Why Did Abel Make Animal Sacrifices?

It's funny how people miss this about covenant and Torah.  What is a covenant?  It's essentially a treaty between us and G-d.  And there are ALWAYS terms to a treaty (e.g. Torah).  We see this in the verses which describe how Adam violated the covenant:


"But like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust" (Hosea 6:7)


So was Abel just offering sacrifices because it was something he thought up?  Where did he get this idea that he NEEDED to do it?  The answer should be obvious.  He learned it from his parents:  Adam and Eve.  And they learned it from G-d.  G-d explained the covenant to Adam and Eve.  He told them that they were REQUIRED as part of their obligation under the covenant to make sacrifices so that the blood of an innocent could make atonement for the soul.

Adam taught Seth, Seth taught his descendants on down to Noah (i.e. Noah was well aware of the importance of sacrifice), Noah taught his descendants on down to Abraham.  This was a covenantal tradition, folks.  The Torah commanded them to make sacrifices and they obeyed.  Make no mistake about it.

If you're a gentile, guess what?  You're a descendant of Noah.  That means you need to be following the covenantal tradition and you are REQUIRED to have your sins atoned for by the blood of an innocent.  There is a curse which is death.  SOMETHING must take that curse on your behalf.  But not just anything.  Only that which G-d COMMANDS.  Thus, we see that Cain's sacrifice was not accepted.

The Rabbinic tradition says you can be saved by doing good deeds.  That's a lie.  You need a blood sacrifice...and not just any blood sacrifice.  You need YESHUA.  You cannot be a "Righteous Gentile"  and have salvation based on earned righteousness.  If this were true then Cornelius could've just gone about his business as a "Righteous Gentile"without ever needing to follow Yeshua.  But you must enter the covenant and participate in the AUTHORIZED sacrifice.  Yeshua is the only authorized sacrifice whereby you may have your sins forgiven.

And this proves that the Torah has changed.  The Torah specified who could be included in the covenanted community of Israel:  only the native-born and the circumcised proselyte.  The Passover lamb was prohibited to the uncircumcised.  Thus, the gentiles were without hope because they were OUTSIDE of the covenants:

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Why were they excluded?  Because of uncircumcision.  Why without hope?  Because salvation only comes through the covenant and that only through the authorized atonement.  And what brings them near?  Is it works?  No, it is blood and that of Yeshua.

Shalom,

Peter