No 24

(The Blood Atonement)

The Scriptures teach us that blood is the only way to make atonement for sin. At the very beginning of time God Himself, in Genesis 3:21, provided animal skins as covering for the sin of disobedience of Adam and Eve which implies that blood was shed. In Exodus 12:13, the Bible says “..when I see the blood, I will pass over you..” This was just before God liberated His people from Egypt by the hands of Moses. In the book of Leviticus, we read about all the different kinds of animal sacrifices that were to be performed by the priests to atone for sin “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (ch17:11). For centuries, the Jewish Levitical priests sacrificed thousands of animals and shed much blood to atone for the sins of the nation. Blood has always been and still is the only way to atone for sin.

There is one thing that God hates and that is sin. The world today has practically eliminated the word s i n from its vocabulary; it has become a forgotten concept altogether. God always, without fail, must punish sin; He is a Holy and a Just God and can therefore not tolerate sin in any way, shape or form. Since non-believers refused the blood atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary, they will stand alone at the Great White Throne judgment and will be on their own to atone for their sins; their punishment is eternal damnation in hell (Rev 20:11-15. The believer’s sin must also be punished just as the non-believer’s sin; the only difference is that Jesus Christ was punished in the believer’s place “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom 8:1) and they will be with Jesus at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.