Eternal Freedom Through His Death
Photo by Bill Gullo on Unsplash
The Sustaining Life of Blood
Blood is life. It flows throughout our body, through large arteries and veins and tiny capillaries invisible to the naked eye. Blood provides essential life elements, including oxygen and nutrition, as it flows to various organs in the body.
Life takes place within our blood to regulate vital life processes. Waste products, like carbon dioxide, and waste fluids, flow through the veins from the organ blood supplies through the arterial system. Blood contamination can cause serious illness and complications, potentially fatal if left untreated.
When the Bible speaks of blood in relationship to a covenant, blood takes on a spiritual nature. The physical properties and function of blood provide an illustration for an understanding of its spiritual nature. Although the physical sacrifice of Jesus was real, it fulfilled a major spiritual work.
The idea of blood sacrifices was prevalent in the ancient world when the Mosaic Law was given. So, the sacrificial system under the Covenant Law made sense to the people of ancient Israel.
Blood sacrifices seem brutally foreign to many Western minds now, although they were common throughout world history. I’ve found this requirement of Jesus’ sacrificial death hard to accept by many people in our modern culture. It’s hard to understand unless viewed from a historical viewpoint.
Scripture Text
Because Christ offered himself to God, he is able to bring a new promise from God. Through his death he paid the price to set people free from the sins they committed under the first promise. He did this so that those who are called can be guaranteed an inheritance that will last forever.
In order for a will to take effect, it must be shown that the one who made it has died. A will is used only after a person is dead because it goes into effect only when a person dies. [vss 15-19]
That is why even the first promise was made with blood. As Scripture tells us, Moses told all the people every commandment. Then he took the blood of calves and goats together with some water, red yarn, and hyssop and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “Here is the blood that seals the promise God has made to you.” In the same way, Moses sprinkled blood on the tent and on everything used in worship. [vss 20-21]
As Moses’ Teachings tell us, blood was used to cleanse almost everything, because if no blood is shed, no sins can be forgiven.
The copies of the things in heaven had to be cleansed by these sacrifices. But the heavenly things themselves had to be cleansed by better sacrifices. [vss 22-23] (Hebrews 9:15-23 GW)
[Context– Hebrews 9]
Key Phrase —
Through his death he paid the price to set people free…
Dig Deeper Into the Text
What did Christ do that guarantees believers an eternal inheritance?
What needs to take place for a will to go into effect?
How is this related to what Jesus did to bring our eternal inheritance?
Why is blood used in both the Old and New Covenants? [hint– see Leviticus 17:11]
Things to Consider—
All the sacrifices before the Lord’s atoning death (under the Law) were reminders of what was to come—the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. His sacrifice of Himself was not in a human temple, but in a heavenly one in the very presence of the Father. What took place on earth had a spiritual fulfillment in heaven.
This is called the Atonement of Christ, which was prefigured by the sacred Jewish ceremony called the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). The Day of Atonement involved a whole day of fasting and many, many sacrifices. But the Atonement of Christ was done once and for all (Hebrews 9:11-14).
No more sacrifices are needed. The shed blood of Jesus is greater and more powerful than the blood of animals. Why? Because He was both human and God in nature. He did not have a sinful nature since He was conceived by God’s Spirit rather than the natural seed of a man (see Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:31-35).
His death on the cross brought a new promise (covenant) into effect. It acted as a ransom that wiped away the resulting debt of humanity’s sin, which included physical and spiritual death. The Lord’s atoning (reconciling) sacrifice provided an eternal forgiveness not possible under the old promise (covenant).
His death, and His resurrection that followed it, brought an inheritance for all those who would trust in Christ as both Savior and Lord. This inheritance is eternal, not physical or temporary. It has no geographical location but exists as an abiding relationship with God in an eternal kingdom.
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
How does the blood of Christ provide believers an assurance of their salvation?
Do you understand why Jesus needed to offer up His own blood and life as an atoning sacrifice?
Have you personally experienced the forgiveness of God with the assurance of Christ's eternal inheritance?
How has the forgiveness of God brought you assurance, freedom, and peace?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
