What is the ‘blood of Jesus’ and why does it matter?
Question 3036
Few phrases in Scripture carry as much weight as “the blood of Jesus.” It appears throughout the New Testament as the foundation of our redemption, the means of our forgiveness, and the guarantee of our peace with God. Yet for many believers today, the language of blood can seem strange or even off-putting. What exactly does Scripture mean when it speaks of Jesus’ blood, and why is it so central to the Christian faith?
The Biblical Meaning of Blood
To understand the blood of Jesus, we must first grasp what blood represents in Scripture. In Leviticus 17:11, God declares: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” The Hebrew word for life here is נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), which can also be translated as “soul” or “being.” Blood, therefore, represents life itself. When we speak of Jesus’ blood, we are speaking of His life poured out on our behalf.
This connection between blood and life runs throughout the Old Testament sacrificial system. Every lamb slain, every bull offered, every drop of blood sprinkled on the altar pointed forward to something greater. As the writer to the Hebrews explains: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). The sacrificial blood covered sin temporarily, but it could never take sin away permanently. Those sacrifices had to be repeated year after year, day after day.
The Blood of the New Covenant
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night before His crucifixion, He took the cup and said: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). The Greek word for covenant is διαθήκη (diathēkē), and Jesus was deliberately echoing the language of Exodus 24:8, where Moses sprinkled blood on the people saying, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you.”
But there is something dramatically different about this new covenant. The old covenant was ratified with the blood of animals. The new covenant is ratified with something infinitely more precious. Peter writes: “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The word “precious” here is τίμιος (timios), meaning of great value or costly. There is nothing in all creation more valuable than the blood of the Son of God.
What the Blood Accomplishes
Scripture attributes remarkable things to the blood of Jesus. Consider what it achieves:
First, it brings redemption and forgiveness. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7). The word redemption is ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis), meaning a releasing by payment of ransom. We were slaves to sin, held captive in a market from which we could not buy ourselves free. The blood of Jesus paid the ransom price in full.
Second, it brings justification. “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9). Justification is a legal declaration that we stand righteous before God. The blood of Jesus is the basis upon which God can declare guilty sinners to be righteous without compromising His own justice.
Third, it brings peace with God. “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:20). Before we came to faith, we were enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Now, through the blood, we have peace. The hostility has been removed.
Fourth, it brings access to God’s presence. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). Under the old covenant, only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year, and never without blood. Now, through Jesus’ blood, every believer has bold access to come before the throne of grace at any moment.
Fifth, it cleanses the conscience. “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). Animal blood could make someone ceremonially clean, but it could never deal with the guilt that weighs upon the human heart. The blood of Jesus does what no other blood could do — it cleanses us inwardly.
The Blood and Ongoing Fellowship
For the believer, the blood of Jesus is not merely something that dealt with our past sins at the moment of salvation. John writes to believers: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Notice the present tense — the blood “cleanses,” not merely “cleansed.” As we walk in fellowship with God, confessing our sins (1 John 1:9), the blood of Jesus continually deals with our failures and restores us to fellowship.
This does not mean we need to be saved again and again. Salvation is a once-for-all transaction. But our fellowship with God can be broken by sin, and it is the blood of Jesus that is the basis for that fellowship being restored. Every time we come to God confessing our failures, we come on the basis of what Jesus accomplished at the cross.
The Blood in Eternity
The blood of Jesus is not only central to our present experience but will be celebrated for all eternity. In Revelation 5:9, the redeemed in heaven sing a new song to the Lamb: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” And in Revelation 12:11, the saints overcome the accuser “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
The blood will never lose its power. It is the eternal basis upon which we stand before God. When we gather around His throne, we will not boast in our achievements or our faithfulness. We will boast only in the Lamb who was slain and whose blood purchased us for God.
Conclusion
The blood of Jesus is not merely a theological concept or religious language. It represents the very life of the Son of God poured out as the payment for our sin. It is the basis of our redemption, the ground of our justification, the means of our peace with God, the source of our access to His presence, and the cleansing of our conscience. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, and without His blood we would remain dead in our sins, separated from God for eternity. Let us never become so familiar with this truth that we lose sight of its wonder. The blood of Jesus is the most precious substance in the universe, and it was shed for you.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7
Bibliography
- Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross. Third Edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.
- Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.
- Stott, John R.W. The Cross of Christ. Downers Grove: IVP, 1986.
- Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.
- MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.
