The sacrificial offerings were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder and a penitential acknowledgment of his sin and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer. They were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death. To Adam, the offering of the first sacrifice was a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which only God could give. It was the first time he had ever witnessed death, and he knew that had he been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast. As he slew the innocent victim, he trembled at the thought that his sin must shed the blood of the spotless Lamb of God. This scene gave him a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of his transgression, which nothing but the death of God's dear Son could expiate. And he marveled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty. A star of hope illumined the dark and terrible future and relieved it of its utter desolation.

Gud påbød ofringerne, for at de stadig skulle minde menneskene om deres synd og få dem til at angre og bekende deres tro på den lovede forløser. De var bestemt til at indskærpe den alvorlige sandhed hos den faldne menneskehed, at det var synden, der var årsag til døden. For Adam var det første offer en meget smertelig ceremoni. Han måtte løfte sin hånd for at tage liv, som kun Gud kunne give. Det var første gang, han stiftede bekendtskab med døden, og han vidste, at hvis han havde været lydig mod Gud, havde hverken mennesker eller dyr behøvet at dø. Idet han dræbte det uskyldige offer, skælvede han ved tanken om, at Guds pletfri Lams blod skulle udgydes på grund af hans synd. Dette syn gav ham en dybere og mere levende forståelse af overtrædelsens størrelse, idet intet mindre end Guds kære Søns død kunne sone den. Og han undrede sig over den uendelige godhed, der ville give en sådan løsesum for at frelse de skyldige. En håbets stjerne oplyste den mørke, frygtelige fremtid og formildede dens fuldstændige trøstesløshed.