Retroactive Sacrifice?

For as long as we can remember, we have been taught that the blood of Jesus shed on the cross flowed backward in time as well as forward, forgiving people in the past. This post examines that assumption in detail. In the end, we admit that it is possible since there is nothing which says it does not work that way. It just does not seem likely to us.

Without getting too complicated, the most common explanation for this seems to be coming from Hebrews 10:10 which we often translate from the Greek word “ἐφάπαξ” as “once for all.” This word is used in Greek contracts today, and commonly refers to future events. The word “διηνεκές” is translated three different ways (“continually,” “once for all,” and “forever”) in verses 1, 10, and 14, and it is only used these three places in the whole Bible (or any other document that we can tell).

There is nothing in any of those references to even think that the author intended to connote something moving backward in time as well as forward and forever. We tend to believe the simplest, most logical explanation is the right one. Those who would try to do some harder work to try to explain this position often bring in other passages to try to connect them in ways it was clear the author never intended.

One of the people we consulted before we wrote this post pointed out that blood was required for a sacrifice and asked which blood, we thought cleansed them. We pointed out that there are those alive today who have never seen a Bible or heard the name of Jesus have not observed a blood sacrifice either. As well, it is improbable that all those who were saved in the Old Testament ever observed a blood sacrifice, and that many Israelites (and yes even Christians today) who observe the “blood” sacrifice by taking communion will not be saved.

As God tells Jeremiah in 17:10 “I, the LORD, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve” (CSB). We believe that this is how God determines if people are truly saved or not. Those who are fortunate enough to encounter Jesus’ healing blood and observe His sacrifice know that this is not enough. We know Jeremiah guarantees us that God will investigate our hearts and minds and reward those who are truly His.

We do not pretend to understand how God will do this for those people who have not encountered sacrificial blood. We do trust that He will do this just as He told Jeremiah He would. That would seem to us to be the simplest, best, and most logical interpretation of the scripture, rather than the convoluted gyrations necessary to attempt to show the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross flowed backward through time.