The sacrificial system of the Old Testament isn’t easy to understand. Not only is the system convoluted and complex, but statements about its purpose seem to contradict each other. On one hand, Hebrews 10:4 asserts, “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” On the other hand, one of the results of various sacrifices in the book of Leviticus is that the person (or nation) will “be forgiven” (e.g., Lev. 4:20, 26; 5:10).
The problem of this apparent inconsistency is a matter of both terminology and taking a more careful look at Old Testament sacrifices. There are indeed certain passages where sacrifices do indeed result in “being forgiven,” but exactly what that means requires explanation. Most of the time, however, blood sacrifice has nothing to do with addressing individual sin.
The burnt, grain, and peace offerings (Lev. 1–3) were basically gifts to God. They were positive responses to the fellowship relationship between the one bringing the offering and the Lord. They were offered to enhance the well-being of that relationship, not to earn salvation. The so-called “sin offering” (Lev. 4–5) and “guilt offering” (Lev. 5–7) are less comprehensible to us. Part of the problem is that the translated English names of these offerings are misleading. They are better understood as “the purification offering” and “the reparation offering.” The blood of these offerings was never applied to the one bringing the offering, so there is no sense that the worshipper was being cleansed of sin. The blood was only used to purify the sanctuary and its furniture. These offerings were designed to purge the sanctuary and its accoutrements from ritual defilement to maintain the sanctity of sacred space.
It is crucial to grasp the biblical meaning of Hebrew terms translated “atone” (kipper) and “forgive” (salach). Contrary to popular teaching, the first term does not mean “to cover.” Rather, kipper means “to purge” or “wipe clean” with respect to defilement of the sanctuary. This makes sense given the use of the blood in the offerings noted above. The second term is best translated “become clean” or “be purified.” This again makes sense since the blood was applied to the sanctuary. This helps us understand passages that speak of a person being forgiven. These blood sacrifices purged and purified the sanctuary from defilement that could be brought to it by people who either committed a moral offense (i.e., sinned) or who “inadvertently” (as opposed to defiantly) became unclean and were no longer holy (Lev. 4:2, 22; 5:15). People were “forgiven” in the sense that they would no longer bring contamination into sacred space. There was no sacrifice at all in the Old Testament for defiant sin (e.g., Num. 15:30–31).
The blood sacrifices therefore meant that the one making the offering no longer threatened sacred space. While the contaminating effect of inadvertent sin was dealt with, sacrifices didn’t offer the same permanent forgiveness and removal of sin as Jesus does.