Sin Sacrifice

One of the most commonly raised objections to pronomian theology is related to the temple service. Even among pronomian believers, the debate over a future temple and the reinstitution of sacrifices continues to be a point of contention. Dr. Greg Bahnsen specifically referenced this debate when he used the term “pronomian” in the late 1990s:

A large variety of positions have been taken regarding God’s law stretching all the way from saying that there have been no changes in how the law should be observed (so that, for instance, animal sacrifices would be continued) to saying that everything has been changed because of the change of dispensation (so that the Christian ethic is totally restricted to the New Testament). Between the two extreme poles numerous other positions or attitudes (some pro-nomian, some antinomian) can be found with subtle variations distinguishing one school of thought from another in many cases.¹

I personally fall into the first category mentioned by Bahnsen. I believe God’s law hasn’t changed and that one day we will see another temple built with sacrifices reinstated. This view is met with significant theological resistance from mainstream Christians. One of the most common objections is the claim that even thinking about making a sin sacrifice is like spitting on the work of Christ on the cross. Many also argue that Yeshua abolished the “ceremonial” aspects of the law, making such practices obsolete. Recently, my friend and theological adversary Andrew Schumacher challenged me, contending that I have yet to address the Torah’s teaching on sin sacrifice. I have decided to put pen to paper on this topic, as I believe it deserves thorough discussion—not only with those who oppose our position on the law, but also to foster dialogue within pronomian circles.

Soteriology

Much confusion exists regarding the place of sacrifice before the coming of Yeshua and His work on the cross. One of the first issues to address in discussions about the sacrificial system is what the death of animals actually accomplished. Some believe that the sacrificial system was God’s method of justifying His people before Yeshua completed his work on the cross. However, this view should be firmly rejected by believers. Salvation has always been based on faith and a full commitment to God. We see this in the story of Abraham, who was desperate for an heir that would carry on the covenant God had promised him. God assured Abraham that he would indeed have a son, and in Genesis 15:6 it says, “And he [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Paul uses this narrative to illustrate to the Galatians that salvation comes not through works of the law but through faith: “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’?” (Galatians 3:5–6 ESV). Abraham, who lived approximately 2000 years before Christ, is put forward as the model of salvation by faith. Paul drives this point home in greater detail in his letter to the Romans:

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.… “Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Romans 4:1-4, 9–12 ESV)

The way of justification has never changed. God saves His elect in the same way He always has—salvation comes by the grace of God through faith. Stephen Lawson puts it well:

There is only one way of salvation. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. There is not one way to be saved in the Old Testament and a different way to be saved in the New Testament. That would be two different gospels. There wasn’t one way for the Jew to be saved, and now a different way for the gentile to be saved. That would be two roads to heaven. There’s only one road to heaven. Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).²

Many believers want to stop here and say, “Yes, salvation has always been by faith in the living God.” But then they also imply that salvation has changed in some way by claiming that the Holy Spirit did not indwell believers before the Pentecost event in Acts 2. We can look at Galatians 3:5-6 again to see why such a view is flawed. Paul writes, “Does He who supplies the Spirit…” Here, Paul contends that righteousness in the eyes of God is connected to the Spirit. Some may believe this presence of the Spirit only relates to the new believers in Christ, but Paul connects this phrase with Abraham by using the Greek “Καθὼς” (“Just as”). Paul is not only referring to the working of miracles but also to the supplying of the Spirit. God supplies the Spirit to believers today in the same way He did with Abraham when he believed.

Paul continues this point in Romans:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9–11 ESV)

Paul makes it clear that anyone who lacks the Spirit of Christ (v. 9) and the Spirit of the One who raised Him from the dead—meaning the Father (v. 11)—does not belong to Him. Abraham certainly belonged to Yeshua. As our Lord said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56 ESV). Also, are we to believe that David did not belong to Yeshua?

Beyond this, sanctification is a dual work between the believer and the Holy Spirit. Certainly, those who believed in the coming seed that would crush the head of the serpent were sanctified unto God. Though lengthy, I think Geoffrey Grogan’s comments on this topic are worth sharing in full:

In the N.T. the work of the Holy Spirit is intimately related to that of Christ. It is His concern to apply Christ’s work and so to effect subjectively the salvation which Christ’s work secured objectively. Especially, He is seen to be at work in regeneration, the creation of that new inward life which is the experience of the N.T. believer. Regeneration is the first and decisive stage in sanctification, which may itself be viewed as positional (and so as virtually equivalent to justification) or as practical (and so progressive). All this is the work of the Holy Spirit, working sovereignly in the hearts of men and women… If regeneration means a new life of godliness, in which true love for God and for man finds expression, then we cannot limit it to the N.T. As J. E. Cumming puts it, ‘It cannot be maintained that, in respect of personal holiness, there is any radical difference between the saints of Old Testament and New Testament times. The best men of the older economy have no reason to fear comparison with the best of the later.’³

If one believes that God’s elect were not indwelled by the Holy Spirit before the coming of Christ, then they will need to explain how the work of sanctification functioned. Gronan uses 2Cor. 4:13 as his proof text for this belief:

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak. (2 Corinthians 4:13 ESV)

Paul quotes Psalm 116:10, which shows that the same spirit of faith that indwells us is the same spirit that the psalmist had.

