Christ's Blood
Question
What's in the blood of Christ that makes it powerful?
Answer
The efficacy of Christ's blood lies not in some property of the blood itself, but rather in the fact that Christ shed it in death, and such a death was the price of atonement for the elects' sin. Though Christ's shed blood was part of the cruelty of it, and speaks of it as sacrifice, the elect are saved by Christ's substitutionary death. Though Peter calls Christ's blood "precious" (which it is; 1 Pet. 1:19), Peter's reference is to the sacrificial nature of his death (1 Pet. 2:24). In cases like this, "blood" is a figurative way of referring to death. The phrase "Christ died for our sin" (Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3) expresses the truth that death, not blood, was the penalty. The elect are not saved by Christ's wounds, but by his death.
A good example is given to us in the Old Testament. The Mosaic sacrifices were provisional, substitutionary, and representative. They pointed to the sacrifice of Christ, One of the sacrifices employed by the Jews was lambs. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), the Jews who heard him might have immediately reflected on any one of several significant sacrifices. One such sacrifice would have been the Passover Feast. The Passover Feast was a celebration in remembrance of when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. The slaying of the Passover Lamb and the application of its blood to the door posts of Jewish houses in order for the death angel to pass over is a superb picture of Christ's atoning work on the cross (Ex. 12:11-13).
Another interesting facet of this discussion is that Christ's death would have meant nothing had he not lived a perfect life and fulfilled the law. Thus, we are saved not only by Christ's death and resurrection, but by his righteous life (Rom. 5:19). The Westminster Confession of Faith states,
The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for those whom the Father has given unto Him (WCF 8.5).
Answer by Joseph Nally
A good example is given to us in the Old Testament. The Mosaic sacrifices were provisional, substitutionary, and representative. They pointed to the sacrifice of Christ, One of the sacrifices employed by the Jews was lambs. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), the Jews who heard him might have immediately reflected on any one of several significant sacrifices. One such sacrifice would have been the Passover Feast. The Passover Feast was a celebration in remembrance of when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. The slaying of the Passover Lamb and the application of its blood to the door posts of Jewish houses in order for the death angel to pass over is a superb picture of Christ's atoning work on the cross (Ex. 12:11-13).
Another interesting facet of this discussion is that Christ's death would have meant nothing had he not lived a perfect life and fulfilled the law. Thus, we are saved not only by Christ's death and resurrection, but by his righteous life (Rom. 5:19). The Westminster Confession of Faith states,
The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience, and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit, once offered up unto God, has fully satisfied the justice of His Father; and purchased, not only reconciliation, but an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for those whom the Father has given unto Him (WCF 8.5).
Answer by Joseph Nally
