Are animal sacrifice still required, or have they been done away with?

Any reading of the Old Testament would reveal the importance placed on animal sacrifices. Yet very few today practice such a custom. Does the Bible indicate that animal sacrifices have been done away with and are no longer necessary?

The question as to whether animal sacrifices were done away at the sacrifice of Christ is a topic about which there is much confusion, often stemming from the assumption that Christ’s death ended the need for animal sacrifices.

The above assumption is correct, as the blood of ritually slain animals cannot pay the ultimate penalty of our sin. Paul was inspired to state that clearly when he wrote to the Hebrews: