The Lamb: The Blood, The Bath and the Blessing

Hebrews 9:22
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2008Harold Dinsmore

The late Dr. R.G. Lee wrote these words in his 1957 book Bought by the Blood, “The blood of Jesus Christ is the key and center of redemption.  It has power to redeem.  Everything concerning salvation depends on it.  Just as there is no life for the arm severed from the body, so there is no redemption from sin apart from the blood!”

Why the importance on the blood of Christ?    What is it that seems to be so all purveying?  We who may be unfamiliar with the Old Testament economy and sacrificial system may have difficulty understanding the blood’s importance.  We find in our central passage this morning that “indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.”

No blood, no forgiveness.  In the book of I Peter chapter 1:18-20, we find this.  “For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.  He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the times for you.”

We were ransomed from the futile ways.  Not with money, possessions or things or even kingly influence, but with the precious blood of Christ, not unlike that of a lamb.  The death Christ died was to accomplish one thing and one thing only…our salvation.