Another point to consider is that Scripture clearly shows the Holy Spirit indwelling people before the event in Acts 2, and even prior to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. For instance, Zachariah was told that his son John the Baptist would be filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15), and likewise, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). Yeshua tells Nicodemus that one must be born of water and the Spirit or he cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5). How could Yeshua say such a thing if this concept would not be implemented until after His death? Clearly, the concept that a believer was indwelled with the Holy Spirit when they came to true faith was believed and taught before Yeshua’s work on the cross.

Thus, John Owen is right when he states the following:

Sacrifices of the law could not expiate sins, could not make atonement for them, could not make reconciliation with God, — could not produce the effect which the sacrifice of Christ alone was appointed and ordained unto. They were only signs and figures of it. They could not effect that which the Hebrews looked for from them and by them. And that which they expected by them was, that by them they should make atonement with God for their sins. Wherefore the apostle denies that it was possible they should effect what they looked for from them, and nothing else.

Although Owen is on the right track here, he does not go far enough. The sacrificial system was certainly a sign of the work our Lord would accomplish on the cross, but the sacrifices also accomplished something in their own right. In other words, the sacrificial system was not merely symbolic; it actually accomplished what the text of Leviticus tells us it would. With that, we now turn to the sin sacrifices.

Sin Sacrifice in the Torah

If the sin sacrifices didn’t deal with justification of the soul to make a person right in the eyes of God, then what exactly did they accomplish? Leviticus makes it clear that sacrifices did in fact “atone” for the sacrificer, and they would be “forgiven” by God (Lev. 4:20, 26, 35, 5:10, 16:11, 24, 17:11, 19:22). But what did that mean? As Wright explains:

Thus holiness and cleanness were required of them also, and their sin, even unwitting sin, defiled God’s dwelling place. Part of the seriousness of sin among the people of God, ancient or modern, is that it destroys their witness to the living God in the midst of the world. If the whole church goes astray then where can the dwelling place of God be seen among the nations?

Wright correctly observes that the focus of atonement is on the physical space. The sin sacrifice is not about atoning for the soul or the eternal justification of a person, but rather about addressing the sanctity of the space itself. The sanctuary of God, whether in the tent of meeting or in the temple, was a unique place where the glory of God pushed through the spiritual realm and entered our sinful world. This concept is perplexing to the human mind because it seems unimaginable that God’s infinite holiness could dwell in a place where sin resides. Such a reality is accompanied by significant regulations, as the place where God’s holiness dwells in the physical world is safeguarded by numerous stipulations designed to keep sin away from His glorious presence. When sin encroaches upon this sacred and holy space, it is met with swift and forceful retaliation from God or His representatives.

Another somewhat perplexing concept is the idea that our sin can somehow attach to or defile the objects around us. Such a concept is taught within the laws of cleanliness, as those who are defiled with things such as corpse defilement are transferred through touch (Num. 19:22). Yet, this transfer is different, as a person who sins imparts something to the surrounding elements, but it is not ritual impurity. For instance, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest is to make atonement for the congregation of Israel as well as for the Holy Place and the altar:

Thus he [the high priest] shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. (Leviticus 16:16–18 ESV)

This passage describes the Yom Kippur sacrifice that atoned for the sins of Israel as a whole. Yet, the fact that the altar and the sanctuary had to be atoned for shows that the sin of the people affected the physical space and objects in a temporal sense. The transfer of sin to physical elements demonstrates that sin within the boundaries of this sacred space is swiftly addressed, either through the actions of men or directly by God Himself. For instance, when a man brought a Midianite woman into the tent of meeting, Phinehas took a spear and drove it through both of them. This act stopped the plague that would have come upon Israel for such an act. Likewise, when Nadav and Avihu offered unauthorized fire to the Lord, it was God Himself that dealt with their transgression in this holy space (Lev. 10:1-3). Tim Hegg puts it well:

The atonement affected by the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and Temple was an actual atonement that affected the return of a “holy” or “ritually pure” status to objects and people. This return to such a status was in relationship to the earthly Tabernacle/Temple or to the community itself. The atonement secured by Yeshua through His saving sacrifice and His work as our Great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary brought about an eternal status of “holy,” that is, “righteous” for all who by faith are marked by this atonement. It is therefore proper to speak of the “atonement” made for us by Yeshua, for in His death on behalf of His people, He “wiped away” our sins and saved us from the penalty we deserved because of them.

