Articles
“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).
