The Power of the Blood
by Lani W. Finley
 

Why was it necessary for Jesus to shed His blood in order for us to be forgiven? The answer can be found by understanding the power of the blood. The New Testament tells us that, "... almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb 9:22). Just what is there about blood that could give it any value toward a person's redemption and why is blood necessary for forgiveness? The answer is found in Lev. 17: 14, "because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood..." (NIV).

The penalty for sin is death. Therefore, the life of the guilty party must be forfeited in order to satisfy the requirements of the law. The life of the flesh is in its blood and the shedding of its blood ends the life of the donor. When the guilty party's life has ended, through the shedding of its blood, then the wages of its sin has been paid.

The value of the blood is determined by the value of the life that possesses it. For instance, the blood of a small dove is considered less valuable than the blood of a goat. Likewise, the blood of a ram is considered less valuable than the blood of a bullock. The blood of a man is more valuable than the blood of all animals, because he is the only being created in God's image and has been endowed with a spirit of reason, understanding and creativity.1 That is why the animal sacrifices in the Old Covenant could not forgive the sins of man. The blood of all animals could never equal the value of one man's blood. It was only a temporary covering of man's sins until the coming of the Messiah. Therefore, man's sins were never erased by the sacrifice of animals - only temporarily covered. The apostle Paul speaks of this truth in Heb 10: 4, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."

The eternal life of the Godhead flowed through the veins and spirit of Jesus. The scriptures reveal that Jesus was not begotten from human seed, but from the seed of God. "The angel answered and said to her [Mary], "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35. NAU). It is a proven fact that the father's seed determines the blood of a human being - and the life of the flesh is in its blood. Therefore, the life of Jesus was divine, because He was conceived from the very seed of God. That is why the scriptures reveal that He was God in the flesh. "Call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matt. 1:23).

The seed of God is holy and possesses no sin. For that reason, there was no sin handed down to Jesus. It was not only necessary that the Savior of the world lives a sinless life, but he also had to be conceived and born in a sinless state.

Consequently, only Christ's blood can bring redemption to mankind. For it was Jesus that created the human race, and He is the spiritual source from which all humankind has derived its life (John 1:1-4). Therefore, Jesus is the only one whose blood is valued more than all of mankind’s combined. It was only through His holy and sinless blood, that the sin debt for all humanity could be paid. Back to beginning of booklet