According to this understanding, sin sacrifices provide a temporal and physical atonement, but they do not affect the justification of the believer on an eternal level. Only the blood of the Messiah can atone for sin in the heavenly realm, and it is only this atonement through the cross that will be reckoned to the believer on the Day of Judgment. This is why God can tell Israel to stop bringing their sacrifices (Is. 1:11, 13) and how the writer of Hebrews tells us that the blood of bulls and goats never took away sin (Heb. 10:4). The atonement that eternally justifies is only given through faith in the coming seed and a contrite heart. It is important to note that justification occurs once and for all when a person embraces true faith and is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. However, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will continue to bring a believer to true repentance, which can be seen through the contrite heart of repentance when sin does occur.

Once again, Hegg gives an excellent summary:

We have seen that the animal sacrifices in the Tabernacle and Temple did have a valid function, namely, effecting ritual purity and thus allowing the person or object that had become ritually impure to return to an acceptable status for participation in worship at the Tabernacle or Temple. In this sense, the animal sacrifices made atonement for the ritual impurities that separated a person from participation in the Tabernacle or Temple services. We have also noted that the sacrifices offered divine revelation about how God would forgive sins eternally (the innocent One paying the penalty for the guilty sinner), and how a person’s heart or conscience could be cleansed from the guilt of sin. We have seen the distinction between temporal and eternal atonement, the former dealing with the earthly Tabernacle or Temple, and the latter having to do with God’s declaration of a sinner as eternally and completely forgiven on the basis of Yeshua’s sacrifice for sin.

This perspective is not unique to pronomian believers but is a widely accepted view within Christianity. While plenty of references could be cited, John Wesley’s comments on Lev. 4:26 will suffice:

It shall be forgiven—Both judicially, as to all ecclesiastical censures or civil punishment; and really, upon condition of repentance and faith in the Messiah to come.

It has been suggested that this view would not have been comprehended by Israel, nor would a plain reading of the Torah have conveyed such theological foundations. Rather, it is said that these men and women would have believed that the sin sacrifices actually took away their sin on a spiritual level. I fully agree. Israel was blinded to the truth of Christ’s sacrifice then as they are now. The Apostle Paul explains that a veil covers their minds, which can only be lifted by the Spirit (2Cor. 3:14). This veil was lifted by the Spirit for some, such as Abraham, who “longed to see my day and he saw it” (John 8:56). Yet, Israel as a whole continues to reject the Messiah, and thus, the veil remains in place. So then, we can agree that Israel misunderstood and continues to misunderstand God’s Word as it relates to the sin sacrifice within the sacrificial system.

Continuity Within Scripture

We must always remember that God does not contradict Himself, and thus, His Word cannot contradict itself. The sacrificial system includes numerous references to sin sacrifice, where God declares that these laws are a statute “forever” (Lev. 3:17, 6:18, 22, 10:9, 15, 16:29, 34, 17:7). The suggestion that these commands and the sacrificial system are now done away directly contradicts the commands found in the Torah. Beyond this, it directly contradicts the words of our Lord:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17–19 ESV)

But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. (Luke 16:17 ESV)

Thus, we must seek to align the seeming contradictions between the passages in Torah and those in the books of Romans or Hebrews. For instance, Romans says the following:

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (Romans 2:13 ESV)

Once again, we must understand the difference between justification and sanctification. Those who are truly indwelled by the Holy Spirit are justified by the work of Christ on the cross. Those who are justified will strive and long to serve God, meaning we will keep the commands of God contained in the law. Those who do not strive to please God and keep His law are not justified because they do not have true faith.

Hebrews is another place where Christianity has historically interpreted Christ’s work on the cross, which addresses sin in an eternal sense, as eliminating the temporal elements of sin in our physical world. This, however, cannot be if we want to align the book of Hebrews with the Torah and even the Tanach itself. Not only does the Torah say that the sacrificial system is a statute forever, but we see this system continue to be implemented in a future sense within the prophetic narratives.

