And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)
In the Old Testament, the people of God were subject to a sacrificial system of worshipping God. Rituals of sacrifice involved spilling the blood of animals to atone for the people's sins. That blood was precious to the people. It was necessary for cleansing, purifying, and covering sins. To the Jewish people, it was not possible to live a blessed life outside of the covering of blood sacrifices.
Scripture, in Hebrews and the Old Testament, clearly states that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. Remission involves payment or cancellation; when you pay a bill, we say you’ve remitted it. Sin is a debt that must be paid. God is a God of justice, judgment, and order. According to God’s dictates, the debt of sin can only be paid or cancelled by blood.
However, in the Old Covenant, the blood of bulls and goats could only cover over sin temporarily. The system wasn’t perfect because the sacrifice wasn’t perfect. When Jesus came and lived a perfect, sinless life, yet died a sinner’s death, His blood shed on the cross did not just hide our sins, as the previous sacrifices did. His blood cleansed us of all our sins. According to God, those sins cleansed by Jesus’ blood no longer existed.
Now, as New Covenant believers, we have been freed from sin and death through the shed blood of Jesus! This is the power of the blood. It brought us from darkness into life. It changed us from being blind to being full of light. It transformed us from old creatures burdened by the wrongs we have done and the wrong done to us into new creatures through Him. We have not just been forgiven. We have been made whole.
Practical Application
The sacrifice of Jesus should birth in us a heart of gratitude. Let this gratitude be evident in your daily life through acts of worship, service, and kindness towards others. Show appreciation for the mercy you have received by extending that mercy to others.