Articles
Blood and Forgiveness
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And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Heb. 9:28)
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Throughout history, blood sacrifices have played a significant role in religious devotion. In ancient times this practice was almost universal. Usually it was animals who were sacrificed to appease the wrath of a god, but occasionally the victims were humans. With the growth of highly developed religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity) the practice has been widely discouraged or condemned. Today, in our modern secular culture, blood sacrifices are considered barbaric, a relic of a primitive age that humanity has left behind.
Christianity, however, still insists on the efficacy of one blood sacrifice--the death of Christ. This verse in the book of Hebrews is part of a larger discourse arguing the necessity of Jesus' death as an atonement for sin. This belief in a human sacrifice for our sins is a major stumbling block for many moderns in accepting Christianity. How can the gruesome death of a Jewish rabbi two thousand years ago have any possible relevance to my life today?
Part of the problem people have with this concept is connected to modernity's rejection of the idea of sin. People today ridicule sin as a neurosis left over from an unsophisticated past. Sure, nobody is perfect; but the idea that our imperfections must somehow be atoned or paid for is considered silly. Consequently, people no longer take sin seriously; and because they do not take it seriously, they feel no urgency to deal with it; and because they do not deal with sin, it will have its way with them. In the end, they become slaves to sin, and it destroys them.
Sin is a life-or-death issue that we must take seriously. We can laugh at the childlike manner in which the ancients approached the problem, but we have to give them credit for at least grasping the importance of forgiveness in grappling with life's tortuous path.
That's why, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, blood sacrifices signify the seriousness of humanity's sin problem. Some living thing must die to pay the penalty that we owe. Animal sacrifices were insufficient to pay that debt; that's why they had to be offered again and again. But with the sacrifice of Christ, one final sacrifice paid the bill in full. He is our High Priest who made the ultimate sacrifice "once for all when He offered up Himself" (7:27). "We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (10:10).
If the death of Christ seems like a pointless religious myth to you, take a closer look at your own life. If, deep in your heart, you feel any sense of futility, of unease, of failure in your life, please recognize that Jesus died precisely to help you deal with that. There can be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood--and Jesus poured out His blood . . . for you. Don't walk away from that gift.
--David
