In today’s church, you hear phrases such as, “don’t defile the altar”, “don’t let anyone go up to the altar”, or “don’t let anyone go near the altar”. To what extent are the altars significant to the Christians of the New Testament?
What are altars? Before the death of Jesus Christ (B.D.), the altar was the structure where people prayed and used for religious ceremonies. The altar was an elevated surface with a flat front. The altar was a sacred place for worship of God. The use of the altar predated the Law of Moses, but was already mentioned in the Torah. The word altar was first mentioned in Genesis 8:20, after Noah left the ark and built an altar. Before Moses received the Law, and Aaron was appointed to the priesthood, men made altars of available material. Here is an example of an altar that commemorates a divine encounter and represents an event between the Lord and man at that time. These individuals include Abram (Genesis 12:7), Isaac (Genesis 26:24-25), Jacob (Genesis 35:5), David (1 Chronicles 21:26), Gideon (Judges 6:24). All these men built altars and worshiped the Lord at them. The altar at that time was a genuine desire to give oneself entirely to the Lord as a result of the work that God has accomplished through them. In addition, sometimes the Lord commanded the altars to be built to commemorate His miraculous work. (Exodus 30:1; Deuteronomy 27:4–7). The significance of this altar helped future generations remember the Lord. Since atonement is the work of the Divine, the Law required an altar made of stones to be made of unprocessed natural stones. In the instructions of the Temple, the Lord gave instructions on the shape and type of courtyard that the Temple should contain (Exodus 27:1-8). On this altar, the people of God made sacrifices that the Lord God accepted as an atonement for sin. The altar was to be built in a circular shape with four horn-like protrusions, and there was room for goats, sheep, and bulls to be sacrificed. When Solomon built the altar, he used pure gold to build it (1 Kings 7:48).
To the Christians of the New Testament, the physical altars of the Old Testament are inconsequential to true worship, for these physical altars of the Old Testament are purely ceremonials of true worship to come through Jesus Christ. For instance, at the beginning of Christian faith, Christians had to deal with people who wanted to impose requirements of the Law on Christianity such as circumcision, pattern of worship to mention few. Paul had to deal with this problem in Galatia with Judaizers, who wanted to impose circumcision on Gentile converts. The biggest problem with this notion is that law demands add nothing to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, but take away the freedom Christ has won in His death and resurrection. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would make offerings for the sins of the people. However, the animal sacrifices made on the Day of Atonement could not influence the cleansing of the soul, and there were occasions when the meat could not be enjoyed, even though those who consumed it did not benefit from it (Hebrews 13:9). The most important altar is the cross, which supersedes all other altars, making all other altars meaningless. The cross was the personal altar of God, since he was the one who sacrificed Jesus. Wow, that’s incredible, God making a sacrifice to Himself. The reason we do not see an altar in the New Testament is because the death of Jesus ruined both the meaning of the Temple and its altar and the Law of Moses requiring sacrifices on the altar. All such things, including an altar are long gone. True believers also became God’s temple after Jesus ascended to heaven, making any man-made structure or altar unnecessary. We therefore see no mention of the altar of the New Testament.
New Testament thinking about the altars can be found in Romans 12:1, where Paul tells us to “present our bodies as living sacrifices.” Paul does not use the word altar today, but it is inferred from the fact that one offers a sacrifice on the altar and speaks of offering ourselves as a living sacrifice. But what altar would Paul have spoken of if there were no such thing as an altar in the New Testament? The altar is spiritual and invisible, and we are the sacrifice placed on this altar. Salvation is not just about believing in an historical Jesus. It is about giving yourself sacrificially to Him. The altar is spiritual and invisible, and we are the sacrifice placed on this altar. Salvation is not just about believing in Jesus. It is about giving yourself sacrificially to Him. For us Christians of the New Testament today, the true altar is that invisible altar that we can access at any time and in any place. It is that spiritual place where we give our wills to Jesus to be burned up in the fire of His Spirit. Each day we have many opportunities to come to this altar and choose Jesus’ ways over ours in whatever situation that faces us. When we choose His way over ours, we are in fact offering our lives again on God’s invisible altar as an act of New Testament worship. When we feed at the altar of Christ, we are supplied with the grace and strength that we need to persevere in the race of faith. By His Word and presence, He guarantees and completes our salvation.
Worship that is pleasing to the Lord is worship that is centred on the preached Word of God that points people to Jesus.