First, we must take care of the sacrifices and then of the blood. The sacrifices (vv. 5, 7) refer to Christ. In the whole universe Christ is the unique sacrifice. Eventually, for the sake of our need, this unique sacrifice becomes many sacrifices. It is one sacrifice in many aspects: the trespass offering, the sin offering, the burnt offering, the meal offering, and the peace offering. Hence, Christ is one sacrifice becoming five sacrifices, or one sacrifice in five aspects.

The sacrifices in chapter seventeen refer to Christ in His person. Christ is the unique sacrifice applied to our situation. As such a One, He meets our need in five aspects. He is our trespass offering, sin offering, burnt offering, meal offering, and peace offering. Christ is everything to us. In particular, He is all the offerings. Therefore, to take care of the sacrifices means to take care of Christ.

In the Bible, the blood refers to Christ’s redemptive work. Whereas the sacrifices refer to Christ’s person, the blood refers to Christ’s work. Our New Testament faith, the unique faith, is a composition of the person and work of Christ. When we put together Christ’s person and work, we have the Christian faith. We believe in Christ, and we believe in His work. This is our faith, which is according to the teaching of the New Testament and according to God’s eternal economy.

As believers in Christ, we treasure the two matters that constitute the faith in which we believe. We treasure Christ’s person, and we treasure Christ’s redemptive work. In Leviticus 17, Christ’s person is typified by the sacrifices, and Christ’s work is typified by the blood. We must care for the sacrifices and the blood; that is, we must care for the person of Christ and His redemptive work.

In chapter seventeen of Leviticus, the Israelites were charged not to offer their sacrifices in any place they desired. Instead, they were required to bring their sacrifices to a unique place, to the one place chosen and designated by God. God’s unique choice was “the entrance of the tent of meeting,” “before the tabernacle of Jehovah” (v. 4). This unique place-the entrance of the tent of meeting-signifies the church. Today the church is the place of God’s tabernacle, the place of the tent of meeting. The sacrifice was to be offered only at the place where the tabernacle was. This signifies that today Christ should be applied in the church, the place of God’s dwelling. In Leviticus God’s dwelling place on earth was the tabernacle. In the New Testament age God’s dwelling place is the church. Therefore, as signified by offering the sacrifices at the entrance of the tent of meeting, we should apply Christ in the church, the place of God’s dwelling today. To apply Christ outside the church is to abuse Christ.

Concerning the matter of applying Christ in the church, I would ask you to consider why we do not have a name to designate what we are as the church. We are simply the church. Often we are reproached because we do not use a name to designate the church, such as Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Baptist. To name ourselves in this way would be to offer sacrifices anywhere, according to our taste. This is typified in Leviticus 17 by offering the sacrifices in an abusive way.

To apply Christ in an abusive way is to apply Him without regulation, restriction, or limitation. Today many like to have a proper noun as a name to designate the church. But to designate the church in this way is to denominate it, and this is to be abusive in the application of the sacrifices.

Many years ago I had a conversation with some Christians who found fault with our standing concerning the church. They said to me, “You are too narrow. Christ is omnipresent. He is everywhere. He is present in China, in Great Britain, in America. Christ is in every church-Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian.” I answered by saying, “Yes, Christ is everywhere. But why does He have to bear so many names? Is there a Chinese Christ? A British Christ? An American Christ? Is there a Lutheran Christ or a Wesleyan Christ?” To answer these questions with a “no” is to lose the case.

To designate the church by taking a name in addition to the name of Christ is to abuse Christ. We may use marriage as an illustration. A married lady should have one husband and one married name. Suppose Mary Jones marries Mr. Smith. Her name should then be Mary Jones Smith. If she were to take any other name, she would be abusing the name of her husband. She would in fact be prostituting herself. The principle is the same with abusing Christ by applying Him outside the church, that is, by applying Him anywhere we choose according to our preference. This kind of abuse, this kind of prostituting of one’s self, is typified in Leviticus 17, where the expression “prostitute themselves” is emphatically used (v. 7).

According to Leviticus 17, the worship of God must be limited to the place of God’s choice. This is the place of God’s dwelling on earth. Every sacrifice is to be brought to this place. This means that Christ is to be applied in the church. However, many Christian workers today do not have this concept. Instead of applying Christ in the place chosen by God, they apply Christ everywhere. To do this is to abuse Christ.

Let us now consider in detail from Leviticus 17 the two matters of taking care of the sacrifices and of the blood.
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