Israel’s religion under the Old Covenant was a bloody religion. It required animal sacrifices to take away the sins that had been committed by the people. We Christians sing a song about a fountain “filled with blood” and when we plunge ourselves beneath it we “lose all our guilty stains.” The Old Testament sacrificial system, which is a type for Christ’s own sacrifice of Himself, was a gory affair indeed! During the thousand-plus years of the old covenant, there were more than a million animal sacrifices! So, considering that each bull’s sacrifice spilled a gallon or two of blood, and each goat a quart, the old covenant truly rested on a sea of blood. During the Passover, for example, a trough was constructed from the temple down into the Kidron Valley for the disposal of blood—a sacrificial plumbing system!
Steaming blood provided the sign—even the smell—of the old covenant.
Sin brings death . . . sin brings death . . . sin brings death. But the shedding of blood does not only demonstrate the holy wrath of God against our sins, but also and equally a display of his kindness and grace and mercy to hell-deserving sinners. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the words of the apostle Paul to the elders in the church at Ephesus. He says this to them in Acts 20:28,
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
Sam Storms notes these two things.
First, the shedding of “blood” was the means by which God “obtained” us or redeemed us or purchased us as his own possession. In other words, the pouring out of “blood” was the way in which God’s eternal love for his people was expressed. Paul is telling the elders in Ephesus that they should love the church and care for her precisely because God does. And God’s love was manifest most vividly and concretely in the shedding of blood.
He says much the same thing in Ephesians 5:25 – “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” When he says that Christ “gave himself up” for the Church it means that he yielded up his life and poured out his blood in death to redeem her. The blood of Christ is both the requirement of God’s justice and the expression of God’s love. Neither one of those should be allowed to cancel out the other.
Second, and even more important, is that this translation in Acts 20:28 is inaccurate. God does not have “blood.” God is spirit. A more accurate rendering of this passage is that God the Father obtained or redeemed the church with the blood of “his own,” the latter being a reference to the Son, Jesus Christ. The words “his own” are actually terms of endearment, an expression designed to highlight the intimacy that exists between the Father and Son. It wasn’t an angel that God sent to die or one of the four living creatures from the book of Revelation. It was none else but his own dear, cherished, highly loved, and precious Son.
As our passage today says, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Thus we read in Hebrews 9:15-22:
15 Therefore he [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. 22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
We ended up last week talking about how necessary it was for Christ’s own blood sacrifice to be shed in our behalf—because this was the only way to gain a clear conscience. All three members of the Godhead are involved in purifying our guilty conscience.
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:14)
Christ, through the Holy Spirit, “offered Himself without blemish to God.” Our hope lay not in the sacrifices of animals, but in the New Covenant offering of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the mediator of that new covenant, and his death even “redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant,” the Mosaic Covenant. Every sacrifice made in faith under the Old Covenant was an IOU paid in full at the cross.
The believing worshiper of the old covenant came with a definite awareness, first, that sin requires death—second, that such a sacrifice required a spirit of repentance—third, that he was pleading the mercy of God—and, fourth, in some cases, that a great sin-bearer was coming (cf. Psalm 22; Isaiah 53). They looked forward to the promised Lamb of God.
The Old Covenant sacrificial system was flawed in that, by design, it could only deal with sins of ignorance (9:7) and could never completely clear one’s conscience (9:9). But then came Jesus with the new covenant in his own blood—a superior blood sacrifice that completely atoned for sins (9:12) and completely cleared the conscience (9:14).
Jesus was no uncomprehending, unwilling animal, but rather a perfect God-man who consciously set his will to atone for our sins. He is therefore a superior Savior and priest. He is the superior mediator of the New Covenant.
A Mediator stands between two parties, attempting reconciliation. Jesus Christ came from heaven to try to bridge the gap between a holy and righteous God and sin-loving humanity. As the Father’s mediator, it is Christ’s job to bridge the vast gulf and obtain entrance for us into God’s holy presence.
