(By Ben Godwin) An altar is a place where God alters our lives. Altars are mentioned over 400 times in the Bible, indicating their prominent role in the lives of God’s people. Most Old Testament characters built or used them to offer animal sacrifices as atonement for sin and to worship Yahweh—the one, true God. In ancient times, an altar was usually a simple stone structure on which religious rites were performed. Pagans sacrificed at shrines often called “high places” (elevated or hilltop sites) to please and appease their false gods or idols. In Christian churches, an altar is a place to stand or kneel before the Lord to worship or pray.
Salvation often occurs on an initial trip to an altar, but the altar should be used regularly thereafter. Done properly, the altar experience brings us and keeps us close to God. An altar is not limited to a fixed location inside a church building; it can be anywhere we contact heaven and make a spiritual connection with our Creator. The first “altar experience” presumably occurred in the Garden of Eden. Prior to the fall, there was no need for an altar because Adam and Eve enjoyed unbroken fellowship with their Maker (Gen. 3:8). After the fall, God made them coats of animal skins setting a precedent—the only way sinful man can be accepted in the presence of a holy God is with a blood sacrifice (Gen. 3:21). The first parents must have modeled the altar experience or how else did Abel know how to bring an acceptable sacrifice to God? CONTINUE