The Blood of Life

At the Blood Bank where I work, we currently have a marketing strategy to try and recruit 40,000 new donors before the end of July. And one of our slogans is “Be the lifeblood of Australia – Give Blood”. This reminded me of what I’ve also been reading in “The Cross of Christ” and also in the book of Leviticus.

In ancient times, it was believed that the life of a creature was in its blood. Leviticus 17:11-14 and Deuteronomy 12:23 both assert that “the life of a creature is in the blood” or “the life of every creature is its blood” and “the blood is the life”. And thus because this is so, God commands the nation of Israel not to eat any blood “for I have given it to you on the alter to make atonement for your souls; for it the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” – Lev 17:11 Indeed the punishment and consequence of eating blood is that God will “set My face against that person who eats blood and will be cut off from among his people.” – Lev 17:10

Back in Genesis 9 when God announced his covenant with Noah, he gave him not only the plants for food, but also the animals, “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.” – Gen 9:3-5

It is clear that God values life, and that more importantly, our lives belong to God. He has sovereign control and ownership of our lives, and thus demands an account for it. Genesis 9:6 further shows the significance and value of Man, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” The death of one man can only be repaid by the death of another.

It is because of the advent of sin that death entered the world and has severed our relationship with God. Because of the God’s holiness he is unable to tolerate sin (see post on Sin, Wrath etc), and the only just punishment for sin is death. “The wages of sin is death” – Rom 6:23 Bloodshed is the just requirement that satisfies sin.

Through the book of Leviticus, God provides for the people of Israel the system of sacrifice as a symbol and metaphor to remind them of the seriousness of sin. The intricate, complicated and detailed sacrificial rituals served to remind and enforce to the people of Israel that God is Holy, and that nothing they did could make them right with God. Following any sin that the people of Israel committed, they had to offer one of a number of sacrifices in order to be atoned for his sin. Not only that, but if anyone came into contact with anything that was “unclean” then they would have to stay outside the camp till evening, and cleanse themselves through ceremonial washing before they could re-enter the camp.

The pinnacle in the Old Testament that demonstrated the severity of sin, and the utter disparity of sin and of God’s Holiness is found on the Day of Atonement (see Lev 16). On this day, once a year “in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble souls and not do any work…for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.”- Lev 16:29-30 On this day, the blood of goats and rams paid the penalty for the sins of the people, and a scapegoat was sent out of the camp after having the sins of the people symbolically transferred onto its head.

However, despite these elaborate rituals and sacrifices, “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins… For the Law is only a shadow of the things to come… and can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near” – Heb 10:4 & 1 The system of sacrifice only served as a symbol, a metaphor, a shadow of the reality to come. The blood of animals could never actually replace the blood of man and pay the penalty for sin. But rather it was because of God’s grace and “forebearance that he had left the sins committed beforehand”- Rom 3:25

Because the blood of animals could never actually take away and atone for sins, another way had to be found so that mankind could be effectively forgiven for our sins. Only a man can take the place of another man, but even then, one man could only take the place of another man, and no more than that. Only someone without sin was capable of bearing the weight and consequences of the sin of all mankind for all time. Thus the only person able to fulfil both requirements of being BOTH man and sinless, is Christ himself.

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” – Phil 2:6-8

It is only possible for him to be both man and sinless, because he is first and foremost God incarnate. Nothing and no one can compare to God’s holiness, and thus nothing and no one is able to satisfy God’s wrath and pronounce justification for sins other than God himself. And so, it is God himself in his love that initiates this saving initiative.

“God… loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn 4:10), “God has come and has redeemed his people” (Lk 1:68), “It is God who justifies” (Rom 8:33), “God… reconciled us to himself in Christ” (2 Cor 5:18

He does all this through the blood of Christ, shed on the cross for us. Christ was the ultimate sacrificial lamb, “a lamb without blemish or defect”- 1 Peter 1:19

At Sunday school on Sunday, we were looking at a lesson that was pretty much about this, that Jesus Christ was the only person who could save us from our sins, who could justify us and reconcile us to God. We looked at 2 Cor 5:21 which in the Good News Bible says “Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” And one of the girls on my table said “That’s so stupid!” And you know what? She was right… It is stupid… It’s stupid to believe that God would sacrifice his own son, who was perfect and without sin, to take the sin of the world upon him, and to sacrifice him for our sakes. Why would God do that? What would compel Him to commit such a “stupid” act??? These were questions that spawned following that comment…

We eventually came to the conclusion that there was no other “logical” reason to be had, other than to say that it was because of God’s love for us, and his desire to be in relationship with us that drove him to commit his own son to the cross. Surely there can be no greater or clearer demonstration of God’s love for us than this. The fact that something so “stupid” is actually the truth is truly amazing and mind blowing. The comment also reminded me of another passage.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” – 1 Cor 1:18-19

How true this passage is…

But back to the blood thing… it is through the blood of Christ that we have been redeemed and reconciled to God. Through his blood, we have died to sin and been made alive in Christ (Eph 2:1-4). Through his blood we have been saved. Through his blood we have been given life, and given it “to the full” – Jn 10:10

Christ truly is the Blood of Life, and our very lifeblood.

It's Your blood that cleanses me
It's Your blood that gives me life
It's Your blood that took my place
In redeeming sacrifice
Washes me whiter than the snow
Than the snow
My Jesus God's precious sacrifice