Blood is the source of life for every living being. In the Old Testament, sin offerings were typically made by sacrificing an unblemished animal. The blood of the animal was then sprinkled on the altar of the LORD as an act of reverence. Scripture teaches that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:12). While these offerings, when done regularly and sincerely, provided forgiveness as established by God, people often failed to truly receive this forgiveness. They began to treat these offerings as a routine payment to God for their sins, as if God desired blood and could be satisfied by the sacrifice of animals.
True Remorse Leads To Repentance
Many believe that while God desires to forgive, He cannot overlook sin without compromising His justice. Forgiveness of sin comes at a cost, as God’s justice demands that the price for sin be paid. Sacrifices served as a symbolic payment for that debt. But does requiring a sin offering mean that God is compromising His justice?
God established these sacrifices to help people grasp the weight of their sin and experience the sorrow of an innocent creature dying in their place (Leviticus 4:1-35). By requiring an unblemished animal, God intended for people to feel the personal cost of their wrongdoing. The cost was not arbitrarily set by God but was meant to help the guilty understand the seriousness of their sin. Unfortunately, instead of feeling true remorse for their sins, people began to feel gratitude toward the sacrificial animal for taking their place, missing the deeper spiritual lesson behind the sacrifice.
Feeling remorse after committing sin is natural, but not everyone allows it to lead them to true repentance. Some try to fix their mistakes on their own, but under the influence of the evil one, they may be driven to despair—even to the point of ending their lives. Judas felt deep remorse for betraying Jesus, but he failed to repent because he feared facing Jesus. He did not grasp the boundless love and mercy that flowed from Jesus, which was more than enough to restore him. When we fear God, the world controls us; but when we love God, we understand that He takes control of our lives.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. – 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)
To restore genuine remorse and repentance, God sacrificed His Son to remove not only sin but also its stain from every person. This sacrifice put an end to the repeated offering of animals, as people are now called to confess their sins and claim the forgiveness granted to all humanity on the cross two thousand years ago.
God did not receive the blood shed from animals or from His Son as a direct offering, but they were shed in accordance with the law, which states that without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22), there is no forgiveness. God upheld the law He established, not abolishing it but fulfilling it through the one-time sacrifice of His Son. Although this act will never be repeated, the blood shed by Jesus holds the power to cleanse the sins of all who confess them (1 John 1:9).
If we do not feel guilty of our sins, the reason for Jesus dying on the cross, we will be liars and we will not be covered by the blood of Jesus any more. Instead, if we understand that because of our inequities, the innocent man, who did not even know what sin was, took our sin and willingly went through the wages of our sin, the death.
As that man, Jesus did not have the stains of sin in His blood, except the sins of the people of the world, the death could not hold it forever, and the Spirit of God gives Jesus His life back and Jesus was resurrected on the third day, making an avenue for all of us to enter into His Father’s Kingdom.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV)
Jesus Shed Blood On The Cross
Before His crucifixion, Jesus bled in the Garden of Gethsemane. Later, when the soldiers scourged Him, blood flowed from His torn flesh. On the cross, as the nails pierced His hands and feet, His blood poured out from the wounds. Finally, when a soldier thrust a spear into His side, the last of His blood gushed out. The life-giving blood of Jesus was completely drained from the body that carried the weight of the world’s sins. Because His blood is holy, the body that bore the sins of all humanity could not retain it. This purest blood, the very source of life, was poured out to offer eternal life to all who would receive it.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. – Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
At that time, there were no strict laws in Rome regarding capital punishment—it was left to the judgment of the authorities to decide how criminals would die. Crucifixion itself varied; many were tied to the cross rather than nailed. It is believed that the two thieves crucified alongside Jesus were only tied. But Jesus had to shed His blood for us—the price for reclaiming eternal life—so He was nailed to the cross. Even if He had been tied instead, His sinless blood would have still poured out through the pores of His skin like sweat, ensuring that His saving blood was made available to all humanity. This purest and holiest blood of Jesus holds the power to cleanse even the most hardened sinners.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
The Need to Be Born Again
As the prophet Isaiah foretold, the wounds of Jesus would bring us healing. Jesus rose from the dead with those same wounds, which will never fade since His resurrected body is eternal. These wounds were witnessed by many, and His disciple Thomas even had the privilege of touching them. Since Jesus is alive today, the marks of His wounds hold the power to heal the wounds engraved in our hearts. His blood remains available to cleanse us from any guilt, no matter how great.
Every year, we observe Good Friday and Easter as people who admire God and His Son for their ultimate sacrifice to save us. But simply mourning on Good Friday and celebrating on Easter has become a repetitive ritual—a sincere gesture of gratitude, but one that stops at the surface. God does not seek our outward displays of sympathy over Jesus’ brutal death; He seeks us, our whole being, because He purchased us at the cost of His Son’s blood. We no longer belong to ourselves; we belong to Him.
You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (NIV)
True transformation will not come from observing special days; it will come when we confront our sin, not just on Good Friday, but at any moment, with deep, broken-hearted repentance over the fact that our sin led to the sacrifice of Jesus. Only when we die to our sins alongside Jesus will we experience a radical shift—a true rebirth—where the old self is cast away, and we emerge as a new creation. Without this death to sin, our old habits and attitudes will cling to us. If they still persist in our hearts, it’s a clear sign that we have yet to fully surrender and die to our sins with Jesus.
Reflecting on Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection means more than remembering—it demands action. To inherit the eternal life that God has prepared for us, we must spiritually die to sin, rise with Christ, and walk in the newness of life. The power of Jesus’ blood can only be truly realised in our lives when we surrender our lives fully to Him.
Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. – Colossians 2:12-14 (NIV)
The Jordan Valley 
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