Not Without Blood

The value of the precious blood of Christ is written large and plain everywhere upon the sacred pages of Holy Writ. It is declared in the law, in the prophets, in the Psalms, in the Gospels, in the Epistles, in the book of Revelation. Descriptive, in one brief sentence of the teaching of the whole book of God, the solemn truth is told

“WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD IS NO REMISSION” (Heb. 9:22).

“WITHOUT. . . BLOOD” the sinner is left exposed to the righteous judgment of God.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Lev. 17:11).

“Given” by God Himself, as the only way of blessing.

“Upon the altar,” the blood shed—the life given.

“To make an atonement.” To meet the righteous claims of the holy throne of God.

Abel’s offering “of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof” (Gen. 4:4).

Noah’s sacrifice of clean animals upon the altar (Gen. 8:20).

The sprinkling of the blood of the Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:6-7).

The Jewish sacrifices day by day and year by year (Heb. 10:11).

All these pointed on with unmistakable clearness to the one atoning sacrifice of our Lord at Calvary—to the redemption—not by “corruptible things. . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

The sacrifices of bulls and goats and lambs had but a typical value—they pointed on to a sacrifice yet to be offered. They were a constant remembrance that sins were not put away, that the awful debt was not yet paid. The great Antitype was in view. Christ the Son of God must come—He must live His spotless life. But He must die. The sinless must suffer for the sinful. His life must be given. His blood must be shed.

As another has said, “The value of the ‘life’ is the measure of the value of the ‘blood.’ This gives the blood of Christ its inconceivable value. When it was shed the sin-less God-man gave His life. ‘It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins’ (Heb. 10.4). It is not the blood in the veins of the sacrifice, but the blood upon the altar which is efficacious. The Scripture knows nothing of salvation by the imitation or influence of Christ’s life, but only by that life yielded up on the cross.” And again “The meaning of all sacrifice is here explained (Lev. 17:11). Every offering was an execution of the sentence of the law upon a substitute for the offender, and every such offering painted forward to that substitution al death of Christ which alone vindicated the righteousness of God in passing over the sins of those who offered the typical sacrifices (Rom. 3:24-25).”

WITHOUT . . . BLOOD there would be no gospel, there would be no forgiveness, there would be no redemption, there would be no nearness to God in righteousness, there would be no song, in the glory of God, to the “Lamb as it had been slain.”

Just as the blood of the Passover lamb pointed onward, even onward to the blood of Christ—which was yet to be shed, so the cup at the Lord’s Supper points back to that blood having been shed. And this Supper is the appointment of our Lord that the constant remembrance of His death may be before us.

Take away the truths which cluster about the sacrificial death, the atoning blood of Christ and what have we left? Meaningless offerings upon the altar, false testimonies by prophets and apostles and (above all) of Christ Himself, the claims of the throne of God would be still unsatisfied and the believer would be still exposed to everlasting judgment.

Let us look at some of the passages of the New Testament which bear upon the matter.

Matthew 26:28. “This is My blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” The words of the Son of God, Himself. “Without . . . blood,” then, no remission.

John 6:53. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you” (His words again). “Without . . . blood,” then, no life.

Romans 5:9. “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” “Without . . . blood,” then, no justification.

Ephesians 1:7. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” “Without . . . blood,” then, no forgiveness, no redemption.

Ephesians 2:13. “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” “Without. . . blood,” then, no nearness to God in blessing and privilege.

Colossians 1:20. “And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself.” “Without . . . blood,” then, no peace for the throne of God, or for the conscience of the guilty sinner, and no reconciliation to God.

Hebrews 9:14. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” “Without . . . blood,” then, no service for the living God.

Hebrews 10:19. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” “Without . . . blood,” then, no entrance with boldness into the holy presence of God.

Revelation 1:5-6. “Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” “Without . . . blood,” then, no praise to Him who freed us from sin’s bondage, and no kings and priests unto God.

If, in the glory of God, the Apostle Paul were asked, “How is it that you the chief of sinners are here? You were an overbearing insolent blaspheming man. What has fitted you to be in the courts of light?” His answer might be, “I have redemption through ‘Christ’s blood even the forgiveness of sins’” (Col. 1:14). If the Apostle Peter were asked, “Did you not own that you were a man full of sin, how then are you able to tread the street of gold?” might he not reply, referring to a verse already quoted, “I was redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb with out blemish and without spot” (1 Pet. 1:19). If the Apostle John were asked, “Was it your devoted service for Christ that brought you here?” “No! a thousand times no!” he might reply, “It is ‘the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, which cleanseth . . . from all sin’” (1 John 1:7).

If, on earth, the white-robed multitude, which no man can number, who came out of the great tribulation, were asked how they came into their place of service to God and nearness to Christ, they might one and all reply, “We ‘washed’ our ‘robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Rev. 1:14).

“Without . . . blood,” there is no gospel for the sinful.

“Without . . . blood,” there is nothing but judgment for the unsaved.

“Without . . . blood” there is no true Christianity.

BUT, there is salvation, cleansing, happiness now and heaven by and by for every sinner who flies for shelter to the Son of God and trusts His precious blood for redemption.

Serious indeed is the position of those who are slighting the testimony of the Word of God in the foregoing and many other passages to the value of “the blood of sprinkling which speaketh” of pardon, peace and joy everlasting.

It is dangerously like those of old to whom the warning words were uttered, of how much sorer punishment . . . shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29).

May all your readers be saved from this judgment.

I.Fleming

S.T. 1934