“Unbelieving Israel, not having the righteousness which is of faith, and so not appreciating the great sacrifice that the Heavenly Father has made, sought righteousness by virtue of the offering itself, and because of the merit of presenting the offering” (A. T. Jones, Lessons on Faith, p. 81, emphasis added). Israel came to believe the very act of giving an offering or making a sacrifice was what saved them, not the supreme sacrifice of the cross that their sacrifice foreshadowed. They could never find joy in the Lord who they believed expected an endless round of sacrifices.
There are some who are concerned that the “most precious” message teaches happiness and joy without responsibility. Afraid to believe the Good News is better than they think, they manufacture prerequisites that must be performed before the reality of the gospel is effective for them. Many think reciting a prayer that they believe, and confessing and repenting, provide the objective evidence that they are Christians. Almost always, the heart change necessary to make the objective act genuine is completely ignored.
A disturbing e-mail suggests a situation where this was taken to the extreme. A small boy, appearing to be about five or six years old has been caught stealing. His religion demands that he be punished in a way that forces him to confess his sin to the world, and repent of it for the rest of his life. The boy’s arm is placed in front of a car tire. A series of pictures depicts his father watching beside him as the car slowly advances so the tire crushes his arm. The purpose is to render his arm useless so he will never again be capable of using it to steal. Apparently, this is accepted as evidence that he has forever repented of stealing.
Jesus would never approve of self-mutilation as an acceptable method of gaining His approval for salvation. He told Israel: “I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings” (Amos 5:21, 22).* God tells them exactly what He means in verse 24: “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Wherever you find rites and ceremonies emphasized in religion you can be sure there is a detour around the principle of the cross. No amount of rituals and ceremonies will force our hearts to love His law, because our sinful natures naturally hate it. The inevitable result is anger toward a God who requires the impossible. Generally we cannot admit this anger is really directed at God, so it is directed at those who disagree with us. We look for people who agree with our philosophy, and, like ancient Israel, add ten thousand traditions, exactions, and hair-splitting distinctions in a vain attempt to give evidence of our own righteousness and to associate only with those who agree with us.