Counsel #1 — The Sacrificial System

Picture: Counsel #1 — The Sacrificial SystemCCW 46.1

When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost access to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life. This turn of events introduced mortality into the human experience. Humanity’s nature shifted towards selfishness and corruption, prompting God to restrict access to eternal life to prevent further damage. But God didn’t just leave humanity without hope. He introduced a plan of salvation, symbolized through a system of sacrifices. The first sacrifice we know about was the burnt offering. Here's how it worked: you would bring your lamb and confess your sins over it, transferring your guilt onto this innocent animal. Then, it would be sacrificed. This whole process was a stark reminder of the heavy price of sin, while also pointing to God’s bigger plan to provide a future Savior (Jesus) who would take our guilt upon Himself.^{[61]https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1959/02/the-atonement-in-adventist-theology}CCW 46.2

“Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21 NKJV CCW 46.3

“The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death.” Ellen White in Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 68.1CCW 46.4

Reflect: How would you feel if you had to sacrifice a beloved pet to obtain forgiveness for sin? Might this change how you understand sin?CCW 46.5