Blood
In Scripture, blood is closely associated with life, death, sacrifice, and cleansing. Most centrally, the shedding of Christ’s blood refers to His sacrificial death for sinners and the redemption secured through it.
At a Glance
In Scripture, blood is closely associated with life, death, sacrifice, and cleansing. Most centrally, the shedding of Christ’s blood refers to His sacrificial death for sinners and the redemption secured through it.
Description
Blood in Scripture is not treated as a mere bodily fluid but as bound up with life and death under God’s ordering. Because life belongs to God, blood carries special sacred significance, which explains both the prohibition against improper use of blood and its central role in sacrifice, purification, and covenant signs in the Old Testament. These themes prepare for the New Testament’s emphasis on the blood of Christ, a reverent way of speaking about His violent, sacrificial death offered on behalf of sinners. Scripture teaches that through His shed blood believers receive forgiveness, redemption, cleansing, peace with God, and entrance into the new covenant. Care is needed not to separate Christ’s blood from His whole atoning self-offering, yet the Bible intentionally uses this language to stress the costliness, reality, and saving significance of His death.