The prefix of the definite article to our subject is sufficient to show to every Bible student what blood is meant. “The blood” can mean none other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ, or that which is typical of His.
“Its value” none but God can fully know; “its meaning” we can understand just so far as it is unfolded in Scripture.
“The blood” runs like a scarlet thread from Genesis to Revelation. In the first place, “Unto Adam also and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skin, and clothed them.” This could not have been done without shedding of blood, whether in sacrifice or no, we know not. The fact remains that the result of the first blood shedding in the world’s history was the clothing of a sinner’s nakedness from the eyes of God.
In the next chapter, we find the blood of the lamb offered in sacrifice by Abel. It was through the blood of this offering that Abel was accepted, and was accounted righteous, God testifying, not of him, but of the value of his gifts. God here gives His judgment once and for all on a religion without blood, however sincere-which is not accepted by Him.
Again, the first thing Noah did on leaving the ark was to shed blood, and it was through blood that he was enabled to draw nigh and worship. Coming down the stream of time, in Abraham’s offering of the ram in place of his son, we get the truth of substitution most accurately and beautifully taught; whereas the result of the blood-shedding of the paschal lamb in Exodus 13 is shown to be that all who were sheltered by it became God’s property.
In the wilderness the whole worship of the people was based on blood-shedding. It was the sole means whereby Aaron could enter the holiest. It was used to consecrate him to God’s service, being placed on his right ear, hand and foot. In the case of the leper, it was used to cleanse. On the great day of atonement, it was the basis of relationship with God for all Israel.
Time would fail to go through the types of blood in the Old Testament, such as the scarlet line of Rahab, but what we have already said will furnish a type for each of the objects for which the blood is said to avail in the last list given on the subject.
Thus:—Purchase is illustrated by the Passover, Justification is illustrated by Abel’s sacrifice, Redemption is illustrated by the Passover, Bringing nigh is illustrated by Noah’s offering, Peace is illustrated by the great day of atonement, Purging of the conscience is illustrated by clothing Adam’s nakedness, Entrance into the holiest is illustrated by Aaron’s sprinkling before the mercy seat, Sanctification is illustrated by Aaron’s consecration, Cleansing or washing is illustrated by the leper’s cleansing.
What then is the reason that the whole word of God should give such prominence to our subject? It is two-fold: first the blood “is the life” of the man or animal, (hence when it is seen out of the body it is a proof of death); secondly, man’s life is forfeited by sin and sins. He is mortal, being descended from Adam after his fall, “As in Adam all die,” and has a sinful nature; in addition to which he has committed sins, the penalty of which is death. “The wages of sin is death.”
Now it is because of the first of these reasons that at the Lord’s supper we get the blood typified apart from and outside that which sets forth the Lord’s body. The bread would be enough to set forth Christ, but to set forth His death or Him in His death, we have the special image of the blood as poured forth in the cup. Hence the force of that verse “Without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Other types of death exist, such as the water of baptism, but blood is specifically death in its atoning aspect as placed between God and the sinner. It is the only thing that covers sin. Hence when it was sprinkled on the mercy seat, God could not only dwell with rebellious Israel, but could say through the mouth of Balaam that He had beheld no iniquity in them, although proof enough of their rebellious spirit lay within the ark in the very holiest. As to the second reason—life being forfeited to God on account of sin, no man can lay down his life as a freewill offering for another (as Moses wished to do). The reason Christ could do so was, because He was sinless in nature and practice. His life was therefore not forfeited on account of sin or sins, and He alone “had power to lay it down.” This He did in perfect love for us who had forfeited our lives. This sacrifice has two aspects, God-ward and man-ward. The atoning blood looked at from God’s standpoint propitiates Him, or in other words satisfies fully the claims of His holiness, that has been outraged and set at naught by sin for 4,000 years. An offense against an infinite God demands an infinite sacrifice. Therefore even though no sinner on earth were to trust in the blood, God’s righteousness on account of sin looked at generally would be vindicated in Christ’s death. But man-ward it has another side. God is not only now vindicated as regards His own holiness and righteousness, but He comes forth as the justifier of every sinner who believes. The blood washes away out of God’s sight the sins of all who rest on it.
Towards man then it has a saving power, of which the vilest may freely avail themselves. It therefore atones to God for sin and justifies believers from their sins.
Another point regarding the blood of Christ we must speak of before we close. It is this,—Whereas the blood of bulls and of goats required to be shed again and again every time a man sinned, the sacrifice of Christ is not only offered once for all, but forever cleanses from all sin. It not merely cleansed us when we believed, but it cleanses, or in other words, no sin can ever stand against us in God’s book, for the value of the blood of Christ for those who believe is eternal. There is a practical cleansing and a restoration of communion that take place as regards the sins of the believer, but this is by the application of the water of the word, not of the blood of Christ. This is shown in the Old Testament type of the red heifer in Numbers 19, and also by our Lord in John 13 To confound the constantly repeated cleansing of the washing of water by the word with the eternal cleansing power of the blood of Christ, shed once never to be repeated nor reapplied, is a serious mistake.
We commend an earnest study of this subject of “the blood” to all our readers, for we are convinced that sound and Scriptural views on this subject form the only basis for correct views of either Christ or Christianity.