I believe that often times when people are new to the faith or have recently converted they are not differentiated from mature believers. Because of this sometimes new believers are taught exactly like the mature believers that have had much time to read the Bible and assimilate doctrine or theology over the period of years or decades. I am in no way pointing the finger at my church but I have seen it happen just about everywhere. People start talking about things like the Blood of Christ and how it atones for sins and the new converts just look on vapidly because of a myriad of reasons:(1) They have not had time nor tried to read the Bible in its entirety because it is huge and intimidating. They have no clue where to start. (2) Having actually read the Bible they either cannot apply the spiritual principles to their lives or the overlying more complex connections/connotations between the Old and New Testament haven't been made yet.(3) They are too ashamed to ask (damning pride). (4) It is assumed by many they already know (5) All the above in different combinations. With posts like this I intend to bridge the gap to get new believers up to speed or to refresh a mature believer's knowledge base. In some cases the knowledge base of new believers is sorely lacking and this needs to change.
So...why blood? Why Jesus Christ's blood?
The absolute clearest and distinct statement in the Bible of why blood sacrifices of the Old Testament had a substitutionary significance and was indispensable to atonement for sin is found in Leviticus 17:
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. Leviticus 17:11
More specifically, blood is a "word-symbol" for the death of said life or the price paid for it. Bled shed is a removal of life from the flesh. By draining the blood we remove the life from the flesh. Physical death not spiritual. So...to drink Christ's blood at the Last Supper / Communion is to take part in His death and the benefits of the life he laid down for all of humanity's sin. By sharing in His death we also share in His life, eternal life that is.
Why? Because God said so! God is sovereign and all-powerful, who are we to question Him? This is what He has revealed as the acceptable and satisfactory atonement or covering for our sins. So be it!
A life for a life. What do I mean? Our lives are demanded of us in return for our sin. How so?
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
In reference to man and his sin:
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" Romans 5:12
We are all guilty of sin and worthy of death. Period. PERIOD! No exceptions.
But...and this is a big but...
...our lives can be redeemed at a cost. To truely understand the cost and the idea and definition of being Redeemed, read here.
If blood atonement then is a symbol of life (or lack of it). When we hear someone say the blood of Christ, it is a metonymy for life. This idea goes back to at least Noah who God forbade to eat meat which had the "lifeblood" still in it.
"But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it." Genesis 9:4
Also mentioned by Moses,"But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat." Deuteronomy 12:23.
The blood makes atonement. Why? God demands a life be forfeit for the committing of sin. Either from the sinner or a suitable substitute.
Blood was given by God for this specific purpose. i.e.: "I have given it to you..." in Leviticus 17:11
"Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Hebrews 9:22
Then we hit a wall in the next verse.
"For since the law was but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Hebrews 10:1-4Impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins?!?! Say what? Then why did they do all those sacrifices in the Old Testament and kill all those animals?
"the law was but a shadow of the good things to come"
What things came?
Not what, WHO.
Jesus Christ did.
The Old Testamental sacrifices were but shadows of the only sacrifice worthy and suitable for human redemption. Jesus.
"Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.’”First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:5-10
More importantly we now arrive at a parallel in Christ's work that also directly relates back to the ceremonial Levitical system for priests. Not only did Christ pay the ransom to redeem us He also acted as the priest that entered the most holy place (Heaven/the Father's right hand) when he died offering His blood. All previously symbolically carried out by the priests in the Old Testament now carried out for real by Jesus in a once-and-for-all sacrifice that truly removed the sins of men.
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16
It is and was by faith that man is saved. Faith in what? The sacrifice (blood/life) of Christ at the cross. This applied to those before Christ came who had faith in a coming Messiah. They had faith and believed God's promises. This is why belief in God's restoration of the people is so pivotal in the waning years of the Israelite kingdom and the time of the prophets at the end of the Old Tesstament. They were looking forward to a promise of something unseen, just like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc. Faith in something unseen. After Malachi they would wait approximately another 400 years until the birth of the savior Christ the Lord.
We must also understand faith as something that is not a work. When we say we are "justified by faith" it is just another way of saying "justification in Christ". Faith in and of itself is not where the value lies, its value lies in its object, faith in what? In a Christian or Christ-believer's case it is Christ Himself. Faith is the eye that sees Christ or the ears that hear His word. The hand that lays hold. The mouth that drinks the Living Waters. It is not a work it is a bridge or a vehicle to Jesus. Not a verb or imperative or the "how", but rather a noun or a "what". When we are told to hold fast to our faith the imperative is "hold fast" and "faith" is the noun or object we are to hold fast to.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." Hebrews 11:1-3
This obviously also applies to us after the cross and Jesus Christ's incarnation in the New Testament.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..." Ephesians 1:7
"...but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." 1 Peter 1:19 (Christ was sinless)
"...how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works (1) to serve the living God." Hebrews 9:14
(1) Please note our works are dead and do us no good.
"And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation..." Revelation 5:9
There was more I could've gone into here but this is the briefest synopsis I could produce without totally and utterly confusing everyone. I pray this helps and edifies the new or older believers alike.
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