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Word Of The Week: Blood
There is an emphasis on blood in the Bible that some may find distasteful. But in one form or another, blood is an essential element of the Bible message.
First, a LOT of blood was shed in the Mosaic age by Israelites in their animal sacrifices. These sacrifices were required by the law of God and taught a connection between sin and death -- i.e., the penalty for sin is the death of the sinner: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:20; cf. Ex. 32:33).
Animal sacrifices were accepted as a substitute for the human sinner: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11). These sacrifices pointed to the future sacrifice of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, for it is by the shedding of His blood on our behalf -- as a substitute for our own life -- that our sins can be forgiven (I Pet. 1:18-19).
The grape juice taken in the Lord’s Supper symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed, a sacrifice that established a new covenant with all mankind (Matt. 26:26-28; I Cor. 10:16).
