blood sacrifice for dummies....

I was listening to Bill Ritchie on CSN yesterday and I had what Oprah would call a "light-bulb-moment".
He was talking about how the Church has sort of taken on a hands-off approach to the "atonement" of Christ' blood.
Nobody really wants to know that it is ONLY through a blood sacrifice that we can have redemption of our sin. right?
He went on to say that in Old Testament times, during certain festivals, there were so many animals sacrificed that it must have stunk to high heaven and aren't we glad we don't have to adhere to the old Law because Jesus was the Lamb of God and He was the Ultimate sacrifice....the Ultimate atonement.
Cool...I knew all that.
He just kept driving the point home: "there has to be blood shed to atone for our sin! It is the way God set it up."
Remember way back in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and they became aware of their nakedness and tried to clothe themselves with fig leaves?
Pastor Ritchie said," What did God do?"
What was the consequence of their sin?
God killed animals......to get their skin....so that He could cover them.
God has always covered sin with blood......always.
That affected me....I'm not sure why.
I guess I always thought the act of clothing them was because He cared for thier comfort.....when actually, He was just revealing His true Nature.....and, it has never changed.
So, go with me on this: IF, there was never any sin, THEN, there would have been no reason for shed blood.
WE killed Jesus...our sin.....killed him....not the Jews or the Romans....humanity, God's own creation....killed Jesus.
Ane, yet, He LOVES me!!!!
How?
Because He lives within my heart. He forgave me and He changed me and I feel His love.
Amazing......Grace.

thanks, Bill
:)