We’ve been referring to this a lot, but it’s good to look again at the practice of forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament.

The people who lived in ancient times had to make a plan themselves with the sins they had done. Animals had to be sacrificed constantly so that the people themselves did not have to die for their wrongdoings.

We need to understand two things here. Sin, wrong choices, wrong actions, things we do against the will of God, have consequences. No one can get away from this. Something has to take the hit and in the Old Testament, it was the animals that had to be slaughtered.

An important element in this slaughter was that the blood had to flow. Blood is the sign of life. Blood takes oxygen and nutrients to every place in a person’s and animal’s body. If there is no blood, there is no life.

When blood flows from an animal that has been sacrificed, it’s proof that the animal died and thus paid for the people’s sins. Unfortunately, the sacrifice was not sufficient for the subsequent sins of the people and had to be repeated often.

That’s why God made another plan. An everlasting plan. A plan that is good enough for all people on earth. The plan is good enough for the sins of the people who were and are yet to come. Forever.

¹⁹It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb.

The image described here is of people who were living an empty life without purpose. A life that we built ourselves because of the sins we commit. The people of the Old Testament were on their way back from the sacrifice ceremony only to continue living that same empty and purposeless life when they disagreed about something and again did what was not right.

God saw how the people couldn’t turn their lives around permanently. But God’s plan had to be a plan that would last forever. A plan that would pay for all people’s punishment.

To achieve this, the most durable means of payment had to be found. Silver and even gold wouldn’t do. Only the most expensive, durable means of payment was chosen – Jesus’ blood.

Yes, the precious blood of Jesus had to spill as a sign that Jesus was no longer alive. He was the perfect sacrifice. He was the One who had to die to pay for the sins of all the people on earth.

Only this precious blood could pay for all your sins. Nothing else could pay for it. Fortunately, God’s love for you and me was so great that He was willing to sacrifice Himself through His perfect, spotless Son’s life.

This is the centre of our faith. May it be the centre of your being every day and may you proclaim live out the message through your actions and thus also save many others.

Scripture
1 Peter 1:17-21

Reflection
Do you understand the importance of blood?
Do you understand the importance of Jesus’ blood in your life?
How does it change the way you live?

Prayer
Father, how can I say thank you for Jesus’ precious blood that flowed? By the way I live. May my gratitude also motivate others to accept Jesus’ sacrifice. Amen.