From Rituals to Redemption:
Celebrating Christ’s Fulfillment of the Old Covenant
To contrast the sacrifices and festivals of the Old Testament with what Christ did for us and what He calls us to celebrate in Him, let’s start by looking at the purpose of these rituals in the Law of Moses.
The sacrifices and festivals laid out in the Old Testament were given to Israel as a way to honor God, atone for sin, and remember His provision and deliverance. Each element pointed toward the coming of Christ, who fulfilled the Law and established a new covenant through His life, death, and resurrection. Below is a comparison of some key aspects:
Sacrifices in the Old Testament
Burnt Offerings - Atonement for sin, symbolizing complete surrender to God.
Sin Offerings - Required to cleanse individuals from specific sins.
Peace Offerings - Expressing gratitude and fellowship with God.
Guilt Offerings - Restitution for sins requiring repayment or restitution.
Daily Offerings - Continual sacrifices to maintain communion with God.
Fulfilled in Christ
Hebrews 10:10 - “We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Christ’s sacrifice was perfect and complete, replacing the need for daily or repeated offerings.
Romans 6:10 - “The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.”
Christ bore the penalty of sin, fulfilling every offering in His one, sufficient sacrifice.
Festivals in the Old Testament
Passover - Commemorating deliverance from Egypt by the blood of the lamb.
Feast of Unleavened Bread - Remembering the purity required by God.
First fruits - Celebrating the first harvest, giving thanks for God’s provision.
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) - Marking the harvest and giving thanks for God’s abundance.
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) - A solemn day for repentance and cleansing.
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) - Recalling God’s provision in the wilderness.
Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) - Celebrating a new year and preparing for judgment.
Fulfilled in Christ
Passover: Christ is the Lamb of God whose blood saves us from eternal death .
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Unleavened Bread: Christ’s sinless life purifies us as we walk with Him.
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35).
First fruits: Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection, guaranteeing our hope.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Pentecost: The Holy Spirit was given to empower believers for abundant spiritual harvest.
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:1-4).
Day of Atonement: Christ, as our High Priest, made the final atonement for sin.
“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:11-12).
Tabernacles: Christ dwells with us, and He is our ultimate provision and rest.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’” (Revelation 21:3).
Trumpets: We await Christ’s return when the trumpet will sound, and He will gather His people.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
What Christ Wants Us to Celebrate
The New Covenant in His Blood: The Lord’s Supper (Communion) reminds us of His sacrifice and our union with Him.
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19-20).
The Resurrection: Every Sunday is a celebration of the risen Christ, marking new life.
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow…The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay’” (Matthew 28:1-6).
Our Identity in Him: Baptism celebrates our death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ.
“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4).
The Church as His Body: We gather to encourage one another, build each other up, and worship as His bride.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Living Celebration
While the Old Testament sacrifices and festivals were about outward acts of obedience, Christ calls us to a life of continual worship:
Romans 12:1 - “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Colossians 3:17 - “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Instead of rituals confined to specific days, Christ has given us a freedom to celebrate Him daily through gratitude, love, and obedience, as He empowers us by His Spirit to live in communion with God.