I've got a couple questions...

[Jace]

Ok, I've got a couple questions that I've never been able to answer myself... maybe some of you will have some ideas. I doubt there's any "right answer". These are just our of pure curiousity.


Why do we no longer offer sacrafices to God? It always seemed like a heathen tradition to me, but as I've read my bible, I've come to realize that it was once part of our faith as well.

Why doesn't God talk to anyone directly anymore? I have a theory on this one, and its pretty basic. Here's my take: God is talking to us in everything, but humanity has fallen so far from him that we can't hear through the darkness we fall through.

[~*LiveByFaith*~]

Romans 12:1- "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."
Hebrews 9:28- "So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people..."

I think there's another verse that i wanted to include but i can't find it. We no longer need to offer animal sacrifices because Jesus died as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. (John 3:16) Here's what it says in my bible next to Romans 12:1:

"Under the old agreement that God had made with the Jewish people, there were two kinds of sacrifices. One sacrifice was for people's sins; the other sacrifice was an offering of worship. Both sacrifices involved killing an animal, usually a goat or a lamb that didn't have any flaws.
Jesus' death on the cross made a new agreement between God and anyone who has faith in Him. Under that new agreement, Jesus is the once-for-all sacrifice for sin. People don't have to offer lambs or goats to make up for sin. But what do you do about the sacrifice of worship?
Just as God chose to make Jesus the sacrifice for sin, you choose to make the sacrifice of worship. Instead of offering an animal, you offer your own life to God. You dedicate your life to doing what He wants. That's why it's called a living sacrifice. Paul says that living a live that's pure and pleasing to God is the best way to serve Him--to worship Him. In other words, living the way God wants you to is your way of saying to Him, "You're awesome and i want everything about me to worship You!" (See also John 12:26, Romans 1:9, 1 Peter 2:5)

Here's my take on your second question: I believe that God still does talk to us. It may not be directly from a "voice in the clouds" kind of experience, but He does talk to us. He speaks to us through His word, by allowing us to see some tidbit of wisdom that we hadn't noticed before; He speaks by laying things on our hearts to pray about or to do; He speaks in all sorts of ways. But i agree, humans tend to have difficulty hearing Him because we don't know how to listen anymore, and we are so caught up in the things of this world that they're like a blockade from knowing God's wisdom as much as we could. To combat this, we need to dig deep into the Word, every day, and we need to pray continuously so that we can grow closer to God and further from evil.

James 1:22- "Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
James 4:7- "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22- "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

[HeavenBound]

Originally Posted by Jace

Ok, I've got a couple questions that I've never been able to answer myself... maybe some of you will have some ideas. I doubt there's any "right answer". These are just our of pure curiousity.


Why do we no longer offer sacrafices to God? It always seemed like a heathen tradition to me, but as I've read my bible, I've come to realize that it was once part of our faith as well.

Why doesn't God talk to anyone directly anymore? I have a theory on this one, and its pretty basic. Here's my take: God is talking to us in everything, but humanity has fallen so far from him that we can't hear through the darkness we fall through.

The reason we don't offer sacrafices anymore is 'cause, offering sacrafices back then was a way to stay connected to God and a way to go to "Paradise" a place like Heaven. And now all we have to do is pray, to stay connected and to get saved.
The reason we can't hear God is 'cause the only way you could talk to God or do a command He told you too. Now we have the Holy Spirit to tell us right from wrong, and we can talk to God anytime now, not just when He calls on us.

[jcdesertvoice]

LivebyFaith pretty much has it right. That's exactly what I was going to say. And we still do hear from God. Some people do hear an audible voice but I hear God by what He impresses on my heart. And when I'm praying I can "hear"Him in my thoughts. He also talks to us by giving dreams and visions. That is Him talking directly to us. God communes with us everyday if we allow Him. So ya He still speaks.

[Chette]

Our lives are sacrifice amen to that

but if you are talking about offering and killing animals... or other than the sacrifice of Life... well there's a verse that said...

Hebrews 10:14
because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

[gotvision]

Ok, the reason why we dont do any more sacrifices because Jesus has mad the ultimate sacrifice. We dont need anymore sacrfices to make atonement for our sins. JesusChrist has done that on the cross 2000 years ago.

As to your second question: God still speaks to men and women directly through te Holy Spirit. There are still prophets and God is still speaking.

[MetalDude82]

Originally Posted by Jace

Why doesn't God talk to anyone directly anymore? I have a theory on this one, and its pretty basic. Here's my take: God is talking to us in everything, but humanity has fallen so far from him that we can't hear through the darkness we fall through.

Hey there. My name is Anthony and I am from Hopewell Junction, New York. I myself once wondered why God was so direct with the early people. If you really read it, you will notice He was pretty fair about things. Yeah, those people had the benefit of direct communication, but if they screwed up, notice how much harder God came down on them. He was harder on them because they should have had no questions of faith and been obedient. Hope this helps.

[Ed]

Originally Posted by Jace

Why doesn't God talk to anyone directly anymore? I have a theory on this one, and its pretty basic. Here's my take: God is talking to us in everything, but humanity has fallen so far from him that we can't hear through the darkness we fall through.

God has been talking to me daily recently. i fully believe he's talking and the reason i never heard was firstly i never took the time out to listen and secondly i didn't know how to discern the voice of God from the people around me and my own minds voice etc...

[Queen Esther]

1) We are also under the new law, Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, the spotless Lamb. How could our meager sacrifices compare to that?

2) He does talk to us, through other people, through His word, and He's the Holy Spirit speaking though us. We just have to be attentive to what He's saying.

[Keen]

Originally Posted by Jace

Ok, I've got a couple questions that I've never been able to answer myself... maybe some of you will have some ideas. I doubt there's any "right answer". These are just our of pure curiousity.


Why do we no longer offer sacrafices to God? It always seemed like a heathen tradition to me, but as I've read my bible, I've come to realize that it was once part of our faith as well.

Why doesn't God talk to anyone directly anymore? I have a theory on this one, and its pretty basic. Here's my take: God is talking to us in everything, but humanity has fallen so far from him that we can't hear through the darkness we fall through.

The Bible says we make our lives living sacrifices unto Him. But ever person, upon true "conversion" is indwelled by the Spirit of Christ, whereupon they then have the oppurtunity and ability to listen for and to hear the "still small voice" of the Lord. I would beseech you to seek the baptism, or infilling, of the Holy Spirit. Check up Luke 11:13 in your Bible. And read this linkhttp://awildernessvoice.com/AllTruth.html, take it with a grain of salt, it's a little extreme, and I would counter-emphasize the Bible more than they do. In fact, most of the time the Spirit talks to me, it's after I've read certain scriptures (even weeks after) and I'll be thinking, and then suddenly he speaks about what they really mean and/or fit together (ie 3 or 4 different verses on the same topic). That's really cool. But yes, as Paul, I pray over you that the spirit of wisdom and revelation be imputed unto you by your Father. Grace and Peace,

Mike