'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' (Lev. 17:11).

It comes as a surprise to anyone who holds the traditional idea of the

immortality of the soul, to discover that the word 'life' in Leviticus 17:11

and 14 is the Hebrew nephesh, translated 'soul' twice in verse 11.  (The

reader who consults Young's Analytical Concordance will need to correct an

error, Leviticus 17:14 should read Leviticus 17:11 in the first occurrence,

and Leviticus 17:11 should read Leviticus 17:14 in the second, under the

heading, Life, breath nephesh).  We will not turn aside here to examine the

teaching of the Scriptures on the soul; this will be reserved for a study

under that heading.  All that we seek to show here is that the shedding of

blood sets forth as no other way can, that Life has been taken, offered or

laid down.

There are thirty -six direct references to the blood of Christ in the

New Testament; these references, by six writers, are distributed through the

four Gospels, the Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians,

Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, and the Apocalypse.  The blood of Christ is

specifically associated with the New Covenant, with the provision of life,

with the purchase of the Church, with propitiation, redemption, forgiveness

of sins, justification, nearness, peace, access and victory.  It is called

'precious', is said to have been 'shed' and 'sprinkled', to speak better

things than that of Abel, and to be infinitely more valuable than the blood

of bulls and goats.  It is not too much to say, therefore, that a denial of

the necessity and provision of this sacrificial feature in the purpose of God

in Christ, vitiates the whole revelation of God, not only the New Testament

with its gospel, but the Old Testament with its typical teaching.

These thirty -six references to the blood of Christ in the New

Testament deal with twelve great features in the purpose of grace, each one a

theme in itself.

The twelve elements in the purpose of grace that involve the blood of

Christ are the following:

The New Covenant and the aionion covenant (Matt. 26:27,28; Heb.

8:8; 9:20,21).

The blood is the life (John 6:53).

Purchase and Redemption (Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18,19).

Propitiation, the Atonement of the Old Testament (Rom. 3:25).

Justification (Rom. 5:9).

Sanctification (Heb. 13:12).

Cleansing (Heb. 9:14; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14).

Victory (Rev. 12:11).

The blood of sprinkling (1 Pet. 1:2; Heb. 10:22).