbs 21:3 "To do righteous charity ('tzedakah') and judgement is more acceptable to G-d than sacrifice."
  
  Therefore, we are taught, that righteous, charitable acts are not only effective in achieving atonement, but they are actually preferred by G-d over animal sacrifices.
  READ Job 22:23-27 "If you return to G-d you will be restored; if you remove unrighteousness far from your tent.... then you will delight in G-d."
  READ Second Chronicles 6:36-42 explains that after a person sins, if he repents, he will be forgiven by G-d.
  READ Second Chronicles 7:14 which states "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."
    Hence, we learn that repentance is another form of atonement. If you admit to your sinning and seek to improve it with righteous acts of charity and prayer G-d will forgive you.
  READ Second Chronicles 30:18-19 "G-d pardons everyone that prepares his heart [whose intent is] to seek G-d even though he not be cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary" (an "unclean" person is unable to offer sacrifices).
  
  Did you know that even during the years that the Temple was standing, and sacrifices were offered on a daily basis, sacrificial offerings NEVER atoned for sins committed against human beings? For example, wounding another person's body or hurting someone's feelings could not be atoned for using sacrifices? You needed to seek that person's forgiveness.
  
  Did you know that even during the years that the Temple was standing, and sacrifices were offered on a daily basis, sacrificial offerings did NOT atone for deliberately committed sins? Only repentence and prayer and charity atoned in that case.
  
  Did you know that Deuteronomy 24:16 warns that a father cannot be put to death for a son,
  and a son cannot be put to death for a father?
  
  Did you know that Jeremiah 31:29 says that "every man shall die for his own iniquity (wrongdoing) thus disenabling Jesus of dying for anyone else except himself!
  
  Did you know that the prophet Ezekiel warned against Christendom's central doctrine that an innocent human being can die for the sins of the wicked (Ezekiel 18)?Ezekiel chapter 18 verses 21 through 24 states that if a wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps G-d's ordinances, and executes justice and righteousness, he will surely live and he would not die. The Scripture further states that the transgressions he had committed will not be remembered against him, and that "in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live".Similarly, Jeremiah chapter 36 verse 3 states "that (when) every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin." This is a reiteration of the prominent Biblical theme of Tshuvah (repentance of sin).
  
  Did you know that Second Chronicles 25:4 states that "every man shall die for his own
  sin" thus eliminating Jesus from atoning for the sins of anyone but himself?
  <FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fefefe" color=#000000
  <FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" color=#000000 All this stands in contradiction to the Christian doctrine that the only way a person can truly repent and be forgiven is to accept Jesus as his sacrifice or should I say that the Christian doctrine contradicts what God and the Prophets said.
  
  As the "New Testament" book of Hebrews declares (9:22), "...Without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." shows the author of it obviously never learned what the Torah,Prophets and writings say.

  <FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" color=#000000  

  Then there is the statement in the Christian book that Jesus is a "final sacrifice".

  Heb:10:12: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
  

  This clearly contradicts what it says in  Ezekiel's prophesy of the Eternal Temple and the

  re-establishment of the sacrifices, including sin sacrifice.
  

  Ezek:37:26: Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
  

  Ezek:45:17: And it shall be the prince's [ Messiah's] part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the Sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.
  

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