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and the question of sins comes prominent here, while in Rom. 8: 23, "Waiting for the
placing as sons--the redemption of our body," looks forward to deliverance from the
bondage of corruption and vanity. The word without the prefix apo occurs in Luke 1: 68,
2: 38, and Heb. 9: 12. The passages of Luke may indicate a very different phase of
redemption from that of Rom. 3: or Eph. 1: Lutron indicates the price of freedom, as
Matt. 20: 28, "To give His life a ransom for many," evidences. A stronger word,
antilutron, emphasizing the fact that the ransom was a perfect equivalent, occurs in
I Tim. 2: 6. It is upon this fact that Scripture declares, "Ye were bought with a price"
(I Cor. 6: 20).
The first blessing then that is ours through Christ is this full redemption. The lesser
words lutrősis and lutroő do not occur in the prison epistles, it is apolutrősis, the perfect
loosing away by reason of an accepted ransom. What was the ransom? "His blood."
Peter speaks of it as the "precious blood of Christ" and contrasts it with corruptible
silver and gold. In Matthew, Mark and Luke the blood of Christ is definitely connected
with the New Covenant, and for sins and transgressions in relation thereto. See also
Heb. 9: 15, 13: 20, I Cor. 10: 16 and 11: 25. In John (6: 53-56) the one thought is that
the blood of Christ gives life. The one reference in Acts (20: 28) speaks of the purchase
of the church with the blood of Christ. Rom. 3: 25, 5: 9 tell of a mercy seat and of
justification in connection with that blood.
The epistle to the Hebrews insists on the infinite value of the blood of Christ and the
utter incapacity of the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins or to make the offerers
perfect, but the blood of Christ does purge the conscience from dead works (9: 14), does
give access to the holiest (10: 19), does sanctify the people (13: 12), and, as a blood of
sprinkling, it speaketh better things than that of Abel (12: 24).
The book of Revelation also bears witness to the value of the blood of Christ. In 1: 5
we read, "loosed from our sins by His own blood"; 5: 9 speaks of redemption; 7: 14
of being made white; 12: 11 of overcoming by the blood of the Lamb. So in the
dispensation of the mystery. The blood of Christ brings redemption. We may ask the
reason why the blood of Christ should be the chosen instrument of our redemption. It is
evidently deeply connected with our nature and our need. Lev. 17: 11 tells us of the
typical teaching of the use of blood in the offerings under the law.
"For the soul of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to
make a covering for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh a covering by reason of
the soul" (see R.V.).
The reason is given. The blood is the seat of the soul. When the life-blood is given,
the souls is poured out unto death and made an offering for sin (Isa. 53: 10, 12). The
blood of bulls and goats could only provide a covering. The sacrifices offered under the
law never made an atonement in the full meaning of that word, they simply provided a
covering for sin until the great redemption was effected by the blood of Christ. The only
atonement ever made was made by Christ. For the word means to reconcile (see
Rom. 5: 11), to answer or make a satisfaction for, and clearly carries its meaning on the
surface, "at-one." The outcry made against this meaning (viz., at-one) was simply the