Sin Sacrifice and a Future Temple

While it is true that we cannot base our theology solely on prophetic texts, the Prophets’ references to a future temple and sacrificial system are grounded in the Torah and the broader biblical narrative. As we have already referenced above, the sacrificial system is said to be a statute forever, and Yeshua Himself attests to the fact that the laws of the Torah will not pass away. Thus, when we see the future temple spoken of in Ezekiel 43 or in Zech. 12, this should not surprise us. Once again, this does not encroach on the work of Christ on the cross, since these affect two separate things in two separate realms.

It is certainly true that our Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension addressed our sin in an eternal sense, justifying us before God. However, sin still has temporal effects. The altar will continue to need atonement because of sin, and the Sanctuary of God will require atonement due to human sin. Priests will also need atonement on a temporal level, as sin remains present in this world. Therefore, it should not surprise us when sin sacrifices are mentioned in relation to a future temple (Ezek. 40:39, 42:13, 43:19, 21, 44:27, 45:17, etc).

But We Can’t Sacrifice

One of the main arguments against the return of the sacrificial system is the belief that God would not have destroyed the temple and removed the sacrifices, preventing their observance, if they were still commanded. In effect, this would imply that by not offering sacrifices, we are sinning because it is a command from God, and yet the ability to offer them has been taken away. However, such an argument does not align with the history of Israel.

The destruction of the temple is a consequence for Israel’s rejection of God, culminating in their rejection of God incarnate, namely Yeshua. Certainly, this punishment affects believers as well, but this should not be a surprise to us since the same thing happened to God’s faithful servants when Israel was punished for idolatry and taken into exile by the Babylonians. Daniel remained a faithful servant of God and a prophet, adhering to as much of the Torah as he could while living in the land where he resided. Yet, the temple was destroyed and the sacrificial system was halted. No one looks at Daniel and the others who were God’s faithful servants at the time and believes the sacrificial system was done away with because these believers could not keep it. Daniel certainly didn’t believe that. We see that Daniel continues to pray according to the temple service, doing so three times a day while facing Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10). Daniel’s prayers corresponded with the morning, afternoon, and evening sacrifices that were offered in the temple daily. What is more, he faces Jerusalem according to Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple:

And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive. (1 Kings 8:30 ESV)

Thus, Daniel does not view the destruction of the temple and the cessation of sacrifices as the end of the entire sacrificial system. Instead, the story of the Babylonian exile shows that those who follow God with a contrite heart continue to long for His commandments and the restoration of His law. Daniel and his friends longed for God to bring His people back to the land and rebuild a temple, and we should have the same longing. We should view the sacrificial system and the temple as commands from God that we are currently unable to observe due to Israel’s rejection of God and His Messiah. We should not assume that God has done away with His eternal Torah simply because there is no temple at present.

Conclusion

Many want to say that the sacrificial system, and especially sin sacrifice, has been done away with. Paul and the Apostles certainly did not think this, as they continued to go to the temple and even offered sacrifices. Paul offered sacrifices at the temple even after he wrote the book of Romans and Galatians (Acts 21:26).

To assume the sacrificial system has been done away with assumes that it had to do with our sin on a spiritual level. It contends that it had something to do with our justification, but this is not the case. The sin sacrifices only dealt with the temporal elements that relate to our space and time here.

Salvation—that is, justification of the elect—has always been through the grace of God, by faith in the seed that would deal with sin. Thus, the blood of bulls and goats does not, nor has it ever, taken away sin. Rather, faith in the Messiah Yeshua is what justifies a person and brings them into right standing before God. No man comes to the Father but through Yeshua!

Beyond all this, the sacrificial system is said to be a statute forever, which Yeshua affirms, as does the promise of a future temple and sacrifices by the Prophets. To argue that this system has been abolished ignores numerous passages that explicitly state that the sacrifices will not cease.

Some have argued that believing in a future temple and the reinstatement of sin sacrifices is to spit on the cross of Christ. However, this perspective assumes that sin sacrifices achieved something in terms of spiritual and eternal atonement. Christ’s death on the cross did not atone for spacial uncleanness due to sin in the temporal world. If a priest were to sin it would still affect the altar and the holy of holies. Rather, Yeshua’s death on the cross was taken into a different Holy of Holies in the heavenly realm, which atoned for our sin in a spiritual, eternal, and judicial way. It made us righteous before God, not on our own account but totally and fully through the work of Christ. Thus, when a temple is re-established and a priest sins in this temporal world, his sin will still affect the temporal space where the glory of God resides. The two are not dealing in the same realm or with the same elements.

Taken together, this evidence strongly suggests that the sacrificial system, including sin sacrifices, will be reinstated for believers so that God’s glory can dwell among His people in a world still affected by sin. Although sin will ultimately be eradicated and God’s people will live without its impact in a future world, this has not yet happened. The Scriptures foresee a time when God’s people will again offer sacrifices in our time and space.