Now Christ doesn’t mediate in the sense of bringing about a compromise between God and man, but in the sense of enacting a New Covenant by which man comes to God on God’s terms—through Jesus Christ.
Kent Hughes points out, “His sacrifice is the medium of arbitration, because his shed blood is both retroactive and proactive in bringing forgiveness for sins. Our text is specific about the retroactive power of his blood: “a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant” (v. 15b). Significantly, the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (which prefigured Christ’s ultimate sacrifice) was also retroactive, atoning for the sins of ignorance committed over the past year (9:7). But Christ’s death was surpassingly retroactive, reaching all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Paul expounds the same truth in Romans: “whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25 NASB). Because of this, we understand that believers were saved under the old covenant through their obedient faith in God—demonstrated by their sacrifices as they humbly acknowledged that sin required death and as they placed their souls under the mercy of God. Their sacrifices were not a means of salvation, but they were evidence of believing, faithful hearts. To these, Christ’s blood extended its retroactive power.
Those of us who are new covenant believers are beneficiaries of the proactive power of Christ’s death, for he has paid for our sins. When he gave us the grace to believe, he activated his saving power in our lives—paying for our sins past, present, and future. (Kent Hughes, Hebrews, Volume 1, pp. 234-235).
As the writer further develops his argument, he does something that our English text cannot show. The word “covenant” (diatheke), which he uses twice in verse 15, is also used twice in verses 16, 17, where it is translated “will” (“covenant” and “will” are the same Greek word). But the reason for the two different translations is that the word is used religiously in verse 15 (hence “covenant”) and legally in verses 16, 17 (meaning “will”).
Here are those verses again:
15 Therefore he [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. 16 For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. 17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
We are familiar with wills. Wills are written while someone is still alive, but only comes into force after the death of the one who made the will, the testator. No matter what riches may be stated in the will, they are not distributed until the death of the testator.
The writer’s point is that Christ’s death activated his incredibly rich will—a fact alluded to by Paul in 2 Corinthians: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Think of the benefits we enjoy because of Christ’s death: forgiveness of sins, a guilt-free conscience, peace, deep peace (shalom —wholeness, health), purpose, a rich, eternal inheritance and ultimately eternal life in Heaven with God! All this is impossible apart from his death. It is all activated by his death! The death of Jesus was necessary for our participation in these benefits.
Believers under the Old Covenant enjoyed mainly physical, temporal benefits but we enjoy an “eternal inheritance” through Jesus Christ as our Mediator. And it all is based upon His death.
Spurgeon said: “If there be a question about whether a man is alive or not, you cannot administer to his estate, but when you have certain evidence that the testator has died then the will stands. So is it with the blessed gospel: if Jesus did not die, then the gospel is null and void.” Of course, His resurrection is essential to the gospel promises as well.
Jesus has become both testator and mediator of the new covenant—dual functions impossible for any being except one who rose from the dead. Jesus died, leaving the greatest inheritance ever. But he also lives now in order to mediate his will.
The Old Covenant went into effect when the Levitical priests shed the blood of animal substitutes and sprinkled that blood on all the covenant beneficiaries. The beneficiaries were the Israelites (Exod. 24:6-8) and the tabernacle (cf. Exod. 40:9-15). The New Covenant went into effect similarly when Jesus Christ shed His blood and God applied it to its beneficiaries (Christians) spiritually (cf. Matt. 26:28).
Beginning with v. 18 and extending down through v. 23, our author explains that during the time of the first or old covenant that God established with Moses and Israel, everything had to be cleansed with blood. The noun “blood” is used six times in verses 18–22. The book of the law was sprinkled with blood, the people themselves were sprinkled with blood, the tabernacle and all the furniture and its many accessories were sprinkled with blood as a way of teaching them and us that you cannot approach God and worship God and enter a relationship with God until such time as the penalty for human sin has been paid and the justice of God has been satisfied. It reminded them to take sin seriously. It reminded them that sin causes death.
