The Value of Blood

"And without the shedding of blood is no remission [forgiveness of sin]."

(Hebrews 9: 22, KJV)

 

The subject of blood is one of the greatest themes that runs throughout the Scriptures. It is also one of the most important subjects in the Scriptures as well. Genesis 9: 6 is one of the first mention of blood in the Bible. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." This verse is the answer to the actual first mention of "blood" in the Bible. It answers righteous Abel's cry for justice in Genesis 4: 10, "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground."  Because a life was taken a life was required. A life for a life was the price required to pay for the crime of murder. However, it does not answer the root cause of man's sin problem. This is where the truth of Genesis 22 gives us the prophetic picture of the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ seen in type through Abraham's offering up of his only son Isaac. For without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for sin (see Heb. 9: 22). The first system set up for forgiveness for sin through the shedding of blood can be seen in the animal sacrifices in the Levitical sin offerings. However, the blood of animals were only a "covering" for man's sin that only pointed to the blood of Christ that would be shed at Calvary for the "cleansing" of man's sin.  For as Hebrews 10: 4 so aptly puts it, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." The rest of this chapter builds on the truth of Christ being the supreme sacrifice that would be offered "once for all"  for man's sin (see Heb. 10: 5-21). Commenting on this passage, Adam Clarke says: ; Lev. 17: 11; 1 John 1: 7, 9.

 

  "9: 22: And without shedding of blood is no remission.]  The apostle shows fully here what is one of his great objects in the whole of this epistle, viz. that there is no salvation but through the sacrificial death of Christ, and to prefigure this the law itself would not grant any remission of sin without the blood of a victim.  This is a maxim even among the Jews themselves, hrpk Nya Mdb ala ein capparah ella bedam, "There is no expiation but by blood."  Yoma, fol. 5, 1; Menachoth, fol. 93, 2.  Every sinner has forfeited his life by his transgressions, and the law of God requires his death; the blood of the victim, which is its life, is shed as a substitute for the life of the sinner.  By these victims the sacrifice of Christ was typified.  He gave his life for the life of the world; human life for human life, but a life infinitely dignified by its union with God."[1]

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[1] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke's Commentary, (Power Bible CD, 5. 2).