If you have not already, you might find the book by Richard Elliott Friedman entitled "Who Wrote The Bible" interesting. It deals with the
Documentary Hypothesis.
You will find that the sacrifical laws are a later addition to the Jewish religion.
Prior to that God forgave sin for those who turned from their "wicked" ways.
Ezekiel 18:26-28
If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die. But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and turns away from them, he will surely live; he will not die.
The sacrifices themselves were only for unintentional sins anyway. Personally I think it was more of a political thing or "cash cow" so to speak.
quote:
Good works in rejection of God? I know of no such thing. I know about good works in love of my fellow man. If there is a difference in the good works in love of God, it is to their detriment for those works would be done to serve someone other than their fellow human beings.
I think the author of the Book of John agrees with you in a way:
John 14:21
"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
Although I think that this author also brought in the exclusionary concept.
I mean how can one reject someone who doesn't talk to them?
IMO, the gospel that Jesus preached has not been preached to people today. Jesus spread the good news about the kingdom of God being at hand. Repent.
Paul preached his own gospel, but I don't feel that he ever said what that was in his authentic letters. He wrote to people he had already preached to or had planned on visiting. I'm not sure that his letters actually contained his gospel.
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. -Edith Wharton
™ Version 4.2