Exodus 24 gives the full account of this. The Ten Commandments had already been delivered (Exodus 19, 20), and then the Book of the Covenant was read (Exodus 20:18—23:33), to which the people responded with one voice, “‘All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.’ And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD” (Exodus 24:3, 4). The next few verses complete the picture:
And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” (Exodus 24:5–8)
The inauguration of the covenant was at once a glorious and bloody affair. So was the subsequent beginning of tabernacle worship some time later: “And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship” (v. 21). On its inauguration day, the gorgeous tabernacle as well as its tapestries, golden appointments, and priestly vestments all dripped with blood.
Notice how he sums this up in v. 22 – “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood,” and the reason for that is because “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Now, why does our author say “almost everything is purified with blood…”?
Well, one reason is that a concession was made for the poor Israelite who simply didn’t have enough money to purchase a lamb or goat. He was allowed to bring a portion of flour or wheat as his sin offering in place of an animal or blood sacrifice.
Also some pollutions were cleansed by water rather than by blood (Exod. 29:4; 30:20; 40:12; Lev. 1:9, 13; 6:28; 8:6, 21; 14:8-9; 15:5-8, 10-13, 16-18, 21-22, 27; 16:4, 24, 26, 28; 17:15; 22:6; Num. 8:7; 19:7-9, 12-13, 17-19).
But the principle remains—“without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” This saying was proverbial in Biblical culture (TB Yoma A and TB Zebahim 6a)5—and was based on Leviticus 17:11—“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” Sin must bring the forfeiting of life. Sin demands death. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)
The old covenant sailed on a sea of blood, for two vast reasons. First, to emphasize the seriousness of sin. The Bible takes sin seriously, more than any other religious scripture. Sin alienates one from God. Sin is rooted in the hearts of humanity. Sin cannot be vindicated by any self-help program. Sin leads to death—and it will not be denied. The second reason is the costliness of forgiveness. Death is the payment. The Israelites saw this principle most clearly on the Day of Atonement, but every animal sacrifice reminded them of it. This is expressed in the New Covenant as well: A life is demanded in payment for sin. It will either be Christ’s life or ours!
Liberal theologians hate the idea of Christ’s blood paying for our sins. They have called such views “slaughterhouse religion.” They ridicule Christians who believe in a God who would be petty enough to be angry over our sins, and pagan enough to be appeased by blood.
The playwright, George Bernard Shaw, bitterly attacked the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, saying, “It is saturated with the ancient—and to me quite infernal—superstition of atonement by blood sacrifice, which I believe Christianity must completely get rid of, if it is to survive among thoughtful people” (cited in “Our Daily Bread,” 8/79).
Some progressive Christians have called Christ’s death on the cross “cosmic child abuse.” Progressive Christians are embarrassed by the idea of a bloody cross, indicating God’s wrath against His Son, the sin-bearer.
Author Steve Chalke has written:
“The fact is that the cross isn’t a form of cosmic child abuse—a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed. Understandably, both people inside and outside of the Church have found this twisted version of events morally dubious and a huge barrier to faith. Deeper than that, however, is that such a concept stands in total contradiction to the statement: ‘God is love.’ If the cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God towards humankind but borne by his Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus’ own teaching to love your enemies and to refuse to repay evil with evil” (Steve Chalke and Alan Mann, The Lost Message of Jesus, [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003], pp. 182-183).
But according to Hebrews and throughout the Bible a sacrifice is required to pay for our sins. And Jesus willingly gave up His life in order to pay the penalty for the sins of humanity.
The recipients of this letter to the Hebrews were in danger of going back to the Old Testament sacrifices, something they were familiar with. Today people want to move away from the sacrifice of Christ to something nicer and softer, a God of love who merely winks at sin, or doesn’t consider it important at all. Let’s not move away from Jesus Christ, but appreciate and put our full trust in what He did on the cross for us. He willingly offered His life as a satisfaction to pay the penalty of our sins and satisfy God’s wrath against our sins so that we can enjoy ultimate joy and gladness in God’s presence throughout eternity.
Grace Still Amazes 